New to Dog Travel

EdwardOrmsbee · 03-23-2021, 10:03 AM

Hi all! My wife and I are not new to RVing but this is our first full summer since retiring. We’re looking forward to more time in our Seneca. The other new thing in our travel is Luke, a six month old lab. I’m looking for any and all advice related to traveling with a dog. Thanks, Ed

Camper_bob · 03-23-2021, 10:20 AM

Welcome and congrats!

Really it's not all that different than having him at home except that instead of just opening the door and letting him run free, you have to control him every time the door opens.

With a Lab, especially a young one, it's important to let him "burn it off". Stop plenty to get him out and running around, play with him a lot, make sure he has a comfortable and safe place to be while under way (we use a portable crate for our Corgi, easier because he's a LOT smaller than your Luke). Make sure he has plenty of water too.

Carry plenty of "poo bags" to clean up his leavings.

Make sure you train him for if/when you have to leave him in the rig by himself. Hate to do it, but sometimes it happens. Thankfully our little one is crate trained, so he stays in his crate when we're away from the rig. One time we left him out because he had been really good. We didn't get 50 feet from the rig before he was in the driver's seat with his front paws on the horn watching us. Yeah, he went back in his crate. If you leave him alone for progressively longer periods, he'll get used to it, and he'll know you're coming back. Be sure he's as worn out as can be, and give him something to occupy himself with lest he chew up your coach (seen it happen) from anxiety and/or boredom.

Tunce the traveler · 03-23-2021, 12:33 PM

Just let him play and enjoy all your walks

Route 66 Traveler · 03-23-2021, 01:03 PM

We have always trained all of our dogs to come when I blow a whistle. My Australian Cattle dog just turned 6 months old and he will run free in the desert, but once he gets out any distance I blow the whistle and he will immediately turn and run back to me and sit at my feet. It saved my Yellow Labs life once when she started to chase a Coyote. She started to chase it, but stopped in her tracks when I blew the whistle and returned to me and sat at my feet. It's easy to train them. I started with a 15' leash and a few treats, and some patience. My lab was also trained to never go out into a street by herself...now working on that with our new pup.

https://www.amazon.com/Hipat-Whistle...s%2C206&sr=8-5

wiscampsin · 03-23-2021, 03:08 PM

If you haven't already done so get Luke comfortable in your Seneca. He has to realize it's his home away from home. Bring his water bowl and bed our there, and spend some time in the Seneca with him. Feed him in it a couple times. Same rules as in the house, if he's not allowed on the bed/furniture in the house then he's not allowed on the bed/furniture in the RV. He's young enough to relate this with his basic training. Agree that exersize in important in keeping his energy level under control when on the road. I've never been at a rest stop that doesn't have a dog area. You'll still need him to keep him on a leash but those retractable leashes are great for a little extra rope so he can run a little. Once at the campground walks several times a day are important. We check with the local municipality to see if they have a dog park, some of which allow dogs to be off leash. I was surprised how many do. Constant barking is not well received at campgrounds so some people leave the radio on at a low volume if/when they leave their dog alone for a while.

Camper_bob · 03-23-2021, 03:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wiscampsin

snip... Constant barking is not well received at campgrounds so some people leave the radio on at a low volume if/when they leave their dog alone for a while.

+1

We've been known to leave the TV on for him. Nothing like some good ol' OTA broadcast TV to rot his brain REAL GOOD! LOL!!

I was going to mention this as well. Our old dog didn't bark unless someone came up to the rig, and even then he usually didn't bark. Our new dog is about the same. We still leave the shades drawn, even though he can't see outside from his crate, and he doesn't bark at noises except for perhaps a knock at the door (which I WANT him to bark at), even then, he's pretty quiet when he's in his crate. Yes, we've tested him repeatedly to ensure he doesn't just sit around and bark or howl for no reason. Plus we try desperately NOT to leave him in the rig unless we have to (like going to a restaurant) and then it's only for the time it takes to eat a meal and return.

SUPER good advice IMO about getting him accustomed to his "second home" in baby steps. I try to put myself in his shoes. If you put me in some unfamiliar place 5 minutes before departure on a journey, I'm not going to be happy. It's loud, it smells funny, sometimes I can't see my family, the whole world is moving and swaying, I may have to pee... It can get pretty stressful for an animal, and they act out in ways we often don't understand until we start seeing it from their perspective.

That's one of the nice things about having ours crate trained. That's his little "escape". He has a big one at home, and we put him in his little travel crate whenever we take him somewhere in the car. So he knows it, he's comfortable in there, and unless he needs to relieve himself, he's happy and safe in his crate.

Shokyle1 · 03-23-2021, 04:06 PM

Know the leash law in each area you are in and follow it.

Kim Gass · 03-23-2021, 04:08 PM

While you can't let your dog loose in campgrounds often they have "dog parks" Basically fenced dirt. Bring a favorite toy for run time.
We did 44 days across the country with our dog. Long days in the truck and he needed run time. When we could we let him off leash as he is recall trained 100 percent of the time . Time spent with a long leash and training to ALWAYS come will pay off. Some National Parks don't allow dogs on trail so plan ahead. Your pooch will appreciate a run every day.
In trailer have a night light so you do not fall over your pooch and crack your head. Our unit is small so this was an issue. Our dog does not use a dog bed but uses a blanket and we found that if we put the blanket in an out of the way place he would sleep there ( it smelled like him)

THE MEEKER · 03-23-2021, 04:15 PM

Hopefully you will not have this problem, but if you do...

Our golden used to get motion sickness until she was about a year old. I would not give her any food for 3 hours before departure but she would vomit about an hour into the trip.

What worked for us was to put a tablespoon of peanut butter into a small bowl then add about a half of teaspoon of powder ginger sprinkled over the top of the peanut butter. This supposedly settled her stomach and it solved the problem.

Happy travels!

EdwardOrmsbee · 03-23-2021, 04:18 PM

Excellent suggestions! Please keep them coming.

EA37TS · 03-23-2021, 05:07 PM

One thing we do is tag our dog and cats with name and campsite number. We use the small round disposable key tags you can get at office supply stores. If the dog should get loose anyone that finds her will know where she came from. Our dog is also micro chipped with chip ID attached to her harness.

Joey55 · 03-23-2021, 06:18 PM

If you leave your animal(s) in the RV and wonder if the temp is OK (AC on and working) just get a WIFI camera (WalMart has one for $19) and point it where you can see your animals with a thermometer in view. Then you'll know if the temp is OK or the AC went off and can take action.
You'll be able to monitor it on your smartphone.

Colorado · 03-23-2021, 06:30 PM

We bring ours everywhere. Make sure you have them CHIPPED and tags with your phone number so if they take off anyone that finds them can find you. We keep goat bells on them especially if we are boondocking. It keeps predators away and allows us to keep an ear on them. We also put LED collars on them at campgrounds, where noise is a concern, or going for walks at night....

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07S88PHCF...B6SE723ABQT2R3

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MGYBWX5...ing=UTF8&psc=1

CAG · 03-23-2021, 06:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shokyle1

Know the leash law in each area you are in and follow it.

Pretty much the leash law in all areas is they do not belong off the leash (unless of course you live in France) and there is nothing more annoying than a dog barking in an RV that the owners have left and left the dog alone.

Rustic Eagle · 03-23-2021, 06:42 PM

Keep a copy of Luke's current dog license registration and current vaccinations (rabies, etc.) in the MH.

Bob

us71na · 03-23-2021, 08:12 PM

Train your dog not to bark at people walking bay your campsite. There is nothing more annoying to other campers than hearing someones dog baking every time somebody walks by.

Most of all your dog isn't a human and you don't have conversations with them about behavior. Use one word commands and enforce the training until it becomes permanent. When you say NO, it means no right now, not two or more times later. Your dog will not be offended or resentful if you correct them. Your fellow campers will thank you.

We've traveled with our Brittany for over 14 years.

**JFlightRisk** · 03-23-2021, 08:38 PM

The Rabies certificate is required at all the NYS Parks, and the ones we visit have a small form you read and sign, acknowledging the park rules. We do take his license tag, but I don't ever remember anyone asking for that.

We let our Corgi ride in the back seat of the truck so we can tell if he needs a stop. Usually I'm the one that has to stop first! An expandable and a 6' leash, an emergency dog specific first aid kit is VERY important, lots of poop bags, a package of doggie wipes, a supply of water in the truck, enough food for longer than the expected stay in case of vehicle trouble, and toys, bones, and rawhide chews to keep him occupied and happy. We put a dog bed on the floor, but he decided the love seat was MUCH better, so a pet cover for that. Ours rides like a champ but did throw up once in on a long bumpy highway, so a small scrub brush and a can of TuffStuff in case he gets sick to his stomach.

Some dogs balk at the open RV steps, so we have to give him a boost up into the TT. He's light enough for that.

Camper_bob · 03-24-2021, 07:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JFlightRisk

snip...

Some dogs balk at the open RV steps, so we have to give him a boost up into the TT. He's light enough for that.

LOL! Funny you say that! My Corgi doesn't like steps either! His long "hot-dog" body and short legs aren't conducive to taking steps gracefully! He's getting the hang of it, but up until very recently, he'll only go UP the stairs willingly sometimes. Will only go DOWN the stairs "willingly" if he REALLY has to pee! LOL! It's a sight for sure! But like you say, he's light enough that lifting him isn't that big of a deal...

As my last dog got older and his arthritis in his hips and back got worse, we had to lift him in and out of the camper. 65 lbs of wondermutt could get a little difficult at times...

Sometimes I forget about the little things like the stairs. Our old dog had long legs, and he would on occasion let one slip through the stairs if they were slippery and/or he was in a hurry. This is a pretty severe injury potential, so we always tried to make sure he took it slow and we were there to assist when needed. The Corgi doesn't have that problem. His legs are so short that if his feet slip, he'll just kind of roll around! LOL!! We still try to make sure we're there to assist his ingress and egress...

Question: What would you all include in a "doggy specific" first aid kit that you might not find in a regular "human" first aid kit?

Marine71-76 · 03-25-2021, 06:55 PM

Our previous dogs traveled fine - Great Danes (1 at a time) then Dalmatians (2 at once) and now another Great Dane. She does fine traveling. We do pull over every couple hours to allow her to get out & do her business. Last year we left her in the unit (not in her crate) during the day & never had a problem. Went out 1 night and pulled the shades...well, she tore up a box of Kleenex and DW's nightie - guess it could have been worse. We always leave the radio on, on low. And we also have 3 cats that travel with us.

While at campsite, we take her to the dog park. We also have a lead and placed an elevated bed outside for her to lay on. The one thing that really upsets DW is the kids who just have to run through our site. The dog will just want to play but she is so big and would knock them over.

Good luck and enjoy.

EdwardOrmsbee · 03-26-2021, 07:59 AM

Thanks to all. Your experiences and suggestions have been insightful and helpful. Ed

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