Dog travel

[pbuck1]

I'm a newbie to camping, only been three times in the TM so far.
We have two medium sized dogs(50/60lbs) and I know from the avatars that many others on this forum have dogs. I'm looking for some info on how to best camp with them.
From what I've seen camp rules all say not to leave pets unattended and I guess this would cover leaving them alone in the TM. Now boonie camping is probably no problem, but what if you're at a commercial campground and want to sight-see, shop or go to a restaurant where you can't take dogs?
We did camp with our dogs in the fall when it was cool to warm outside, and in these circumstances we took them with us and left them in the back of the SUV for an hour at a time. But we couldn't do this in the summer when it's hot.

If you can and do leave the dogs in the TM, any special methods to keep them cool, happy and preventing them from disturbing other campers with barking, etc.??

Just interested in knowing what others do.

Paul

 

[ripp1202]

Leave pets unattended is on a leash outside and no one around I feel you can put them in your TM and go where you want to!!!!! We have two dogs and do this all the time when we camp The :new_evil: Rip When hot leave the a/c on!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[BrigCA61]

Yes, same here - we simply leave them in the trailer and post a note to the door that says "Dogs inside - in an emergency please call (cell phone number), Thank you!" I do that so if they are barking or other emergency they can get ahold of us. I talked to other campers and they do the same thing - no problem. The first time we did it with the dogs in the trailer I was a bit leary of my JRT (he is a good watch dog and will bark) and asked my neighbors to let us know if they bark... they said they didn't even know they were in there. I was relieved to hear that. I would probably do the same and notify your neighbors the first few times you leave them alone just to see how it goes. We also didn't leave them for more than 1 hour at first. Now we can leave them for 8 hours, no problems. We leave the AC on when it's hot also, but don't leave windows open or curtains open so they aren't tempted to bark at something passing by. Also, we turn on the TV as a distraction to block out noise near our trailer so the dogs aren't tempted to bark. Seems to work well.

I would like to add that we don't generally leave them alone very often, but on occassion would like to include an excursion to a place or two that doesn't allow dogs. But in general, like the posters below, we include them in our activities...they are our kids afterall! Besides, eating out less means easier on our wallet and hiking more with the dogs means good exercise for us also.. plus our dogs make such good company! I would not however, tie my dogs outside and leave them... I'd be too concerned about dog theft, but some do leave them with no problems this way. Guess it just depends on who's around that may keep an eye on them. Hope this helps.

 

[2bcs1jrt]

Well, we have 2 border collies and a jack russell. We do not leave them alone in the TM or at camp sites. But we also don't go places that they can't go. We might crate them in the van and park in the shade if it's not going to get hot but that would be for a short period of time so generally, we hire a dog sitter and leave them home if they can't be with us. So Im probably not much help. Leaving a dog (at least my dogs) unattended in a campground in the TM or otherwise is worrisome to me. Mine are very active and could get in trouble do to bordom. Not to mention my worry about someone letting them out or taking them. (If they took my jack russell, they'd likely give her back in a big hurry. She's a hellion to say the least )
So that's my useless 2 cents.
Cheri

 

[Grouse]

Hi Paul,

Not really much to add. I too have two medium sized dogs 50-55 lbs each (gordon setters). Like any setter they are pretty active.

In our case we try do activities where we can include the dogs. Rather than eat in a restaurant we are more likely to either pack a picnic lunch or stop at a store and get what we need for lunch. Even keep the corkscrew right in the glove box so it is always handy. I've never been a big fan of leaving my dogs unattended in the car.

You're right. I've never been to a commercial campground that allowed dogs to be left unattended. However, like the others I have left them in the trailer. Unfortunately, they are "talkers" and this works only for short periods of time for us. I refuse to use the no bark collars while we're camping. Silly me, I figure it is a vacation for the dogs as well as us.

However, during hunting season when I'm more likely to be camped at state forest or national forest campgrounds or just parked in the woods, I do leave the dogs both leashed outside the trailer as well as unattended in it. Fewer campers and for some reason, they don't "talk" nearly as much.

And finally, if our trips include much in the way of city actiivities, general sight seeing, restaurants, theater, museums and etc then we leave the pups at home with a dog sitter.

Enjoy your travels and enjoy traveling with your two companions!

al

 

[yworrydog]

We try to take our dogs with us as much a possible. It was impossible to leave Cuddles (now over the Rainbow Bridge) in the camper due to separation anxiety. (bark bark bark). When were in Washington DC we took both of the dogs on leases up and down the Capitol Mall. It was hot, and they were happy to get up to the fountains for a drink.

After the walk, we wanted to look inside the Capitol building, so we put the two dogs in the truck with the AC on and the doors locked. As you may know there are some “unsavory” type of people sitting around on the Mall. When we got back to the truck, I was stopped dead in my tracks, as the window was down! To our surprise, both of the truck windows were all the way down! It seems that the stupid one, now gone, would stand on the armrest, where the power window buttons are! We could have lost the dogs, and the truck as it was running ready to go for anyone that may have wanted it.

After the adventure, I would take the fuse out for the power window if we had to leave them with heat or air on. Rose now has new dog, Yorkie; (new to us, but we got it used). I will be trying both dogs and the “Kat” in the TM in the backyard before out trip in two weeks. Doing the Bark Bark test.

 

[pbuck1]

Thanks everyone for all the replies. I have some things now I will definitely try out (a trial at home, note on the door on first trip, etc.).
Chuck, I got a good chuckle from your story about your DC visit. You must have some really ferocious looking dogs to deter those Mall muggers !

Paul

 

[Carole]

dogs

We have just completed 70 days of camping in our 2619 TM. We had our 12#
Pomeranian with us the whole time. We did leave our pom in the TM for up to 4-5 hrs at a time. He had plenty of water, food and good music. We always left him with a treat and walked out the door. Sometimes he would bark, but according to our neighbors in the park, he stopped barking after we were gone.
Our dog has a bed that we place in the corner of the front bed. He was a excellent traveller.

Carole
2004 TM 2619
2006 Titan Nissan

 

[Leslie & Nick]

Camping With Dogs

We have two dogs - a large 90 lb Retriever/Pyrenees mix, and a small black Cocker Spaniel. If it just my wife and I, we always take the two doggies - they love the long rides as well as the actual camping experience. Like others have said, we try and take them any place we go. If that is an impossibility we'll leave them in the locked TM for a few hours at most. If it's hot we'll leave the AC on for them, or at least open the windows in the trailer and switch on the powered vent, and make sure they have water. They're past the chewing stage so we don't worry about cushion, etc. We just got back from a TrailBlazer rally, and took the dogs on several 'outings'. The dogs sleep on the front bed, and we normally sleep on the rear bed. The truth be known, I think we got the camper as much for the dogs as ourselves!

Nick

 

[Labs4us]

Hi,

We have 2 labrador retrievers that love to camp with us. We also bought our TM and our tow vehicle with the dogs in mind. That being said, we take them with us on our camping trips and make sure to go to "dog friendly" places -- with activites for them, too. They love to hike, swim, play ball.
When we do have to leave them alone it is for very short periods ( no more than an hour) and we leave the AC on.
If we know that we are going somewhere that is more of a tourist destination ( ie; theme parks, etc.) we will leave them at home with a dog sitter.

 

[tucsoncarol]

Know your dogs.

Only you know how they will respond to being left alone. As other responders on this forum have noted, you know if your dogs suffer separation anxiety so act accordingly. If you don't know, try a few fake separations. Leave as if you were going for a while, park a short distance away, and walk back far enough to hear how your dogs react to your absence. Traveling with three greyhounds is no trouble, they just don't bark (at least mine don't). Even so, we always take them on a long walk beforehand so they are tired and more likely to sleep the day away and we never leave them for long. We know from experience that they will howl at sundown if we aren't "with the pack" so we have an early curfew.

 

[camp2canoe]

We take our 70 pound labrador retriever with on most of our TM travels and have no concerns re: leaving her alone in the TM while we are canoeing or dining out. The ventilation options are so much more versatile on the TM than in the truck. Despite leaving a dog bed on the floor, within minutes of us leaving Kali gets up on the bed so she can see out the window. We view the TM as pet friendly even when it is quite warm out. - David (Camp2Canoe)