Kids want a dog! Help!

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IHeartRVLife

IHeartRVLife

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Joined
Jun 26, 2014
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We just started rving a few months ago and the kids are asking for a pet now?! LOL, kids, right? I have told them that our RV just isn't big enough for a dog, but they seem to think we could get a tiny dog. How do you make dog ownership work while on the road?
 
IHeartRVLife said:
We just started rving a few months ago and the kids are asking for a pet now?! LOL, kids, right? I have told them that our RV just isn't big enough for a dog, but they seem to think we could get a tiny dog. How do you make dog ownership work while on the road?
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It is surprisingly easy.  Dogs want to be with their pack and your family will be the pack.  They will go along with most any routine you can think of.  You need just a few things:

1.  Use a restraint on the dog while traveling.  I like a safety harness tethered to a seat belt. 

2.  Dogs need to be walked first thing in the morning and last thing in the evening, and before any time you leave them in a parked RV.  Assign this to the kids.  Servicing a critter and picking up and bagging dog feces before breakfast is a valuable life lesson.

3.  Take dog and kids to a canine obedience class, they will teach them how to walk and retrieve the critter.  They teach the dog too.

4.  RV dogs need not be tiny.  We have traveled with Labs, Keeshund and Chow-mix critters.  A good size, especially with kids, would be 30-60 lbs:  big enough to take some rough handling, but small enough to lift up and to control on leash by kids.  (Trailer size:  23 foot.)
 
We got a rescue puppy just before we started fulltiming. I think he is half poodle and half garbage disposal--a disapoo. He konows no other live than RV'ing. There are problems associated with pets in an RV, but having him around outweighs the negative. I wish he was a lower energy dog, but he is what he is. I built a shelf across the rear seats in the extended cab so he has a place to ride and he loves it. He is not three years old yet and has been in 35 states.  He is a happy well-adjusted dog that enjoys life and spreads that joy to us.
 
I am in central Florida where I am living in my RV. It is currently raining cats and dogs out. Here is a short video from a similar storm a few months ago:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHykWXTPNFs

I am so glad I have three cats instead of a dog. I would probably strangle a dog that wanted to go out into the rain to do their business right now. Cleaning a litter box is a piece of cake compared to walking a dog in a torrential rain storm, or in the middle of the night. Or in the middle of the night in a torrential rain storm.
 
We travel with two labs: 70# and 110#. They love to go anywhere we go. Happy to stay in the trailer for hours if we decide to go somewhere they can't go. Our routine is: feed them in the morning and take them for a walk. In the evening, we feed them and take them for another walk. Then right before bedtime take them on a short walk. During the day walk as needed. Several years ago we lost our two other dogs: Lab and an English Springer Spaniel. We decided to travel without dogs for awhile. What we discovered we were "stalking" people with dogs so we could pet them. Decided to come home and rescue two dogs. I don't think we will ever be without dogs again.
 
Generally speaking, dogs make better travelers than kids.  :)  The biggest drawback is they can't go in the restaurant and can't stay in a hot RV.
 
Do your research on the breeds before you decide on a dog. There are a lot on sites on the Internet that can guide you through finding a breed with the needs that meet your lifestyle. Most breeds, particularly pure bred dogs have some definite traits that show up in almost every animal of the breed. For instance, almost all Dachshunds love to burrow in blankets and cover themselves up, no matter what the temperature is. By knowing the traits of the breeds, these sites can help you decide what is best for you. I got back into camping because of my dogs. I wanted to be able to take them with me where ever I go.
 
DavisK said:
Do your research on the breeds before you decide on a dog. There are a lot on sites on the Internet that can guide you through finding a breed with the needs that meet your lifestyle. Most breeds, particularly pure bred dogs have some definite traits that show up in almost every animal of the breed. For instance, almost all Dachshunds love to burrow in blankets and cover themselves up, no matter what the temperature is. By knowing the traits of the breeds, these sites can help you decide what is best for you. I got back into camping because of my dogs. I wanted to be able to take them with me where ever I go.
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Could not have said it better. 

From my experience working in a county animal shelter:  A vast majority of dogs surrendered were done so for two reasons: 1. Owners moving, can't have dogs at new home.  2. Dog's behavior.  (Often the behavior exhibited is the same behavior the breed has been established to do!)

Do your research. 

The right dog in the right home is a true pleasure. 

Don't forget to get basic obedience  training.
 
Speaking of breeds (and not to start a controversy) - Some breeds are not allowed in certain campgrounds so it probably would be a good idea to look for one that isn't considered to be a "problem" breed.  Also, check your home insurance because some insurance companies will not cover specific breeds.  On our homeowner's insurance the list of forbidden breeds seems to get longer ever year or so.  If you've not had pets you probably haven't paid attention to the fine print, but now is the time to do so.

ArdraF
 
We travel with 3 (we're fulltimers) - All rescue dogs and wouldn't be without any of them - you will see the list of them at the bottom of our post.  They add so much to your travels and your kids will learn soooooo much by taking care of it.
 
We also have always had dogs and now in the Rv is no exception. We have 3 rescues now, Yorkie, Westie and a lab, and would not have it any other way. We drive a 36' dog carrier. We are always in an rv park so air conditioning is no problem when we can't take them with us for the afternoon. No diff than our house, have fun.
 
davencjkan said:
We travel with 3 (we're fulltimers) - All rescue dogs and wouldn't be without any of them - you will see the list of them at the bottom of our post.  They add so much to your travels and your kids will learn soooooo much by taking care of it.
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Thanks, you reminded me of one other point I wanted to bring up. After you decide on the appropriate breed, please consider adopting from a rescue rather that buying from a pet store. You can find rescue organizations for probably every breed. I adopted both of mine from Dachshund Rescue of North America.
 
We were done raising kids and dogs by the time we retired but had a Cocker that RV'd all 15 years of her life.

The only real  issues were when we brought the m/hs home to load and she had to follow every person who made a trip out to the RV to make sure she was not being left behind and when one of the kids tried to appropriate her seat on the doghouse.
 
Think about your habits/lifestyle when you are out RVing. Do you just hang out in the campground all day or do you take long day trips to places the dog can't go? Many (most? all?) campgrounds have a "do not leave your pet unattended" rule. I see this rule broken all the time but do you want to be that person that comes back to a barking dog and angry neighbors?

We had a dog for couple of years and he was a cute little guy but he did not fit our lifestyle (which is what I said before we got him but I lost the argument). Between wanting to do things that would require leaving him for hours on end and my kids' declining desire to take care of him when it was inconvenient for them (both at home and on the road), we had to find him a new home where he would be much happier.

We have several friends who RV with dogs and it works well for them so it all depends on your specific situation.
 
am so glad I have three cats instead of a dog. I would probably strangle a dog that wanted to go out into the rain to do their business right now. Cleaning a litter box is a piece of cake compared to walking a dog in a torrential rain storm, or in the middle of the night. Or in the middle of the night in a torrential rain storm.


That's a big 10-4 Tom.  We had the same experience in Newport, on the Oregon Coast, one year.
 
A dog was the main reason we have a motor home.  After traveling half the night looking for a motel that would accept our dog and finding no joy, we decided to get a motor home.  My basic philosophy was, "If my dog is not good enough for your motel, then neither am I".  First we got a 20' ft minnie-wini, after 1 1/2 years we got a 29'.  Soon after our little sweetheart died.  I did not cry that hard when I got divorced, but then my dog did love me.

Then we got a lovely little girt from petsmart, and soon thereafter we got another sweetheart from the rescue shelter at the Atlanta renaissance faire.  We all fit nicely in our 38' diesel pusher.  My advice, forget specific breeds get
Hienz - 57's.  They are the best.  In the end you may take the dogs on a trip and find a kennel for the kids.(LOL)
 
Before getting the dog the kids want and *say* they will take care of, test their sense of responsibility. Buy a small bag of dog food, two dog bowls and leash. Make the kids "feed", "water" and "walk" the make-believe dog twice daily and pick up it's make-believe waste. Make a chart and let them initial it after completing the tasks. A week or two later, reward them with an actual dog if they pass the test.

Be sure to read up and think about breeds before you actually choose. Mutts teach children about inner beauty and might head off a divorce from a flashy-on-the-outside but darkly flawed on the inside spouse twenty years from now.

Behold the power of a pet.
 
Dan has a great idea to make sure the kids really will take care of the dog.  One branch of our family really wanted a dog and the kids promised they would take it walking etc.  Yes, sure.  Well maybe not so much.  Parents ended up doing it as much or more than the kids who just never seemed to realize there was a puppy at the door just dying to get outside.

ArdraF
 
Say "no." The kids are going to loose interest and you will end up walking and cleaning up after Fido. If YOU do not want the dog, don't got one. Personally, I am not thrilled with having our dog in along in ghe RV. There have been times when he's been fun. But there are also times when we can't sleep in, have had to come back from outing s before we wanted because he had to be let out, missed outtings altogether because no good boarding kennel was available, and had to deal with touchy stomach or intestinal issues when he gets nervous. If I were making the choice again, I would not replace our deceased Burnese until we were ready to be more settled, maybe in an S&B base with a dog door.
 
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