New to RVing, just took dog along for first time...

[KelliApp]

It was good but there were challenges. Maybe some of you can help figure out the challenging parts.

We only left him alone once, just long enough to go out to dinner. We heard him cry when we were leaving, but sat outside and waited and he seemed to stop and settle down. When we came back he barked happily and seemed none the worse for wear.

But I worried the entire time that he was in the camper barking his fool head off and making everyone around hate us.  I don't think he did that, but I can't know for certain.

So how do you handle things when you do need to go out without your dog? I enjoy having him along, but I don't want traveling with him to completely restrict us. And I'm really talking about a short trip to the grocery store, or dinner out, not hours and hours.

We are going to Florida soon and I've already been scouting out doggie day cares so that we can have a couple of care free days and know that he is safe and cared for, but the rest of the time I need to be able to leave him for short time periods but don't want him to be a nuisance.

Any advice from experienced rving pet owners is appreciated!!!

 

[tugboat]

WE Have a Jack and left her many times not for hours on end but some times longer than others we turn on the TV or Radio
its has never been a problem,as a puppy we put her in a crate and we closed all the blinds
good luck

 

[glen54737]

I leave them for hours with no problems just like at home

 

[Punomatic]

WE Have a Jack and left her many times not for hours on end but some times longer than others we turn on the TV or Radio
its has never been a problem,as a puppy we put her in a crate and we closed all the blinds
good luck

X2  We just finished a three month road trip with our two doggies. There were many times we left them alone with a radio on. There were two times when we left them in kennels since we were going to be gone all day and the weather was hot. At Carlsbad Caverns, they have an onsite kennel where you can leave them for as long as you need to explore the caverns. They charge $10 per dog. A real bargain, in my mind.

Our biggest concern when planning this trip was how the dogs would fare. They were better behaved than at home! At home they usually get us up by 6AM to "do their business."  On the road, they often didn't ask to go out until 9AM.

 

[Marsha/CA]

Keliapp,

Barking dogs at camp sites are always a problem.  Not only for the owners who know they are barking, but for the neighbors who have to listen to them.  If the problem gets too bad, you can be asked to leave.  It's nice to see that you are aware and would like to prevent the barking problem.  Some owners just don't care if their dog barks.  Those are the ones causing problems.

The dog we had before our current dog had separation anxiety and always barked when we left.  It took me a very long time to fix the problem; but I did fix it.  I had to be consistent and firm.  So good luck in your endeavors.

Marsha~

 

[kdbgoat]

Bark collars work wonders.

 

[Jeff and Anita]

We travel with our two large black labs. We try to camp at places where there are dog areas to exercise them before we plan on leaving. If not available, we take them on a long walk to tire them out. When leaving them we leave the radio on and the shades down so they can't see outside. We have left them for hours (8 hours being the longest). They seem to do fine. Sleep just like at home. Always happy to see us and drink a lot of water. They don't drink while we are gone. I guess it's because they know they can't go outside. We have also put them in cage free boarding facilities. They loved playing with the other dogs all day.

 

[Happy Prospector]

Look into electronic bark collars, my little dog would bark when left in the trailer, after getting the bark collar it trained him not to bark. The collar can be set to different levels of shock, just work your way up to the level that the barks stop.

I can almost guarantee that if you leave a barky dog all day in a RV park you will be shown the way to the exit.

 

[JoeFatz]

I took my 4 Siberian Husky's for a road trip to the dog bar, they loved having all the space, not sure if and when I will be able to leave them alone for more than a minute though, they are quite creative and love to eat things, anything...

 

[knagle30]

I took my 4 Siberian Husky's for a road trip to the dog bar, they loved having all the space, not sure if and when I will be able to leave them alone for more than a minute though, they are quite creative and love to eat things, anything...

JoeFatz, if you don't mind me asking, where did you travel and did you have any issues finding sites that would accept 4 dogs? We'll be traveling with our 3 dogs and haven't seen many places that will take more than 2. Thanks!

 

[JoeFatz]

we took them to a dog bar so they cater to dogs, its a local spot we take them on occasion, prior to having the MH we would load them in the back of the truck, its SO much easier in the MH.
There is a campground in NC called 4pawskingdom.com, they are, at least they claim to be, the only K9 friendly campground in the US, was ready to book a weekend there but they require everyone to be at least 18 that would require us to leave our 13 year old son at home.

 

[NY_Dutch]

It's usually pretty easy to find out if your dog has been barking while you're away. Just ask the neighbors...

When our dog was a pup and just getting her RV'ing feet wet, we left her inside for increasing periods without leaving the area. If she started to bark, we returned and immediately scolded her. As we left for longer times after the initial training period, we left a cell phone number with a friendly neighbor and asked them to call us if there were any problems with our dog barking. No one ever called and we all enjoyed our travels for the next 16 years of her life...

 

[John Connell]

I have a yellow lab who liked to bark we gotten her a bark collar and it worked great, and also leaving a radio on helps also.

 

[HyperCamp]

We travel with a Mini Schnauzer, and it is no problem at all.  Treat it like home and sometimes leave him for a couple of hours, free in the trailer.  We usually leave a radio, or TV on.  At the campgrounds we have sections of 3'x8' PVC lattice that are zip tied together, and supported by PVC posts.  He has his own "yard".  It's been great travelling with him!

 

[John Stephens]

We actually bought our coach so we could take our aging dogs on vacations with us rather than boarding them or leaving them with a sitter. Our 10 year old Collie passed last year, but we still have our 14 year old Sheltie and on our last trip, we picked up another Collie puppy. Since the coach was his home for the first two weeks of him living with us at the age of nine weeks, he got used to it and traveling in it very quickly and now wants to go inside whenever we have it sitting in the driveway. He knows the sound of the generator and gets excited.

He is now a year old and will be about 16 months when we take our next long trip in August. Because he is still a playful puppy that likes to chew on virtually anything, we will take his crate with us, leaving it on our bed while traveling, and in the living room area when we are parked. With the crate, we can feel comfortable leaving both him and the Sheltie by themselves for several hours. In the past, we have taken in ball games while in St. Louis that keeps us from the coach for as long as eight hours, and we have never had a problem with any of our dogs disturbing the neighbors. As long as they feel good about being in the RV, they shouldn't create a problem. One important thing to do is exercise them before leaving to go anywhere. A good long walk will usually be enough to allow them to rest peacefully while you are gone.

We anticipate the possibility of losing our Sheltie prior to our next trip due to age related issues and plan on procuring another dog or puppy on our next trip, hoping for either another Collie or an Aussie. This may pose a new (to us) problem of having two large dogs in the coach. While parked, there will be no problem, but while on the road with the slides pulled in, there won't be much walking space when the wife wants to grab a soda from the fridge or use the bathroom. Right now, one of the dogs will lie on the doghouse and one in the walkway, but that will most likely change.

 

[wheyin]

    Let me start by saying, I do not have a dog. I do not have a dog for good reason, I do not want to live in dog hair and dander, I do not want the job of picking up dog waste (your dogs or my own), and the job of making sure I do not annoy my neighbors in a campground who have come to camp for peace and quiet. I love responsible dog owners who at campground do pick up the dog waste (dog waste does not reabsorb back into nature, and does not do the environment any good quiet the  contrary, it pollutes and causes disease) , do keep their dogs leashed as required, and do not leave annoying barking dogs in their campers for hours, for a short time, or all day. I can not begin to recount how many times I have found dog waste in my campsite, or on trails...stinking and fly ridden (happy barbequing and picnicking outside to you)...it is dog waste not deer waste, not coyote waste...a lifelong hunter knows the difference. Keeping a dog in a camper and thinking no one will hear it or barely hear it barking and howling is irresponsible, and self centered.  I understand you may not want to take your dog with you or your dog is restricting your activities in some way....but your problem should not become a problem for your fellow campers, it is your dog and your responsibility.  If you leave how do you know your dog or dogs have not been barking, and annoying folks?  You do not...because most of us, will give you a break...but I am fast approaching the point where I will begin to report these folks to the Rangers or hosts, and even record them..as proof..it has been that annoying and is no longer only sporadic but more and more common...maybe folks should do this more, and more folks would be responsible pet owners....if you get booted from a campground..the fault is on you, not the person who is reporting you and thereby requesting some mutual respect.  I have seen children charged by two to three dogs off leash and terrified.  For the responsible dog owners out there kudos to you, for loving your pet, loving your neighbor campers and being a responsible pet parent, for not stressing your dog friend out by leaving it alone for hours and hours.  A well trained and obedient dog is a joy, and reflects its' owners sensibilities and commitment to good pet ownership.  To the nice folks who started this post and those with ideas to help...you are the good pet parents, hats off to you...and folks like you are much appreciated...thank you....

 

[John Stephens]

    Let me start by saying, I do not have a dog. I do not have a dog for good reason, I do not want to live in dog hair and dander, I do not want the job of picking up dog waste (your dogs or my own), and the job of making sure I do not annoy my neighbors in a campground who have come to camp for peace and quiet. I love responsible dog owners who at campground do pick up the dog waste (dog waste does not reabsorb back into nature, and does not do the environment any good quiet the  contrary, it pollutes and causes disease) , do keep their dogs leashed as required, and do not leave annoying barking dogs in their campers for hours, for a short time, or all day. I can not begin to recount how many times I have found dog waste in my campsite, or on trails...stinking and fly ridden (happy barbequing and picnicking outside to you)...it is dog waste not deer waste, not coyote waste...a lifelong hunter knows the difference. Keeping a dog in a camper and thinking no one will hear it or barely hear it barking and howling is irresponsible, and self centered.  I understand you may not want to take your dog with you or your dog is restricting your activities in some way....but your problem should not become a problem for your fellow campers, it is your dog and your responsibility.  If you leave how do you know your dog or dogs have not been barking, and annoying folks?  You do not...because most of us, will give you a break...but I am fast approaching the point where I will begin to report these folks to the Rangers or hosts, and even record them..as proof..it has been that annoying and is no longer only sporadic but more and more common...maybe folks should do this more, and more folks would be responsible pet owners....if you get booted from a campground..the fault is on you, not the person who is reporting you and thereby requesting some mutual respect.  I have seen children charged by two to three dogs off leash and terrified.  For the responsible dog owners out there kudos to you, for loving your pet, loving your neighbor campers and being a responsible pet parent, for not stressing your dog friend out by leaving it alone for hours and hours.  A well trained and obedient dog is a joy, and reflects its' owners sensibilities and commitment to good pet ownership.  To the nice folks who started this post and those with ideas to help...you are the good pet parents, hats off to you...and folks like you are much appreciated...thank you....

Wow! This was a hateful lecture about dogs and dog ownership that really has no place here. The OP was looking for advice, which is what all of us are trying to provide, not the spewing of hate that makes one think you must have had a bad experience with dogs as a child to feel this strongly about the subject. Since over half of all RV'ers own and travel with pets, I'm surprised you have chosen RV'ing as a pastime, knowing full well that you will have to put up with all the negative things you discussed in your post.

What I would really like to know is why you even posted to this thread. If you don't like the subject matter of a new thread, dismiss it, ignore it, don't read it. But don't just go all negative on the OP and subsequent posters because you don't happen to like dogs and decide to jump to conclusions about those of us who do. Your post did absolutely no good other than to let people know that you don't like dogs.

 

[kdbgoat]

I like dogs. I didn't get that take away from wheyin's post. He has a point that may have been been driven home on the rough road, but a valid point none the less. Unfortunately, there are folks that don't pick up after their dogs, and it is disgusting to a lot of other people. There's nothing more joyful than trying to get set up after a long drive and step in a pile of dog crap. There are folks that leave their dog(s) in their camper and let them howl and cry. That's not fair to the dogs or other people. There are folks that let their dogs bark all day long even when they are outside with them, without regard to how it bothers other campers. They may be used to it and don't mind, but other campers don't want to hear a barking dog all day. There are folks that feel they are above the rules and don't leash their dog. Then there are the folks that can't tell the difference between a 30' tie out and a 6' leash that the rules specify. Another bad thing is the park management doesn't do a whole lot as far as enforcement, then the poor camphost, that has no rule enforcement authority, has to take the brunt of it. Fortunately, it's only "the 10%" that do that, most dog owners are responsible, follow the rules, and are considerate of other campers and concerned about the comfort of their dogs. All he and I are saying, is consider your neighbors, train and take care of your dogs for the benefit of your neighbors and the dogs comfort, and follow the rules.
To the OP, before you leave for hours, talk to your neighbors. Explain to them that your dog is new to camping. Ask them to listen for your dog crying or howling. Maybe even give them your number to get in touch with you. Ask them to be honest and tell you of any issues so you can train yourself and your dog. Start out with short absences, and make them longer.

 

[henkelphoto]

To the OP, before you leave for hours, talk to your neighbors. Explain to them that your dog is new to camping. Ask them to listen for your dog crying or howling. Maybe even give them your number to get in touch with you. Ask them to be honest and tell you of any issues so you can train yourself and your dog. Start out with short absences, and make them longer.

Great idea! My wife and I are hesitant to take our dogs with us because they may bark. How can we know? the above quote is something I had not thought about.

As for picking up dog waste, we have a small container that we bought at the pet store that hooks to the leash and holds a roll of plastic bags. Picking up the waste is no problem at all.

 

[xrayaz]

I have 2 Pugs and frequently leave them alone to go on a tour (Air and Space museum by Tucson Az) or spend a few hours at lunch and have no problems. They are not barkers and just go to sleep 'til I get home. At first I did check with the neighbors and a few times came back and just sat outside to see if there was any noise. I am more worried about the temperature and worry about it overheating in the RV. They travel well and are great companions. I also have an attachment that holds a roll of bags for dog waste and ALWAYS make sure to pick up.
Michael in Arizona