Leaving pets in RV - RV-Dreams Community Forum

earlybirdie · RV-Dreams Community Member

Leaving pets in RV

GENECOP · RV-Dreams Family Member

The same basic rules apply as if the Pooch was home, with the exeption of climate, please heat or cool the Rig as needed to keep the pets Comfy....

The Bear II · RV-Dreams Family Member

We had two fantastic fans installed for this. One fan was at the rear, the other is at the front.

We would turn one to exhaust and the other to inflow. This would create a nice flow of air through the RV. All of the shades were down to reflect the sun. And if there was space, I would roll out the window awnings on the outside.

Our dogs had often been outside in 100 + degrees and were ok as long as they had plenty of water.
Outside once the heat got above 80 they would stop and just lay around to stay cool. Only get up to drink water or move to a cooler spot.

The 5th wheel is well insulated so it's rare that the heat inside would get beyond 100 as long as the shades were down and no sun got in.

We never left them for more than an hour if the outside temps wer above 90. I would go back and check on them to make sure they were OK. We did leave them inside for 10 hours in 70 degree outside heat while touring around an area of Idaho. They were fine but needed to use the pet stop.

By the way neither one of them were barkers while locked inside the RV. I've been around RVs where the dog(s) bark constantly until the owner returns.

earlybirdie · RV-Dreams Community Member

Barking is my main concern. Don't want to get thrown out of the RV park because I leave Barky Dog alone.

nessiekatt · RV-Dreams Family Member

I am currently living in my 5th wheel full timing and still working 4 ten hour days. My dog stays in her crate. She didn't like it to begin with. It took a couple of months with lots of treats, but now she goes into it when she knows I am going to work. I also work less than 2 miles from home. Of course, I do get home as soon as I can to let her out. I also have two fantasic fans and an occillating fan blowing into the crate to keep her cool. When I don't work, I spend as much time with her as possible, thats when she is happiest.

Luvglass · RV-Dreams Family Member

We regularly leave a dog and cat in the fiver, sometimes for up to 10 hours. Needless to say we leave plenty of food an water and make sure the temperature is regulated. We have never had a problem.

Roz · RV-Dreams Family Member

You have received some excellent advice from people who love their fur kids. By pulling the shades, you help regulate the temperature and more importantly to preclude barking block visual stimulation. The one thing not mentioned, as of yet, is we leave the radio on to somewhat block noises from outside. They seem to prefer classical or country - go figure.

As was mentioned, you left them alone in S&B, and this becomes no different in their minds.

mailman01 · RV-Dreams Family Member

Wife and I camped next to a lady that was "homesteading" at this particular campground and working a full-time job. Leaving the camper around 6AM for work and also leaving a dog ALONE in the camper ALL day. There was air conditioning and food for the dog. Practically ALL day long this dog would run up to the windows looking out and BARKING! This seemed to concern no one except me, being just next door. My feeling is that if you have a noise making pet and you must leave the camper, take your noise making pet with you. Please do not leave it behind for the neighbors to enjoy.

Tim & Robyn · RV-Dreams Family Member

GENECOP wrote:
The same basic rules apply as if the Pooch was home, with the exeption of climate, please heat or cool the Rig as needed to keep the pets Comfy....

Random thoughts...

I guess this can be a toughie. I agree with what Gene said above... climate control is important and it's the same thing you would do in a stix'n'brix. I also agree with what the others have said... drawing the blinds, etc. Heck, I do the same thing in my house just to keep the utility bills down.

My next-door neighbors are a married couple who both work. They have a dog... and from time to time during the day the dog barks incessantly (Dave Barry once wrote a column that claimed that if dogs didn't bark they would explode).

Another way to look at it is this: The barking dogs are an alarm system. I'm retired, so am at home most of the time, but most of the people in my neighborhood are gone all day. Both parents work, the kids are in school, and so there's nobody home. If I wanted to be a burglar I would do it in broad daylight when I knew nobody would be there.

I don't see how if you're living in and working fulltime from an RV that you can take your dog with you, any more than you could if you were living in a conventional house. One advantage that RVers have is that you can move... not necessarily to another campground, but to another site in the campground where you are if necessary.

Long way around to the main point, but do everything you can for your pets to feel safe and aecure when you're traveling. It's their home too while you're on the road.

Tony and Eileen · RV-Dreams Family Member

We had a decal from ASPCA which let people know there was an animal inside our rig and I also wrote our cell phone no. on it in case of emergency. Fortunately we never received any emergency calls and our cat Bud seemed very content in our rig with the a/c set and or the fantastic fans set for his comfort.

Dog Folks · RV-Dreams Family Member

You can train your dog not to bark when left alone. Here is a method we have used, that worked well, with a number of different dogs over 30 years camping, and now 5 years of full time living.

1. Close all drapes

2. Run A/C to provide comfort and "white" noise. Turn or the radio or TV,(low volume) to a talk show. Most dogs seem to settle down when they can hear human voices.

3. Have your partner leave with your vehicle, while you stay close to the camper door. Out of sight. The dog thinks that you have left.

4. If the dog barks at all, open the door and verbally reprimand the dog. Use "NO" or "quiet" or whatever command you chose. Immediate response, within 3 or 4 seconds, is needed for the dog to associate the behavior, (barking),with the reprimand.

5. Close the door and wait.

6. Have you partner return with your vehicle and re-enter the coach. Give the dog a "Good Boy" and a treat. Do not make any big deal out of leaving or returning to minimize separation problems.

After a few days of training, most likely your dog will not bark when left alone. Be patient, some dogs adapt to this training faster than others.

We try try limit our time away to 4 hours, and if there is any chance of power loss, we give the "gate" or office our cell telephone number, and ask them to call if the power is lost so that we can return right away.

karen and al · RV-Dreams Family Member

We just finished our first workamping jobs, and before we started my biggest concern was how the two dogs would deal with being left in the trailer by themselves. Here's what we would do:

Establish a routine...you know dogs love a routine. They would go out for a walk, and when we got back, they would receive a treat, told to go to sleep we'd be back in a little while. We always had the shades pulled down, the fans running (ac if it was hot) and the TV was left on ( alot of Food TV). Our neighbors said they never heard a peep out of them. Al and I generally had different hours, just overlapping a bit, so they were'nt alone for too long anyway. If it was longer than 3 hours, one of us would take a break, go back to the trailer and take them for a bathroom walk, feed them if it was dinner time, and put sown fresh water. Again, as we left, they got a treat and told to behave themselves. They've been great.

There were a couple of times where we wanted to go somewhere for the day that they weren't allowed at, like The Henry Ford Museum. For that long of a time, we sent them to "Camp Bow-Wow", a facility near the campground that was a day boarding facility for dogs. It was great, and they came home tired from playing all day!

There are ways to deal with it, you just have to figure out what works for you the best.

Karen

Ivey · RV-Dreams Family Member

We also travel with dogs. When we go out and can't take them with us we do the same things as mentioned above ie:
water bowl full
shades down
fan or ac on
tv on (a bit loud)
doors and windows closed.

In additions we try to park in a spot where no one will be walking behind the 5er and we also close the door to the upstairs bedroom. That keeps the dogs from being able to go up there to look out the windows and see someone walking in the front. So far we have had very little trouble with the barking.

Vicky and Ira

Jackye · RV-Dreams Community Member

We are in the process of selling our house and becoming full timers. We have a very large dog (100 lbs) who is the most gentle and sweet girl in the whole world. We have been going back and forth about whether we could manage to take her with us. From the sound of the forum, it appears that travelling with a pet is not that big of a deal. Do any of you have large dogs?

bigredoes · RV-Dreams Family Member

Jackye it is because of dogs we have had RV's.

A Standard Poodle and 3 Old English Sheepdogs didn't fit into anything else.

We eventually grew to 6 sheepdogs and our Poodle. We had no dining room (six crates filled that spot). We all travelled well BUT, we did little travel/sightseeing, we spent our RV time with all the dogs going to dog shows which usually were at County Fair Parks.

We did not start to 'travel' with our dogs until after time took its toll and we only had 2 sheepdogs and 1 small havanese. Staying in campgrounds with the two large (85ish lbs) and the one small dog was never an issue.

The only time the RV became a challenge is when the bigger older dogs started to have difficulty with the stairs.

Hogladyrider · RV-Dreams Family Member

Jackye wrote:
We are in the process of selling our house and becoming full timers. We have a very large dog (100 lbs) who is the most gentle and sweet girl in the whole world. We have been going back and forth about whether we could manage to take her with us. From the sound of the forum, it appears that travelling with a pet is not that big of a deal. Do any of you have large dogs?

We have a 120 lb mastiff/boxer and a 60 lb shephard mix and BOTH travel with us in our 5th wheel. They love camping. Yes it took a few trips to get them used to the routine but that is the key...routine.

Before we leave them in the RV, we always take them for a nice long walk, they love all the smells and squirrels in the campgrounds.

When we return they are ready for a snooze. We close all the shades in the RV and the door to the bedroom. A bowl of fresh water and they are ready for their alone time.

We have never had a problem. We NEVER leave our dogs alone unattended outside our RV, that is against most park rules and also not being a responsible pet owner.

One important thing I forgot to mention, we invested in a good pet ramp, so the dogs do not have to use the steps, too dangerous to get a paw caught in. Our ramp folds and fits in the basement when we travel. Worth every penny.

Susan

Waggin Tails · RV-Dreams Family Member

Jackye,
We travel with a Golden Retriever, Standard Poodle, and Calico Cat, They all ride in the back seat of our quad cab Dodge truck. Doggies are harnessed into their spot and the cat rides in the penthouse tower above the doggies. I have a photo of them on my blog entry http://www.waggintailsrv.com/2012/02/on-with-adventure.html.

We do leave them in the RV on occasion. When doing so, we fold the grab bar into the door to keep the door from accidental opening. (Our poodle is smart enough to open the screen door.)

Jackye · RV-Dreams Community Member

Thanks guys for you help. We were not liking the thought of leaving Daisy with a family member. She loves to travel and is a good companion to travel with. Were just concerned about leaving her in the 5er while we toured a little. We should be on the road in a few months and will certainly take Daisy with us.

Big Mike · RV-Dreams Family Member

I have a friend. that uses a dog collar that uses Citronella spray to quiet the dog if they bark. He has used this to train the dog and it works. It is harmless to the dog but he says that now he does not have to really use it much since the dog knows that barking is not acceptable. Has anyone had an experience with this?

Sushidog · RV-Dreams Family Member

karen and al wrote:
We just finished our first workamping jobs, and before we started my biggest concern was how the two dogs would deal with being left in the trailer by themselves. Here's what we would do:
Establish a routine...you know dogs love a routine. They would go out for a walk, and when we got back, they would receive a treat, told to go to sleep we'd be back in a little while. We always had the shades pulled down, the fans running (ac if it was hot) and the TV was left on ( alot of Food TV). Our neighbors said they never heard a peep out of them. Al and I generally had different hours, just overlapping a bit, so they were'nt alone for too long anyway. If it was longer than 3 hours, one of us would take a break, go back to the trailer and take them for a bathroom walk, feed them if it was dinner time, and put sown fresh water. Again, as we left, they got a treat and told to behave themselves. They've been great.
There were a couple of times where we wanted to go somewhere for the day that they weren't allowed at, like The Henry Ford Museum. For that long of a time, we sent them to "Camp Bow-Wow", a facility near the campground that was a day boarding facility for dogs. It was great, and they came home tired from playing all day!
There are ways to deal with it, you just have to figure out what works for you the best.
Karen

There is a Camp Bow-Wow where I live. I wanted to board my dog there for a week while on vacation and was shocked at the rates. Boarding my little Chihuahua for 8 days would have cost me $304.00! I could almost stay in a local hotel for less - $38/night for one dog, $70 for 2 and $96 for 3! At that rate you'd think they'd at least supply the dog food. Nope, it's bed only, not board. The daycare isn't as bad, only $24/day/dog. However, they must interview you (to see if you are worthy) and you must hang around for 3 hours the first time there for "evaluation." I guess to see if your dog plays well with others or will be a barker and a biter. Plus your dog must be spayed or neutered, so if you have a breeder, you are out of luck.

Chip

TheNewhalls · RV-Dreams Family Member

Sushidog wrote:
There is a Camp Bow-Wow where I live. I wanted to board my dog there for a week while on vacation and was shocked at the rates. Boarding my little Chihuahua for 8 days would have cost me $304.00! I could almost stay in a local hotel for less - $38/night for one dog, $70 for 2 and $96 for 3! At that rate you'd think they'd at least supply the dog food. Nope, it's bed only, not board. The daycare isn't as bad, only $24/day/dog. However, they must interview you (to see if you are worthy) and you must hang around for 3 hours the first time there for "evaluation." I guess to see if your dog plays well with others or will be a barker and a biter. Plus your dog must be spayed or neutered, so if you have a breeder, you are out of luck.
Chip

We tried Camp Bow Wow in Ft. Collins. The interview process is to see how well your dog gets along with others. They slowly introduce more and more dogs into the play area until they're satisfied your dog plays well with others. The first day of day care is free. The whole process from when we walked in the door until we walked out took no more than one hour. We only have one dog so the benefit out ways the cost. We will use them again.

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

Chip,

This is a 3 year old thread revived by Big Mike with a new question. Karen and Al haven't logged into the forums since November of 2013, so I'm not sure the will see your reply.

Mike,

This is an example of the problem with reviving an old thread. Chip has responded to a comment from almost 3 years ago. More times than not, it can be better to start an entirely new thread rather than revive an old one. Old ones that are revived can also be bad information to new readers that might not have noticed the date of the post from which they are taking information.

Terry

Gary and Linda · RV-Dreams Family Member

Hi everyone. My question is for those folks who are 5ers. Where do your pets stay while you're driving? Back seat of truck??? Someone told me recently that it is now legal to keep your pets and a person in the 5er while driving as long as there is a way to communicate and two way camera????

Tony and Eileen · RV-Dreams Family Member

When we had our cat Bud, he traveled in the back seat of our truck. The seats folded down and Bud had his own little apartment. Cage, litter box, food and water. He actually preferred to lay on the console between us though. I would not be comfortable leaving my animal in the 5'ver while traveling. jmo...

Jim and Barb · RV-Dreams Family Member

We have never left Daisy in the rig while traveling. Barb got a small dog bed that fits between us on the console and she just lays between us sleeping and watching the road.

BiggarView · RV-Dreams Family Member

We are not yet on the road, but one decision we have already made is that Josie will be riding with us in the truck if a 5er is the set-up we go with. Need proof that this is a sensible thought... see the photo on the "Ouch" thread. http://rv-dreams.activeboard.com/t59622292/ouch/ Heaven forbid it should happen, but would you want anyone or a family pet in the trailer if that occurred?

-- Edited by biggaRView on Sunday 22nd of February 2015 09:30:14 AM

Hogladyrider · RV-Dreams Family Member

Even if it is now legal to have passengers ride in the 5r when traveling we will continue to have our fur kid(s) with us in the truck, for us it is the only way.

marianne57 · RV-Dreams Family Member

Yeah...no......not gonna leave Mags in the rv while traveling. Can't imagine how lonely that must be or if something would happen, would rather have in her back of truck with us while traveling. We lift the back seat of truck and I have a big blanket down, and she just snuggles in. IMO, the same rules go for pets as kids...and you wouldn't leave your kids back there either, I'm sure.