Terri,

Most of the dog owners (multiple show dogs) I have seen at several RV Resort located where a dog event was being held nearby had Class C or Class A Motorhomes. For some reason we have ran across this situation several times during our travels...by far Class C was the majority chosen by show dog owners. Don't know why.

Here's my two cents...
With a motorhome unless you tow a car behind it (toad), you are stuck in the campground. You either have to depend upon public transport, bicycle, other volunteer or friendly RVer to get around to sight see or run to the grocery store.

If you tow a travel trailer (camper) you have a vehicle to tour around in once the TT is parked and setup.

I vote for the expedition/big suv or pickup with a camper shell(cap)

Welcome, Terri. You are on the right track in trying to figure out what will work best for your situation. I'd suggest that you seriously consider the idea that you will have one vehicle towing another no matter what you decide. For simplicity I'm going to lump Class A, B, C, and Super C together and travel trailers and 5'ers together. Each individual group has advantages and disadvantages, but there are enough similarities that you can treat all of them as two groups. Motorized coaches (the first group) will let you boondock without ever leaving the interior. The temperature will be what you want when you arrive at the campsite. You can tow a fuel-efficient vehicle for the running around. The towables (second group) automatically provide you with a daily driver.

The size of the daily driver you need may dictate what you get. Your dogs aren't exactly tiny, so a Smart probably won't work for you. If you are going to need a full-size truck anyway to take the dogs you may as well get a travel trailer. The two brands that were mentioned to us most often were Airstream and Arctic Fox. On the other hand, if you can get by with a smaller vehicle, then a MH makes more sense. The other factor to consider is how often you will be changing locations. The general thought is that if you are going to be staying put for a couple of months or more at a time the towable is the better choice, and if you are going to move at least monthly the MH is the better choice.

In your case, though, those four dogs present a special problem. You don't want to travel with them unrestrained, and they probably wouldn't like it very much if you put them in kennels in the toad while you rode in the MH.

You're welcome, Terri. Since you are going to be at an RV show, go into all of the rigs there and spend some time imagining life in each rig with your dogs. Don't worry about the prices. There are only so many ways that the interior of a box can be arranged to make a living space in it, whether it be a 20-year-old trailer that is about to fall apart or a brand new $1.5 million motor home. Figure out whether you can use that floor plan or not. If not, what does it need to make it work? You will find a few that work well, a few that sort of work, and some that won't work at all. Ask lots of questions, including recommendations from the various sales people. Be honest about your needs, but don't worry about the budget. You are just gathering information. Ask them why they suggest a particular type of coach. Mentally note whether they sell anything else. No dealer can afford to bring the entire inventory to the show, and someone may well have the ideal coach for you back at the lot.

If you are actually ready to buy (probably not), most dealers will honor show prices for a time after the show, and will often give you a show price on a rig that they didn't bring to the show. BTW, you probably ought to be looking at a used coach, not a new one. Most people don't get it quite right the first (or second, or even third) time, and the depreciation on a new coach can be expensive.

If you go with a towable don't be taken in by the sales person's pitch that it is towable by a half-ton truck. Look at the gross weight and hitch weight at full gross. Those are the weights that you will need when looking for the truck. Also, don't be taken in by the empty weight or any coach. The difference between gross weight and empty weight is what you can put into the coach when traveling. That includes water, propane, bedding, clothes, food, etc. In the case of a motorized coach the weight of fuel, oil, antifreeze, and occupants must all come out of that difference. There are some motorized coaches that are at gross weight with full fuel, water, and propane, leaving no room for people. Pay attention to the numbers.

Oh yes, final bit of advice - leave your check book and credit cards at home!

Terri,

In addition to looking at the floor plan, also give serious consideration to the very foundation of the RV.  That would be the frame, suspension, axles, wheels and tires.  Depending on how big of a trailer one gets, the frame needs to be larger as well.

As for diesel versus gasoline, either would be okay on hills and mountain grades.  However, diesel will have more torque and power than gasoline will and with regards to going down the other side of a mountain pass, will likely have some kind of engine or exhaust brake to help slow the rig down without having to use the brakes so much.  One never wants one's brakes to get so hot that they fail.

Oh, and with regards to choosing a truck for a trailer, don't go by the "towing weight" ratings.  One wants to go more with the truck's GCVW (Gross Combined Vehicular Weight) and GAWR (Gross Axle Weight Rating) when choosing a truck to handle a particular size of trailer.

Terry