5th wheel and dog in the bed?

BlueThunder34 · 12-10-2016, 10:10 AM

Ok, this may be a dumb question but here it is; we are getting a new puppy tomorrow and we have also been thinking of upgrading of TT to a 5th wheel. Our TV is a 2016 F-350 crew cab with the long bed and the pup is going to be quite large when grown (English mastiff and German Shepard mix) so with the 3 kids in the back I don't see the dog riding inside. Does anyone pulling a 5er know if there is enough room left in the front part of the bed to secure a dog kennel with enough room for the pivoting movements of the 5er nose to not jeopardize the safety of the dog back there? Wondering if we should just stick with the TT if it is too tight back there?

thanks

Festus2 · 12-10-2016, 11:17 AM

Many folks, including myself,who pull a 5th wheel also have an aluminum storage box between the hitch and the rear window. Depending upon the size of your dog crate and the location of your hitch, you might be able to squeeze a kennel in there. Take some measurements of both the crate and the available space and see if it's doable.

If a crate fits, then you'll lose some storage space but you can't have it both ways. lol

**sourdough** · 12-10-2016, 11:44 AM

Personally I wouldn't do that to a dog that was part of my family. If you embark on a trip and the only place the pup has to stay is the bed of the truck it will be subject to everything mother nature has to throw at it while you sit comfortably in the cab. To me that's wrong. If it's a hunting dog, outside dog etc. it might be a little different, but then again, how are you going to keep an "outside" dog in your trailer with you all the time without "accidents"? Maybe a smaller dog?

As far as riding in the trailer; I wouldn't do that either. There are lots of things that can go wrong in a trailer and a pup isn't a human with our powers of reason. If things go wrong they can't analyze them, they resort to animal mode. If you had an LP leak it wouldn't know a thing until it went unconscious. My dog goes all over the place with us in the front of the vehicle BUT in the right circumstance, on a fast twisty road, she has become sick twice in thousands of miles of riding with us; so it can happen. I would think inside a trailer would just be worse. Maybe you need to think about the pup more as a human extension than an "it".

Desert185 · 12-10-2016, 12:36 PM

That dog combo is pretty robust, so riding in the PU bed should be OK...if he fits. We see working cow dogs in our state riding in the back all the time without any issues. Our little 13# Charlie wouldn't care for it, but he's no mastiff/shepherd mix, either.

BlueThunder34 · 12-10-2016, 02:28 PM

Thanks for the replies, trust me this dog will definitely be well cared for and a part of our family. He even has his own bedroom in our house. All of our past large dogs have loved to ride in the bed of the truck, properly secured of course, in fact when we tried having them in the cab (before kids and when there was room) they would get car sick but not when riding in the bed. I went to the local Rv dealer and mocked placed the hitch in the bed and we then measured the overhang of the 5er. While there was room in front of the cap I would think it would be pretty intimidating for the dog with that thing pivoting around that close to him. Looks like we will just keep our TT and perhaps get a shell for the truck bed to keep Diesel more comfortable on those long trips!

ctbruce · 12-10-2016, 02:45 PM

At the very least, please post some pics from time to time. Sounds like a dog right up my alley.

Chip Bruce, RPh
Kansas City, MO
2016 Fuzion Impact 312
2015 Chevrolet Silverado LTZ
WELL....THAT WAS FUN!

BlueThunder34 · 12-10-2016, 02:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ctbruce

At the very least, please post some pics from time to time. Sounds like a dog right up my alley.

Chip Bruce, RPh
Kansas City, MO
2016 Fuzion Impact 312
2015 Chevrolet Silverado LTZ
WELL....THAT WAS FUN!

Here's one for ya...

CaptnJohn · 12-10-2016, 03:32 PM

Why not put the kids back there instead|?

ctbruce · 12-10-2016, 03:54 PM

He's a keeper for sure! Beautiful puppy!

Chip Bruce, RPh
Kansas City, MO
2016 Fuzion Impact 312
2015 Chevrolet Silverado LTZ
WELL....THAT WAS FUN!

1st Chev Diesel · 12-10-2016, 04:22 PM

This is my experience with traveling with a dog in the bed of my pickup truck. We had a Golden Retriever (75lbs). Like you there was not enough room in the cab of the truck so we put her in her crate in the truck box. We pulled a TT at that time and had a canopy on the truck box. Driving down the highway at 60 MPH the tail gate opened up and dropped open with a loud bang. Scarred me in the cab but scarred the bejeppers out of the dog. It had a detrimental effect on that dog for the rest of her life. I would not do it again especially pulling a 5er open to the elements. Just my experience.

Pull Toy · 12-10-2016, 04:55 PM

For ***SAFETY*** and the comfort of the dog, consider crating the dog in the camper, with lots of ventilation. No weather worries... wind worries... rain worries... etc...

I've never seen a crate for a dog that size that would be less high than the "Gunnels" of a P.U. bed, which is the anticipated sweep of the nose of a fiver, but I have scraped my tool box.

Pre train the pup to go "House" constantly, even at home, to prepare him/her for trips in the 5er. Most of my dogs, over the last fifty years, haven't seen this as punishment, but rather, consider it as private space, their room. As we speak, my schnauzers are asleep in their "House" with the door wide open.

Then take practice trips of 1/2 hour or less to accustom him/her to the environment. They'll do fine with good circulation.

Good Luck!

bsmith0404 · 12-11-2016, 07:39 AM

We have a similar situation, 3 kids and a 60 lb dog. The dog always road in the bed of the truck when we traveled and she loved it. The 5er never seemed to bother her. Then I added the auxiliary fuel tank and she was closer to the hitch. I think being that close to it was a bit intimidating for her and she got scared. She now rides in the 5er. We put her bed at the top of the stairs and crack open the hallway window for her. Every time we stop and let her out, she seems to be waking up from a nap. She's an older dog though, not sure how a pup/younger dog would do.

Our cars also ride in the 5er, they sleep on the bed.

BirchyBoy · 12-11-2016, 10:23 AM

If it were me, I'd stick with a travel trailer and put a cap on the back so the dog isn't subject to whatever weather is occurring.

cardinal96ss · 12-11-2016, 11:05 AM

3 kids, one family dog?? Toss up. How about putting the worse behaving one back there?

BlueThunder34 · 12-11-2016, 08:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cardinal96ss

3 kids, one family dog?? Toss up. How about putting the worse behaving one back there?

I agree, but have a feeling the wife won't

BlueThunder34 · 12-11-2016, 08:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BirchyBoy

If it were me, I'd stick with a travel trailer and put a cap on the back so the dog isn't subject to whatever weather is occurring.

That's what we decided to do, our TT is a great floor plan and suits our needs just fine. Not to mention the money saved on a $3k topper vs a $50k 5er.

**sourdough** · 12-11-2016, 08:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlueThunder34

That's what we decided to do, our TT is a great floor plan and suits our needs just fine. Not to mention the money saved on a $3k topper vs a $50k 5er.

Good on ya.

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