Traveling with pets

[curlyfungirl]

We adopted two Basset Hounds over the holidays. What do you do to help keep your pets comfortable on long camping trips? We have a good sized kennel we plan on using for their sleeping quarters as we are not keen on them jumping on the furniture. We also plan on having them sit in the back seat of the truck. We are excited to have our new members of our family join us on our next camping adventure.

[Festus2]

Before heading out on any camping trips with them, especially long ones, I'd put them in the truck's back seat whenever you can on short hops around town or just for short drives. This "practice" gets them used to travelling in the back and; after a few trips, you'll get a sense of how well they have adapted to their backseat "home" while on the road.

Having taken our larger dog(s) camping with us over many years, we were fortunate enough to learn that every one of them was an excellent traveler. After a short time out, they eventually curled up and spent most of the time at ease or sleeping. Not one got sick, whined or was a nuisance in any way. Some dogs are excellent travelers- some are not.

We made sure that we stopped more often to give them (and us) a pee /poop break and a walk.

Some folks kennel their dog(s) while travelling but we never found it necessary to do that.

I'm sure you are aware that, once you have arrived at your campsite, "new" rules come into play and you will have to ensure that your dogs are leashed or kenneled at all times and that they are not left alone inside and barking or whining if you are away from your site. This can be especially annoying for your neighbours who should not have to put up with noisy, unattended dogs.

You also have to be aware of leaving them in your vehicle while you are away - shopping or picking up groceries - especially when it is hot. If you have owned dogs or cats before, I'm sure you know the routine about this.

Travelling with pets can be very rewarding providing you make some adjustments in your routines and of course, take on the additional responsibility of pet ownership when camping.

Best of luck travelling with your new companions.

[davidjsimons]

My Scottish Terrier goes on every trip with my family. As Festus said, he simply sleeps in the back seat while traveling. He is an excellent traveler and a faithful companion. Camping would not be the same if I had to leave him at home.


2013 Cougar 28 RBS
2012 Ram 3500 Dually
6.7 Cummins H.O.
4.10 rears.

[Terrydactile]

One of the most important things to find out is how they travel. As mentioned some travel well and some do not. We have a Basset/Golden retriever mix and although she is a great pet she does not travel well. She does not get motion sickness but has anxiety attacks to the point she will get sick. She has gotten better over the years and we have learned how to help her with the problem. Mainly she takes a mild sedative before we start our travels. Once we arrive she is the perfect pet and charms the whole campground. We would never leave her at home even if she is a little hassle to travel with.

[JRTJH]

Bubba, our 60 pound German Wirehaired Pointer is a "nervous wreck" at home, always pacing, looking out windows to watch for cats, birds, squirrels or whatever else may invade his territory. He is always on the move, never sitting for more than 2 or 3 minutes at a time. We call him the hyperactive hound for a reason..... It makes me tired just watching him. Suprisingly, when we travel, he jumps in the back of the truck with the seats folded up and his bed from home on the floor along with his water dish. Less than a mile down the road, he's sitting with his head on the back of my seat watching out the window. He's either there or sleeping the entire trip. As "weird" as it might seem, the only place he doesn't pace is in the trailer or the truck.

It's nice to travel with him, he sticks close to us when we're away from home and although we always have him on a leash when we're under the awning, so far he's never seemed to want to get more than a few feet from us. It's like he's a different dog when we camp, more relaxed, laid back and taking in the sites.... Hmmmmm sort of like "people" I know

[Dhuhn]

We have a black lab named Maggie she goes on all our trips camping with us. She does very well traveling with us. Bring things for your dogs to play with, some of there toys, maybe there beds, things there familiar with this will make them feel more at ease. Also you may want to take a copy of there vaccinations with you just I case you have to take them to a vet while you are traveling. All in all there fun to travel with.

[theeyres]

I cut a board that completely covers the back seat area--the width of the truck and length to the front seats. I made legs so it is supported well on the edge near the front seats and covered it with a soft flooring material. This gives a large platform for our dog (formerly two dogs) that he (they) love. They can move around and be comfortable. The board, with legs, comes right out if we need the back seat.

[Ken / Claudia]

Like others said, I found that they lie down and sleep after on the road 15-20 minutes. I have noticed that if coming to a stop, he gets up to look around. I have always kenneled this one inside the trailer at night since there is room.

[TAZ23]

As mentioned before, take them on short trips to get them used to traveling. We take our Newfoundlands,Tank and Kitty with us all the time when camping. Once they see the camping gear come out they get all exited and wont let us out of thier sight. We travel with a crew cab pick up with the back seat up and they usually lay down after a few min. and only get up when we stop or slow down for a turn.

[airforceret]

I only had time to browse some of the other comments, but we've traveled with dogs for 30 years.

1) Waterproof seat covers are a must, even if you decide to cover the seat covers with a sheet/blanket or whatever. Wet dogs carry much more water than one might expect.

2) As someone else has mentioned, we also have filled in behind the front seats to give more surface area for the dogs in the back, and to store dog treats, towels, water, travel water bowls, leashes, etc in an area easy to access on our pet stops.

3) We also have a short pet barrier between the seats to aid in keeping them "in the back seat area" while traveling, as Angel likes to put her feet up on the center divider and nose around. She used to try and sneak between the seats to get up front every once in awhile.

4) We also carry a absorbent mat to place on the divider between the seats as our dogs often times will need water while traveling and the weather outside is not always cooperative. Some spare towels are also a must.

Good luck... We love traveling with our pets.... yes they can be more work, and even a pain at times, but so were the kids! And we took them everywhere... LOL

[byrdr1]

Originally Posted by airforceret

Good luck... We love traveling with our pets.... yes they can be more work, and even a pain at times, but so were the kids! And we took them everywhere... LOL

X2..
Ours go crazy when they see us loading the camper with clothes. They go sit by the truck waiting to be loaded also. One stays in the back seat sleeping the other rides on the center counsel watching everything. She sleeps up under my arm sometimes. They are good camping dogs. The older boy is 12 this year and his sister will be 6.

randy

[hankaye]

curlyfungirl, Howdy;

Others have covered the traveling part I'll mention a few things to think about
once you 'arrive'.
At Home they have a large area to 'watch over and protect', at the
campground that area is very much smaller. There are a lot of 'other'
animal smells (and your Bassets have extraordinary noses), so, while DH
is setting up the rig, they will appreciate a walk about to explore and have
boundaries defined. It's also an excellent time to let them socialize with any
other furry kids that are out and about but always ask the other "parent" first.
theirs may have some quirks that might be nice to know about and yours may
have some as well. Rascal is very particular about which direction
another dog should approach from and he's nervous about smaller dogs as
they tend to do a frontal (between front and hind legs), and in Rascal's mind
incorrect approach.
Dogs also have a pre-determined distance that they consider to be the area
around you and them that is the 'Safety Zone', how close they will allow
another critter to get to you before they turn into Cudjo. Just realizing that
they think(?), of themselves as your Secret Service detail and you are the
most important thing in the World to them.
Learn as much as you can about your Bassets as you can before you go
camping with them, their likes and dislikes, what sets them off or makes them
happy it makes the experience more enjoyable for everyone.

[DieselMatt]

Having the toy hauler we are lucky enough to have space for the dogs crates in the garage. As a result, we put them in the crates while we are traveling. This is helpful because there isn't a lot of room for a lab and a boxer to be in the truck with my daughter. However, living in the PacNorthwest the temps are cool enough, even in the summer, to keep it comfortable in the trailer while towing. When we take our cross country trip this summer we are going to have to put them in the truck when the temps start getting hot because I know the garage will be way too hot for them to be back there on the drive.

Side note, our pups are used to traveling in their crates due to flying to and from Japan with them.

[JRTJH]

DieselMatt,

You might want to have your DW (or you if you're brave enough) stay in the garage on a "controlled tow" test to experience how the back of a fifth wheel bounces. We have a rear kitchen model and have had dishes broken, cabinet doors forced open and contents thrown onto the counters and floor, microwave turntable bounced off the turnstile and scratched the inside of the microwave door. The rear is the roughest riding part of the trailer, if you've got your pets in crates back there, they may be getting shuffled around more than you imagine. I'd check it out to make sure you aren't putting them in a situation you wouldn't want them in..... My DW rode in one of our trailers back years ago, since then, she refuses to even consider it citing the scene in "The Long Long Trailer" where Lucy was trying to ride with the rocks while Desi was towing her to the next campground.

[cabinfever]

I have read others being concerned with a pet in a kennel in a TT or 5er. IMO they should be more than fine. Many dogs travel in the belly of an airplane in kennels and I don't think you get much more movement in a TT or 5er.

[curlyfungirl]

We bought a canopy kind of thing that keeps the dogs from falling off the seats and onto the floor. It also keeps them from trying to crawl into the front seat.

[DieselMatt]

Originally Posted by JRTJH

DieselMatt,

You might want to have your DW (or you if you're brave enough) stay in the garage on a "controlled tow" test to experience how the back of a fifth wheel bounces. We have a rear kitchen model and have had dishes broken, cabinet doors forced open and contents thrown onto the counters and floor, microwave turntable bounced off the turnstile and scratched the inside of the microwave door. The rear is the roughest riding part of the trailer, if you've got your pets in crates back there, they may be getting shuffled around more than you imagine. I'd check it out to make sure you aren't putting them in a situation you wouldn't want them in..... My DW rode in one of our trailers back years ago, since then, she refuses to even consider it citing the scene in "The Long Long Trailer" where Lucy was trying to ride with the rocks while Desi was towing her to the next campground.

Hey John,

I certainly appreciate your concern, and my pups appreciate it even more! I was worried about this when we took our first trip and went ahead and installed a camera in the garage to monitor for any shifting that may occur with the motorcycle, and of course the dogs. Fortunately, there seems to be very little movement back there.

[Festus2]

Cal & Marianne -

You might find that having one of those "non-spillable" water dishes useful. We bought one and kept it on the rear floor and sometimes between the passenger and driver's side so that our pooch could get a drink of water every so often. I also built a "platform" that fit the back seat area so that the dog could have a bit larger and more even space to hang out.

Unlike the rimless toilets discussed in another thread, these water dishes worked very well and kept the drinking water inside the bowl.

You might want to be careful of campground potable water - sometimes its heavy mineral or chlorine content can upset a dog's stomach. I guess we pampered our Golden and gave it only bottled/or home potable water to drink.

[crash]

This is how our Babies travel they are so good ,We would never think about putting them in the camper while traveling(Just us)I always fill 6 gallon jugs at the house for the dogs because you never know about the water where you are going,these 2 are our little kids and we love them to death As you can tell they love each other and love to travel they have their spill proof seat cover just incase there is an little accident

[f6bits]

hankeye's post touched on an area that's taken us more effort. At home, our dog spends most of her time outside. She *really* likes being outside. We don't have a big yard, but she has plenty of space to roam and chase squirrels.

When camping, she needs lots of exercise and outdoor time. We tether her outside quite a bit and keep an eye/ear on her when we're inside. And take her for walks as often as possible. Otherwise she wouldn't get nearly as much exercise as she does at home.