Travel with dogs

barnybeth

Morning, we are very close to placing an order for a Tab S, but one huge concern is traveling with our 70 lb golden doodle. We expect that having our furry family member will somewhat limit our mobility. But, what do you do if you want to something that is not dog friendly? Do any of the parks have kennels that can be used for a partial day? If the Tab is heated /air conditioned, can she be left in the Tab, as you would do at home? Suggestions? Many thanks.

jkjenn

barnybeth said:

Morning, we are very close to placing an order for a Tab S, but one huge concern is traveling with our 70 lb golden doodle. We expect that having our furry family member will somewhat limit our mobility. But, what do you do if you want to something that is not dog friendly? Do any of the parks have kennels that can be used for a partial day? If the Tab is heated /air conditioned, can she be left in the Tab, as you would do at home? Suggestions? Many thanks.

This is a good consideration. Regarding leaving the dog in the T@b, you might want to consider checking other RV forums as there are lots of good discussions that have been had on the topic and will give you good things to think about, like temperature, is she a barker, kennels, etc.. IMHO, if you are the types that will be out and about for several hours each day without her, the T@b is probably too small. You could leave her in a kennel at home, perhaps or research area kennels where you would like to travel. If you mostly hang out at a campsite with occasional trips out, I think the dog's age and your commitment to get her the proper amount of exercise is key. I think it boils down to whether you are a traveler or a camper.

Vagabonds

Welcome barnybeth! I also asked a question recently about camping with dogs.  
You may find some of the tips/comments helpful as well:
http://www.tab-rv.com/forum#/discussion/1684/camping-with-dogs

We have a CS-S on order and hope to camp some with our two golden retrievers. However, on trips when we plan to go sightseeing our dogs will stay at home--due to both the size of the T@b as well as their potential to wreak havoc "guarding" the "house".

barnybeth

Thank you, jkjenn and Vagabonds... Vagabonds, when you travel alone, will you kennel your dogs or have a house sitter? How long will you be gone when traveling without the dogs?

JiroTX

I have a labradoodle (female, 6-yr old). I leave the A/C on all day at the campsite, and leave her in the T@B only when I am gone for a short period of time for bathroom. For shower, I usually leave her in the car by the bathroom with the engine running with remote start (I can run it for up to 60 minutes without the key). She's used to wait in the car, so I thought it would be more comfortable for her than staying in the T@B.
When I went to Big Bend (I rented a T@G), I left her with my friend (she also has a labradoodle). The campgrounds at Big Bend are dog friendly, but trails are not.
I would suggest that you leave yours with somebody or kennel for a short period of time first, then test several longer stays before you actually go on a trip. The longest I did was 3 weeks when I went to Japan. Trust me, you will have separation anxiety pretty bad (probably worse than the one your dog will have). I was really worried for the first few trips, but I finally got used to it. I am comfortable leaving her with my friend now.
I have used Petshotel at PetSmart several times. I liked the facility, but I feel more comfortable with my friend (or I think she is more comfortable with her and her labradoodle).

Jiro

bgualtieri

We have two small dogs (14 lb Havanese) and found that they did not like camping - they felt the need to "guard" the whole great outdoors and barked at everything and everyone. We spent most of the week trying to train them to shush on command but mostly only succeeded in training them to bark for treats.  We will try to get dog sitters in the future.

Vagabonds

We usually take our dogs to a kennel where they provide extensive play time opportunities throughout the day and are not cooped up.  They have been boarded for as much as two full weeks  when we traveled overseas but most trips range from 3 to 6 nights.  

I hate to leave them but I can text, call or email at any time for an update on their well-being and they certainly contact me if there are any issues.

Camping will be a new activity for them so we plan to take them to a campground nearby (literally 10 mins from home) and give it a try.  If things go badly we can pull camp and go home at any time easily.  Also, Verna had some really good ideas...one being allowing the dogs to explore the T@b in the driveway several times prior to a trip.  We have done this with our screen room in the yard and with other items. I should mention that we are planning to purchase the pahaque side tent prior to taking the dogs with us.  This will provide them their own room.

shorthillssummit

I have an 11 yr. old bassett & 20 month yr. old Jack Russel. I knew even the short trips (2,
3 days) weren't going to work for me or bassett. JRT, no prob..we hike we bike and can leave in camper at least an hour..probably more but we're new to Tab so it's early to say. Part of the reason I bought my trailer was to have my dog(s) w/me..

jkjenn

I am a little spoiled with my brother in Cleveland being close to I 80-/90 and a wife who likes having an extra pup around. Rocky gets spoiled with their fenced in back yard, another Shih Tzu to play with, and kids to dote on him. I am always a little surprised he is so happy to see my when I return. My last dog (coonhound) was so miserable while I was away, but Rocky seems to do alright.

DurangoTaB

Jesse is a Aussie/German Shepard mix...and loves the T@B.  He was especially helpful last weekend as he woke us up at 6am barking...at a 300# bear 50ft. away.  Our only concern is heat...avoiding bringing anytime over 80degrees (we usually boondock).

Norbert1223

I fully intend to take my 2 dogs camping with me and why I decided to buy a T@B (patiently waiting for delivery).  So many places won't allow you to bring pets and then others charge you huge fees for having them. This summer I paid $80 bucks a night for just my dogs.  They have traveled with me to dog shows, snowmobiling and boating. I have Bulldogs who are very quiet, spend most of their day sleeping and don't require hours of exercise.  I don't think I would leave them all day while I was out site seeing but I certainly would have no problem leaving them for a couple of hours with the air conditioning going if I needed to run an errand.  If it's super hot I would likely not trust the air conditioning.  We had a camper before and left them all day during our snowmobiling outings and our day fishing trips.  For those times that I can't take them I have a house/pet sitter who is a vet tech student I met while she was interning for my vet.  The love to go!  

Debbie 
Seattle, WA

jkjenn

I take Rocky with me on weekend trips. I am working towards taking him with me on my big trip. He does well if left alone and since I go in the fall, once out west, the heat shouldn't be an issue in the mountains.  My big concern will be between here and the mountains, which I am going to track this year. I will, at times, have to run into a rest room or grocery store.

Verna

jkjenn said:

I take Rocky with me on weekend trips. I am working towards taking him with me on my big trip. He does well if left alone and since I go in the fall, once out west, the heat shouldn't be an issue in the mountains.  My big concern will be between here and the mountains, which I am going to track this year. I will, at times, have to run into a rest room or grocery store.

Jenn, see how Rocky does on the weekend trips with you going into a restroom or a convenience market.  If you have a set of walkie-talkies, rubber band one with the mike on and leave it in the T@B.  Then you'll know how well he is while you're gone. 

jkjenn

Verna said:

jkjenn said:

I take Rocky with me on weekend trips. I am working towards taking him with me on my big trip. He does well if left alone and since I go in the fall, once out west, the heat shouldn't be an issue in the mountains.  My big concern will be between here and the mountains, which I am going to track this year. I will, at times, have to run into a rest room or grocery store.

Jenn, see how Rocky does on the weekend trips with you going into a restroom or a convenience market.  If you have a set of walkie-talkies, rubber band one with the mike on and leave it in the T@B.  Then you'll know how well he is while you're gone. 

He does great when I leave him- I think he feels safe in the Jeep. It's the temperatures I am unsure of. In cooler temps, I have left him for a while and he goes right to sleep.

Nomad

Dogs and their owners are on my list tonight - barking dogs all over the place. Rottweiler right across, leashed to the picnic table, howling away while the owners sit inside oblivious. The rest all sound small. Crazy. Don't run into so many ill behaved owners that often.

jkjenn

PXLated said:

Dogs and their owners are on my list tonight - barking dogs all over the place. Rottweiler right across, leashed to the picnic table, howling away while the owners sit inside oblivious. The rest all sound small. Crazy. Don't run into so many ill behaved owners that often.

My family had Rotties. They aren't known to bark without a reason. Better watch out!

It is pretty annoying. I am constantly working in teaching Rocky not to bark. We are making progress.

Nomad

Well, this one has no reason, there's no one out and about.  He's just barking at the air. Don't know whether I want to shoot the dog or the owners - probably the later.

jkjenn

A way to a Dottie's heart is through his tummy... toss him a steak.

Nomad

I didn't dare, looked to big and I let howling dogs be - I do carry doggie treats with me though.

Verna

A dog who continually barks is a dog who is ignored by its owners.  Doesn't get enough attention.  It has discovered it will get attention eventually if it barks. 

Rocky probably doesn't bark much, Jenn.  Shih Tzu's are not known for much barking...as a general rule.  If you hear Sunny Day barking, please do pay attention. If she growls and snarls....leave her owner alone   (I know of one guy that should have listened to her sooner )

jkjenn

Verna said:. 

Rocky probably doesn't bark much, Jenn.  Shih Tzu's are not known for much barking...as a general rule. 

He really isn't bad when things are known to him. However, the minute a new box comes k to the house or he hears a dog bark in TV or the radio, forget it. He will also bark at strangers, no matter where we are. He is getting more socialized so that is improving.

Verna said:...If you hear Sunny Day barking, please do pay attention. If she growls and snarls....leave her owner alone   (I know of one guy that should have listened to her sooner

People rush right up to dogs and it frightens them. Rocky is doing better not being as a fraud of men, but he will growl at them if they come at him too fast.

Nomad

My dad had a Shih Tzu and the only way you could get her to bark was to tease her. Finally in frustration she'd let out a couple small barks.

vito

My dog rarely barks (unless someone comes to my front door) but if left alone in an unfamiliar place, i.e., her crate in our T@b on a recent camping trip, she apparently barked enough that a nasty note was left for us and found when we returned from going to lunch. Now we try to find restaurants with outdoor tables where we can take the dog with us. 

bgualtieri

Yes. I think the problem with our dogs was that they had a hard time defining what was their space to "defend". They were barking the short warning bark when people moved around even a couple of campsites over. We never tried to leave them alone. They didn't bark when we walked them around camp and were generally friendly with other people and dogs on the walks

Verna

I think the time Sunny Day spent inside the T@B (and the Silver Shadow and the 4-wide before that) has made her understand the limits of "her property".

She slept with me the first night that I got the T@B, so she has seen it slowly get rearranged, but the bed has remained a constant. After three weeks of camping, she knew "get into the bed" meant for her to jump on the side cushions and walk back to the bed. She seemed happy in the T@B except when I was right outside the door and she wanted outside with me (she didn't understand it was much more comfortable inside with the A/C running). 

She spent three months in the Silver Shadow last winter with me, a month last summer, a lot of 4-day camping trips, and a lot of time in and around it as I made Mod's to it at home. I made sure she spent time in the 4-wide as I was making Mod's to it in the back yard.

So, Sunny Day has been camping with me since she was a few months old and she's 5 1/2 yrs old now. It's an acquired practice for our furry friends to accept our mobile lifestyle and they won't totally understand the do's and don't overnight. As long as they're happy being by your side, they will get used to the "mobile home". 

bgualtieri

Our dogs are 3, and had some of the same problems when tent camping, but we had hoped that with a more defined "cabin" they would relax more. We haven't been on any extended trips longer than that one week though. I'm not sure that I want to stress them (or us) through the learning process

Norbert1223

I'm of the belief that mostly there are only bad owners, not dogs.  I personally hate barking (can't stand toy breeds) and if my dogs are barking it's because they are either alarmed by a noise or are playing.  The walkie talkies are an awesome idea.  

judymac

I admire you folks, responsible pet owners.  I have commented on another forum that a barking, howling red bone tied to a fancy fifth wheel made our entire camping area miserable.  This happened to be in a National Park and the owners would leave for hours.   They finally left with the dog and the next day a motor home with 2 yappers pulled in beside us.
I am pet free now and frequently look at adoption sites but have held off due to T@B and the expense of boarding. 
Please note:  I love looking at your pet pictures.  Makes me feel lonely, though.

jkjenn

judymac said:

I admire you folks, responsible pet owners.  I have commented on another forum that a barking, howling red bone tied to a fancy fifth wheel made our entire camping area miserable.  This happened to be in a National Park and the owners would leave for hours.   They finally left with the dog and the next day a motor home with 2 yappers pulled in beside us.
I am pet free now and frequently look at adoption sites but have held off due to T@B and the expense of boarding. 
Please note:  I love looking at your pet pictures.  Makes me feel lonely, though.

Before Rocky, my last 2 dogs were rescue pets. Rescue pets come with issues. They often make wonderful household pets but also can have major separation anxiety issues that lead to barking. When I got Rocky, I was ready for a more predictable situation where I could take my dog camping.

judymac

Adopted 3x. Last dog had severe separation anxiety and literally destroyed a $300 outdoor kennel. It was impossible to contain her.  Storm anxiety another problem.  Damaged a doorframe while trying to get inside even though she had a safe covered porch.  No way I would have taken her camping.