Dogs and Motorhoming (1 Viewer)

Schnauzer

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Sep 27, 2009
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Hello,

We are still new to motorhoming and really want to make good use of our MH during the winter aswell as summer time. Only problem we really have is the dog ( actually 6 month old puppy) I was just wondering how other people get on with containing their dog when the weather is not so good, obviously in an ideal world she is sitting outside with us of an evening under the awning but when its raining its a different story, also toilet walks for the dog at 7am and 11pm in mud are not much fun. We were considering a Fiamma Safari Room, but is this practical in the winter?

Just wondering how others get on and any tips to making a trip less stressful

Thanks

Lorraine
 

tony morris

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Jun 27, 2008
315
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Calcot Reading Berkshire
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30 months mh 40+ years tugger and camping
Hi Loraine a safari room will be the ideal world for you and the puppy the only thing you must make sure it is peged down well also use a storm strap you should have no proplems if you are on a site and you use mains hookup you can buy a small ceramic heater for under £20 from argos baq homebase focus etc they have two heat settings and a cold setting with a blower they are safe to use if you knock it over it as a safety cutout and being ceramic you will be surprised how much heat it throws out good luck with your new m/h tony
 

Terry

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Dec 27, 2007
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Hi Lorraine we have no problems,the pooch has his bed on the floor and not allowed on any seats at all (one look from SWMBO sees to that :ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:) His bed is just a 2ft by 18 ins -ish foam type thing that is easy to move about,in between the front seats for travelling etc.Plenty of paper towels to dry him on and a good waterproof coat and leather hiking boots for me :thumb:
At home he goes out at 10 pm for his last outing,(he has no clock but knows it is 10 pm almost to the second :ROFLMAO:) but in the m/h he is normally done about 8.30 pm until we get up which could be any time from 7 am to 9.30 am.As soon as we rise I put on the kettle for a tea (for the boss ) and coffee for me,get dressed and then out with the pest,coffee in hand for his jolly's :ROFLMAO: His nose is never too far from a heat source and he has learned to get out of the way in the passenger foot-well :ROFLMAO::thumb:
terry

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John H

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Sep 2, 2009
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3rd year
We take 'Tilly' our lurcher everywhere with us in the m/h, she's no real trouble and is the best alarm system going :Smile: We always take a few old towels with us to dry her with if she's been out in the rain.

Regards , John
 
S

stagman

Deleted User
Hello,

All depends what size dog you have .We have got a J/R Terrier and she is really great in the van no problems at all . We make sure there is a dry towel for her when she comes back from her walks . We also have some throws to put on the seats , but she also has her own bed bettwen the front seats . As for an awning we use a small SunCamp awning I think its callled a Porch plus or something .Light weight and easy to put up and take down, and also cheap about £80.This covers the door entrance and a bit more . For outside a good set of windbreakers made into a pen and she is happy:thumb:
 

AdgeRas

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Sep 17, 2009
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pardon the bad joke

:ROFLMAO: I think the awning should be called a 'pooch plus', it sounds ideal for your JT.

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Jan 31, 2009
491
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Shropshire
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5,511
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Van Conversion
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10 years +
Wellies, torch, warm waterproof coat (for me), an old towel for their paws afterwards. Sorted. Much like summer trips really, except I use the torch and the towel more often. :roflmto:

Are safari rooms any good in really bad weather? They don't look very substantial to me.
 
S

stagman

Deleted User
Wellies, torch, warm waterproof coat (for me), an old towel for their paws afterwards. Sorted. Much like summer trips really, except I use the torch and the towel more often. :roflmto:

Are safari rooms any good in really bad weather? They don't look very substantial to me.

I wouldn't fancy taking a safari room down when the weather turns for the worse .Marked my previous van whilst taking it down so I sold it . Yes agree for the price you pay for them not a very substantial item .:thumb:
 

vwalan

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Sep 23, 2008
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maybe i,m lucky ,if its raining mine wont even think of going out. forget toilet trips wait for the sun to come out .shejust holds it in or jumps out does it n jumps back in. hardly need to towel her down doesnt stay out long enoughto get wet. .sleeps in cab or on floor or sometimes on a seat. loves going away either in truck or tent etc during the day if neccasary gets chained to truck .but most of time if possible runs free. sometimes sleeps outside ,her choice. likes to guard all friends vans if in a group so keeps her eye on everybodies truck.cheers alan.

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Wyaye wires

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Sep 13, 2009
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You dont say what type of dog yours is? We have two wire fox terriers and they are very happy in the motorhome with us. Walks at any time of the day or night are not a problem and they appear to go for much longer during the night than they do at home - they have been know not to want to go out for over 10 hours overnight! Its a pity they dont keep that up when at home :ROFLMAO:

We have one of those dog stakes that you put in the ground and if its fine weather outside we tie their leashes to it. We have a windbreak and a skirt that fits to the side of the motorhome that we put up if we are staying anywhere for a few nights (and if its not too stormy) and they can run around out there. However they are very much people dogs and want to be where we are so if we are inside so are they!

They are very happy when we go to collect the motorhome as they know that they will get to go to new 'sniffing grounds'! We keep a set of feeding dishes and one of those non tip/slip water bowl, which is really great for travelling, in the MH. I also got a rubber non slip feeding mat from the pet shop and it keeps the floor clean around their feeding bowl.

We have put some fleece throws over the seats to protect from muddy/wet paws and there is a towel hanging by the door to dry them if it is very wet. We have not found any sites to be very muddy and have our wellies in case it is wet underfoot.

We have seen lots of other dog owners when we have been on the dog show circuits and I have seen in one motorhome was 6 springer spaniels - it was a small motorhome too! Another couple that we met had 8 minature dashhounds all of whom appeared very happy to be travelling about etc.

I am sure that you and your dog will enjoy your trips.

Kath and Howie
 

tucker_j

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May 26, 2009
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One of the reasons we chose to get a motor home was so our dogs can come on holiday with us. We've had up to four bouncy spaniels onboard, last year it rained for the entire fortnight but we managed with plenty of towels to dry them off and some covers for the furniture (they sit & lay where they like).

One thing to think about is pooch's safety, and yours when driving. Ideally they should be harnessed to keep them safe and stop them getting into the cab area when you are at the wheel. Think about where you could secure a harness to or have some floor hooks fitted in a suitable place in the back.
 

Wyaye wires

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Sep 13, 2009
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One of the reasons we chose to get a motor home was so our dogs can come on holiday with us. We've had up to four bouncy spaniels onboard, last year it rained for the entire fortnight but we managed with plenty of towels to dry them off and some covers for the furniture (they sit & lay where they like).

One thing to think about is pooch's safety, and yours when driving. Ideally they should be harnessed to keep them safe and stop them getting into the cab area when you are at the wheel. Think about where you could secure a harness to or have some floor hooks fitted in a suitable place in the back.

We got our motorhome for the same reason as it was getting very expensive to stay in hotels - and that was if they would allow dogs - The final straw was when Travel Lodge started charging £20 per dog per night!

We also agree on keeping the dogs safe and have them both on harness that is clipped into the seatbelts and keeps them safe and away from who ever is driving. One thing we did notice in our first motorhome was that it got very hot in the main part of the van even with blowers on to cold and cab windows opened and the dogs got very distressed very quickly. We found that the coolest place was in the cab in front of the passenger seat with the blowers on cold and directed to that area. We put the dog bed there and they settled in no problem and were still on their harnesses etc. We have now got a new MH and with cab air con so hopefully it wont be an issue in the future.

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vwalan

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Sep 23, 2008
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i have a med/small mongrel type dog some thing like lurcher/lab.she is 11 yr old and was brought up in a vw from the age of 5 wks. being dog trained by our labrador at the time. even from that young age we could probably count on one hand how many misaps she as had. when she was 6mths old she then lived in a house but loves the sight of packing ready to go. we took her abroad in 1999 before the pets passport scheme came in .we did have return papers for her and she had been prepared for the scheme to start. actually had tony blair chase things as we wanted to leave in the oct of 99 but in the end left mid december a day after return papers had been issued by agricultyre and fisheries at the time .she was probably the first dog to leave with return papers as when we did finally come home in july 2000 things had changed .i still have the original paper work. she could be the most travelled english dog .cheers alan.
 

Sneezles

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Aug 23, 2009
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We are new to MH'ing but we bought this to put outside the door. You can buy the cover with them too (further down the advert) it is flat packed, comes in a box and folds out in seconds.

We made a slight adjustment to one of the panels so you can still access the step to your MH.

Only used it once but was good, dogs could go out without us having to walk them on leads for that late night wee!

Here - Link Removed

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haganap

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Dec 5, 2007
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I'm an oldbie MH number 9
unfortunately our big bear Newfoundland dog does not fit in a pen. Actually im not sure a safari room would last 10 mins with our Tara.

We take her everywhere and having just come back from a meet with a lake which she ran off and swam in, we just accept it.

So-
Yes dogs and wet ones especially, smell, Newfoundlands that consistantly insist on jumping in water smell worse.

Dogs that smell make your MH smell. they also make the furnishings smell.

They can and do cause you trouble, misbehave as they are often so excited to be away.

Tara, loves going away and starts doing cartwheels when we start loading the van.

However, she is our dog in our motorhome, therefore it is us that live with the smell, she comes everywhere with us and the kids and loves company meaning that we work on the basis of if she's not allowed then neither are we.

so just go with it, you will get used to it and work it all out when it happens. I personally would not bother with a safari room, too much trouble and to restricting.
 
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Schnauzer

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Sep 27, 2009
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Thank you so much for all your replies, some really good tips taken onboard.

We have a minature schnauzer so not a big dog, she is as others one of the main reasons we purchased a motorhome, its nice to be able to go for nights and weeks away without having to put her in kennels or have a limited choice of hotels.

As she is only 6 months old she is still a real handful at home, let alone in the MH :Smile: It's all good fun .... roll on spring

Lorraine
 

haganap

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ah, nice dog, a friend of ours has one although its meant to be minature its a bit on the american/canadian hamburger eater side.


I feel a dog meet coming on soon!!:thumb:

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Oct 15, 2007
1,622
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Five Roads Alyth
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633
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since 2005
Dogs in MHs, well as far as our Shelby's (Westie) is concerened Winne's hers and we are there for cuddles, walks, feeding, play etc etc etc etc:ROFLMAO:

She gets stupid exited at the mearest hint if going in the 'van, and on travelling it's the constant 'are we there yet' fuss, and when we do get there she wants to do everything NOW:Eeek:

Though she did make me laugh last weekend, arrived, took her outside so she could have a mooch and a wee, no, spotted the pub and headed straight for it:Doh:

I didn't know whether to laugh or worry:Blush:

Any way, travel harness a must and as to outside, she loves it if we're outside else generally she'd rather be in with us, she's been known to stand up and ask to be in because she wants the sofa, even though we're outside on a good day. Sleeping, on the bed with us:Doh: Big mistake when she was about 6 months old, let her on once and that was that!

As others have said, towels are the way forward and a big 'un helps, and we got one of those uber absorbant rubber backed mats for the entrance way, OK we have a fair bit of space which helps, but we can get a body with wet feet and four soggy paws on it and dry (ish) before she's set loose. A good quality water proof coat is a must and throws are again (and as mentioned elsewhere) a good idea.

When we are outside we use an old dog collar and a variety of those extendy leads depending on how much room we have for her to potter, or get to her mum for a cuddle in the moon chair, which Shelby is convinced is hers and she tollerates mum using it:Doh: The coller attaches to the (fixed) 'van step.

One word of caution, if you head out with the dog usually you will arrive where you are heading late due to getting chatting on route:thumb: Dog=instant conversation starter.

Have fun:thumb:
 
Feb 9, 2008
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Since 2008 after caravanning for 20 years
Ours is a miniature Shnauzer too, loves the van. Travels on the floor between the front seats ,or, on my wifes lap.

He sleeps on one of the benches on a few blankets.

Rgds
Bill
 

wind_dancer

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Jul 10, 2009
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I got my motorhome so I could enjoy lots of time away with my dogs. I have three border collies, long coated, and regardless of the weather:sin:eek:r:rain: we are out for long walks every day. So I am used to coming back with wet or muddy dogs. The worst time was when the camp site got flooded. I looked at the water cover on the ground and just cringed at the thought of taking them out.:helptitanic:

I have a good system though, developed over time and experience. I have dirt trapper matts for the floor, where they stand (and drip) whilst I throw on their Trover toweling coats (which have excellent absorption). I have colapsable fabric cages for each of them which I can quickly errect, fill with towels and contain them. Then one by one I towel them off until dry :Smile: it works a treat.

I also have very good covers for the seats, including waterpoof ones :thumb:

If they are very muddy I use one of those garden spray bottles which you pump up. Fill it with water and you have a very good portable dog shower ::bigsmile:

Hope this helps

Chris

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bazfergy

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Apr 20, 2009
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as you can see from the avatar weve got a bullmastiff hes 12.5 stone and hes no bother,we use a fiamma zip awning even in bad windy wet weather its pretty easy to assemble and take down and a small heater does the job fine. also use a breathable groundsheet and it's comfy under foot:thumb:
 

dazzer

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Jul 30, 2007
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Dead easy solution to all the problems and no need to buy expensive awnings either :Eeek:

Just ditch the dog :thumb::ROFLMAO:
 

con-tiki

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I have 2 2 year old Irish Red setter delinquents. I have an Iveco exlwb camper which was great due to the fact i had a large dog crate erected under a bunk bed at the back. I had the ''dream'' that I could put my girls in the van and off I go on my adventures !! Wrong !! The smells of the countryside etc were too much for my girls to contain themselves so their behaviour was a nightmare.

It was really my fault for not having them trained properly, but last year my son was killed in a car accident, so the training went out the window... I had always wanted to have a motorhome, so I first bought the Iveco, which kind of saved me from being consumed by grief.

I bought a swift kontiki MH at the weekend as I though there would be a bit more space for my 'little' darlings... I just need to get them better behaved (watched caesar Milan loads of times ).

My MH has a zip Fiamma awning, so I would put them in there in their large foldable dog grate. I know its not going to be easy, but i am still hoping my girls will become well behaved members of the motorhoming community. ( I can still dream !! lol :ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO: )

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