Dog, onsite advice please.

[sitesurfer]

Hi folks, we have a bouncy Labrador, who is of course house trained and (for a Lab) surprisingly obedient.

The question I have is perhaps going to be perceived as somewhat odd, coming from a dog owner of many years, we spent the last 6 years boating - without any way (practically) for the dog to take part due to the boat location in the main, so we have never taken him away (please don't think we are cruel, but this is from a purely practical perspective) and with our previous campervans and motorhome, space was very limited and our previous dogs also stayed with relations at that time too.

Now we finally have a wonderful opportunity to share our new toy with the Lab and I know he's going to love it, lots of walks and sniffs to enjoy. However, I'm looking for some advice on what best practice is for toilet breaks, what to do when on campsites, etc.

We intend to purchase a floppy bed for him and cover all the seats - lab fur gets into places that baffle scientists - but his normal mode at night and in the morning is to step out the back door onto our lawn and do his stuff, that's not going to be acceptable on a site of course - so do you folks retrain the dog to 'hold it' until you can get to the walking area / outside the camping area?

I note that the t's and c's on quite a few sites mention not allowing the dog to wee on the grass, hence why I'm asking.

Traveling - ditto: I want him to be as safe as possible, he rarely goes in my car as I work from home and walking for us is a matter of countryside just around the end of the street - vets in town and so there's never been any need. How do folks secure a reasonably sized dog down? Rachet straps spring to mind!

I'll take any advice from you seasoned pro's on this and all aspects of how you folks take your beloved pooch's away, I want his experience to be as fun as ours. Oh and the ratchet straps thing... I am of course joking. They wouldn't hold a bouncy lab down at all.

 

[delta juliet]

What you do is get a pooch potti !
(You’ll find them next to the hound ratchet straps ) !!

 

[wuzzlewood]

We have a large Briard and she has gone everywhere with us for the last 12 years!
We have not had a problem, she knows the command NO and WAIT and as an ex show dog was always taught to go on command.

sometimes it doesn’t work and she will “leak” on site on grass etc but we have never been told off or complained to as it is clearly an accident!

Poo is less of an issue as you can get them to hold and go when told quite easily but if they are bursting you will not get them to hold!

do to walk across other people’s pitches stick strictly to your own just in case of accidents. Always carry poo bags prominently displayed, ours are tied to every lead we have so we can’t nip out and find we don’t have one!

always keep your dog on a lead!

enjoy motorhoming with your best friend!

 

[138go]

We always pick a pitch near to either the dog walk, or the exit to the site. We walk regularly, so accidents don’t happen.

A harness secured to the fixed table, works for travelling.

 

[Eggs]

If you search dog travel harness there are plenty to choose from.

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[Casper46]

We try to get Casper out of the entrance before he pees and poos. He’s old now and usually can’t wait. We clean up immediately and carry a squirt water bottle to finish off. Our problem is the other owners who think it’s ok to let their dogs roam across everyone’s pitches, we are on a CL now it’s lovely, the people opposite have a bonny dog it was on a lead yesterday, but at 06.30 this morning it was wandering around the site unaccompanied, so We will get the blame if it poos on our pitch. If Casper could see better he would have tried to eat it for breakfast as it was outside our van door as we were getting ready to take him for a walk.
He travels in a harness clipped to a seatbelt, when parked up he sleeps where he wants, even though he has his own bed in the garage.

 

[xsparks]

I don't believe any dog can be trained not to scent over a previous dog or fox scent. As long as you walk the dog regularly then it's obvious you're making every effort to comply. My dog will go to order but he will still mark a territory. I personally wouldn't worry, you could always pour some water over the area.

 

[Potty]

How you secure him while travelling will depend on your layout but you will need a harness. If you have a spare travel seat with a seat belt, you can buy straps that go from the harness to the seat belt anchor. A Google search will bring up several.
We have long settees behind the cab seats and we have a strap (think it is a ratchet one) that goes around the seat base, a lead is looped around that and attached to the harness.
Try to get a pitch as near as possible to the dog walk or exit and stick to roads or paths when walking to it.
An extending lead attached to the van can be useful for having him outside when pitched up. We attach ours either round the step or inside a closed cab door depending on which way we are pitched so that he is restricted to our pitch.
Try to stop every couple of hours when travelling so he can have a wee walk.
A non spill bowl is also useful. Don’t forget towels for drying. We hang ours on wire coat hangers to dry. Also find a large one in the doorway is useful for wet days, drys quicker hanging up than a flat mat.
Make it fun for him and he will soon regard it as his second home. Ours treats it as his safe place when there are scary noises, eg a fly in the house or a plane flying over and will run up to the door and scratch to get in!

 

[Minxy]

Our problem is the other owners who think it’s ok to let their dogs roam across everyone’s pitches, we are on a CL now it’s lovely, the people opposite have a bonny dog it was on a lead yesterday, but at 06.30 this morning it was wandering around the site unaccompanied, so We will get the blame if it poos on our pitch. If Casper could see better he would have tried to eat it for breakfast as it was outside our van door as we were getting ready to take him for a walk.

I'd have returned it to the dog owner ...

 

[Littlewheels]

I'd have returned it to the dog owner

You do mean the Poo?

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[Simon Meadwell]

If i site asked me to stop my dog weeing i would ask for my money back. Ridiculous to expect a dog to wee on command. Always pick up poo and have dog line so no how far he can travel .

 

[sitesurfer]

Thanks all, some very helpful info there, I don't know where I saw it - but I am certain I saw something on one of the two big club sites about dogs not being allowed to wee on the grass. I think we will try and get located near to the walk/exit and hopefully levitate him there.

We have a K9 harness for him (which my daughter prefers, he's actually way more settled with his old smelly halti) - but I assume that's not what you mean by harness.

I'm off to find the pooch potti on amazon now.

 

[Rob Hammond]

Think of all the people who p...s on the grass they should be band

 

[Tombola]

My dogs are used to having being let out first thing, with me making sure they dont stray off my pitch, then we all have brekkie time usually in the van, then I have my "erm lavatory routine" usually in the van, and they have their routine usually outside the van pretty much as soon as we set off for the morning walk. Always scooped and done, never had a problem on any site.

Its quit easy to get them into a routine.
Sites or folk that tell you your dog cant crap on the site whilst on a lead are not normal. Imagine telling a human it cant crap when there is a toilet block around. As long as its scooped and not on anyones pitch whats the problem.

 

[Landy Andy]

Keep dog on the road paths, and let him pee and poo as he wants. If poo pick it up. Don’t let your dog poo on pitches, or pee on peoples kit.
Simples.

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[Grummyb]

If your struggling using ratchets straps to hold him down try 4inch nails 1 for each one paw although if have a PVC with a steel floor self tapping screws might be easier
Oh and stop reading terms and conditions then you wont worry

 

[Lynne Roy]

Our dog loves to come with us, although she does struggle with travel sickness, so we do make lots of stops, she travels happier on straight roads. She has a harness and a memory foam mattress with bed on top, I try to minimise vibrations from the cab floor, she travels between cab seats. We walk her at least three times a day and toiletting on park is never a problem, but has done the odd wee, but it’s not a problem if not on a pitch. Also because I am always searching for dog friendly beaches, we have found amazing places that we wouldn’t have otherwise visited. She loves the Moroccan Mat and her bike trailer . Enjoy

 

[uzsnowdrop]

We have a large Briard and she has gone everywhere with us for the last 12 years!
We have not had a problem, she knows the command NO and WAIT and as an ex show dog was always taught to go on command.

sometimes it doesn’t work and she will “leak” on site on grass etc but we have never been told off or complained to as it is clearly an accident!

Poo is less of an issue as you can get them to hold and go when told quite easily but if they are bursting you will not get them to hold!

do to walk across other people’s pitches stick strictly to your own just in case of accidents. Always carry poo bags prominently displayed, ours are tied to every lead we have so we can’t nip out and find we don’t have one!

always keep your dog on a lead!

enjoy motorhoming with your best friend!

Also, Pop a spare bag in your phone case,,, you’ve almost always got that with you and its easy to forget a bag. Securing while travelling is important, no animal should travel unsecured, ( no one would let a child travel unsecured)at 30mph if u have an accident or emergency stop they will get horribly injured or worse. Dont know your layout but a seat belt fixing to a harness ( not the collar) is important. Best to be behind a seat or bulkhead too. The cab area is best left ‘out of bounds’.
Some extra ‘stay’ training is helpful, never letting the dog exit the moho until you say so, really handy on road stops, and keeps everyone stress free on sites.
Enjoy travels with pooch!

 

[Coastal Cruiser.]

Also, Pop a spare bag in your phone case,,, you’ve almost always got that with you and its easy to forget a bag. Securing while travelling is important, no animal should travel unsecured, ( no one would let a child travel unsecured)at 30mph if u have an accident or emergency stop they will get horribly injured or worse. Dont know your layout but a seat belt fixing to a harness ( not the collar) is important. Best to be behind a seat or bulkhead too. The cab area is best left ‘out of bounds’.
Some extra ‘stay’ training is helpful, never letting the dog exit the moho until you say so, really handy on road stops, and keeps everyone stress free on sites.
Enjoy travels with pooch!

Have this RAC one for my 2, strap it down on the table and they love it as they can see where we are going

 

[Helen Ariel]

Wow I've never been to a site where the dog couldn't pee on the grass. Doesn't sound like my kind of site! Solid waste obviously needs picking up though. Plenty of chilled sites out there that will enable you and your dog to actually have a fun holiday not be worrying constantly about rules. We were at a lovely place nr Brecon at the weekend and went in the far field so Beech didn't even have to be tied up and she had an exclusive river front position for easy access to cool down and have a drink. Enjoy your adventures with your lab. He will love it!

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[uzsnowdrop]

I don't believe any dog can be trained not to scent over a previous dog or fox scent. As long as you walk the dog regularly then it's obvious you're making every effort to comply. My dog will go to order but he will still mark a territory. I personally wouldn't worry, you could always pour some water over the area.

A guy said to me ‘ haven’t you got a bag!!’ , I just gently pointed out that lady dogs wee like ladies, sitting down, I cant bag it!
He had a serious point though , lots of people don’t ‘get’ dogs so its just being kind as possible by doing as much training as is do-able.

 

[uzsnowdrop]

Have this RAC one for my 2, strap it down on the table and they love it as they can see where we are going
View attachment 493153

Mines a bit bigger than those little cuties, I fixed a seat belt buckle ( ebay £12) to the seat metal frame, its reversed and clips to harness… scuse crap photo…

 

[uzsnowdrop]

Eye opener…youtube ‘dog crash tests . YOUCAR”
Its scary stuff and they are only dummy dogs.

 

[sitesurfer]

So this is what we have (or incredibly similar), is this what you folks mean by harness?
When googling I seem to get this come up, as a result, I had in my head that this was more for walking than traveling.

If I got a travel cage for him it would take up too much room I think. I've had a word with him this morning and he assures me that he will be on his best behavior when we go traveling. He's very much looking forward to the fun.

 

[sitesurfer]

Whilst we are on the subject, any personal recommendations on non-slip food/water bowls? He has to have a no-gulp bowl at the moment otherwise he bolts everything down and can't keep it down (it doesn't seem to matter what size portion either, been like it since he was a pup) - so I am hoping to find a no-gulp with some travel connotation attached.

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[138go]

My dogs are used to having being let out first thing, with me making sure they dont stray off my pitch, then we all have brekkie time usually in the van, then I have my "erm lavatory routine" usually in the van, and they have their routine usually outside the van pretty much as soon as we set off for the morning walk. Always scooped and done, never had a problem on any site.

Its quit easy to get them into a routine.
Sites or folk that tell you your dog cant crap on the site whilst on a lead are not normal. Imagine telling a human it cant crap when there is a toilet block around. As long as its scooped and not on anyones pitch whats the problem.

I disagree with you. It’s entirely possible to get your dog off site to go to the toilet, we manage it. I have two problems with you letting your dog go on the site. Firstly, even the neatest scoop can leave a residue. I would not want my grandchildren playing where your dog has previously crapped. Secondly, in allowing your dog to go on site, you give all dog owners a bad name.

 

[Minxy]

Wow I've never been to a site where the dog couldn't pee on the grass. Doesn't sound like my kind of site! Solid waste obviously needs picking up though. Plenty of chilled sites out there that will enable you and your dog to actually have a fun holiday not be worrying constantly about rules. We were at a lovely place nr Brecon at the weekend and went in the far field so Beech didn't even have to be tied up and she had an exclusive river front position for easy access to cool down and have a drink. Enjoy your adventures with your lab. He will love it!
View attachment 493152View attachment 493151

What site is that please? As a non-site user there aren't many that I would willingly stop on but that is definitely an exception!

 

[reckless]

So this is what we have (or incredibly similar), is this what you folks mean by harness?
When googling I seem to get this come up, as a result, I had in my head that this was more for walking than traveling.

Yes a walking harness can also be used for travelling. Its safer than clipping your dog to his/her collar.

I wouldn't stress over non-slip bowls etc just use what you have at home, see how your first trip goes then you can get anything else you think you need. It will be fine, have fun. Main things already identified are travel secure, keep on a line on site and always always pick up poo!

 

[Minxy]

So this is what we have (or incredibly similar), is this what you folks mean by harness?
When googling I seem to get this come up, as a result, I had in my head that this was more for walking than traveling.

If I got a travel cage for him it would take up too much room I think. I've had a word with him this morning and he assures me that he will be on his best behavior when we go traveling. He's very much looking forward to the fun.

That's a walking harness, the proper travel harnesses have a padded chest area (as in post #22) so that in an accident they are cushioned and don't damage the internal organs.

 

[Minxy]

Our dog loves to come with us, although she does struggle with travel sickness, so we do make lots of stops, she travels happier on straight roads. She has a harness and a memory foam mattress with bed on top, I try to minimise vibrations from the cab floor, she travels between cab seats. We walk her at least three times a day and toiletting on park is never a problem, but has done the odd wee, but it’s not a problem if not on a pitch. Also because I am always searching for dog friendly beaches, we have found amazing places that we wouldn’t have otherwise visited. She loves the Moroccan Mat and her bike trailer . Enjoy

Have you tried putting her on the seat so that she can see where she's going? Having her low down could be adding to the problem.

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