How do you travel with a dog? (1 Viewer)

[errpaul]

We have for a long time been considering getting a dog. We are currently a family of 4 (2 children aged 10 and 7). We are struggling to see how we could make this work with travelling in the motorhome, where we often go off for a number of hours in the day to visit whatever might be in the local area (not full long days as we can only do a few hours ourselves).
We know many people have dogs and so just looking for the benefit of your experience in what we would reasonably expect when travelling with a dog.
We were looking as small breeds, (Bichon or Yorkie).
We are giving this such careful consideration as we don't want to make a wrong decision. We intend for ours to be a forever home if we do it.
We are already appalled by the number of adverts for dogs being sold because it is coming to the end of lockdowns and people are going back to work!

 

[Phill D]

We would never leave our dog in the Motorhome for more than an hour or so.
We go where we can where the dog is welcome or at least tolerated.

But that isn't to say that it's not possible to leave the dog.
Many sites specifically say you cannot leave the dog unattended.
Your choice of dog would have a major bearing on this.

Getting out and about with a dog in the UK is more difficult than with young children...
In France it is quite a bit easyer as they have a different attitude towards their dogs.

 

[Phill D]

PS, to us our dog is a full member of the family and we try as much as possible to take that as the way we travel.

That said I am allowed on the furniture, he is not..

So there limits to his membership

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[Jimbohorlicks]

Don't have any ,2 kids should keep you occupied enough,why would you want the hassle and expense of travelling with and looking after a dog..Best to wait till the kids have grown up and left home and then get one ,you will then realise they are worse than having kids.

 

[Grummyb]

I'd try and sell the kids then get a dog or get a big dog that will eat the kids

 

[Googlebot]

This is ours curled up under the seat. She is 27 KG so you should be fine with smaller.

We have had to change the way we holiday. We don’t leave her in the warmer months for obvious reasons so we have to ensure one of us stays with her, or go somewhere that welcomes dogs.

On balance, it’s worth it for the company they give and I wouldn’t be without her.

Bit like having a baby, you just change and get on with it.

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[Itsmcb]

The kids will love the dog. YOU will have to walk it (and pick up it's mess), ideally twice a day, EVERY day, even in the cold and wet. It's fun for a couple of months, then the novelty wears off, (except on the odd glorious early morning sunny walk).
This is ours.

 

[errpaul]

This is ours curled up under the seat. She is 27 KG so you should be fine with smaller.

View attachment 473580

We have had to change the way we holiday. We don’t leave her in the warmer months for obvious reasons so we have to ensure one of us stays with her, or go somewhere that welcomes dogs.

On balance, it’s worth it for the company they give and I wouldn’t be without her.

Bit like having a baby, you just change and get on with it.

We were a bit worried about space, but I think we are over that now and are happy we have enough room in the motorhome for a small breed.
You say you don't leave her in the warmer months, does that mean that you might in the cooler months?

 

[Podney]

Dogs are a very big commitment and quite often a tie you don’t want.
We take ours in the van and she loves it....but...

If you want to go in a church,house,museum,shop,restaurant,pub,beach,amusement arcade,bus,train,football match,swimming pool,stately home.............you get the picture.........you will find that many such places will not let your dog in !!!!!!!! Ok,so one of you stays outside??.......not ideal.

If you leave it in the van it may suffer separation anxiety,it may bark,howl,whine,pee,none of which you or your neighbours would be happy with. Too hot in the summer.

Then there’s the mud and the wet that dog will bring into your nice clean motorhome.

Its do-able but don’t go into it thinking it’s a doddle.

This all sounds very negative,but Im just trying to be helpful

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[Ridgeway]

We've always traveled with our woofers and they soon get used to the routine. We're 6 people although these days usually 5 (3 girls of 12, 14 and 15) plus 2 dogs an Irish Terrier and a Cocker Spaniel. Our van doesn't move unless the dogs are in and if i bring it round to the house then the dogs start to get excited as they know what's coming.

As we've travelling with dogs for about 30yrs we've learnt to fit our wants around their needs ie if we go out then the dogs come with us and if the dogs aren't allowed in a shop then one of us goes in and the others stays out. This becomes more challenging when we want to do an activity or make a long visit to a particular place, museum, zoo etc and then we do the same, one in and one out.

With a smaller dog (toy breed size) then you may have options to place him/her inside a carrier and take them inside places, we see many in France, Italy and CH that do this and you can get some nice fabric carriers for this purpose, usually shops accept them as long as they are not on the floor.

 

[kevenh]

With a smaller dog (toy breed size) then you may have options to place him/her inside a carrier and take them inside places, we see many in France, Italy and CH that do this and you can get some nice fabric carriers for this purpose, usually shops accept them as long as they are not on the floor.

Smaller dogs in carriers to go inside places.
What about when they're being moved around in your motorhome between places? Are they in the carrier with that anchored?
And larger dogs?
TIA

 

[DBK]

We travel with a dog and once you've worked out the limitations it is fine. Without a dog you can leave the MH all day and visit as many churches or whatever as you want. But you have young children so you aren't going to be doing that.

A puppy is a different thing - forget doing anything too far from the MH - but after a year or so the dog should settle into a routine. Adult dogs are programmed to go to sleep if nothing is happening. I don't mean that as a joke, it was how they evolved. If they don't need to hunt then sleep is the best way of conserving energy.

Ours sleeps all morning so that is when we go shopping or visiting ruins. In the afternoon he wakes up and goes on an afternoon walk with us.

Your dog may vary.

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[Coastal Cruiser.]

One of the main reasons we got a Motorhome, use to go abroad but since my dad died a few years back my mum cannot look after them for the 2-3 weeks when we were away.
No way would we put them in kennels as I would worry to much.

We have only been away for 4 nights plus a few day trips to the beach because of lockdown.
Got the RAC pet carrier and strap it to the table, don’t hear a peep out my 2 Jack Russell’s and they are an ideal size for our van.

 

[Landy Andy]

We must be a bit different to most on here then. We only got a motorhome as we’ve got a dog, but he can’t do everything we want, or need to do, so is often left alone for up to four hours or so in the van. He’s perfectly happy and often it is a benefit to him. He doesn’t want to be dragged around very hot tarmac streets when he could be left alone in his 2nd favourite place (the van) which will be parked in shade all the blinds down and roof fan going. Obviously if we don’t feel he will be ok we don’t leave him, but its all about setting the situation up for it to work. Shade, cool time of day, radio on, big walk/swim before hand, and most importantly a well trained dog that is happy.

 

[DBK]

We must be a bit different to most on here then. We only got a motorhome as we’ve got a dog, but he can’t do everything we want, or need to do, so is often left alone for up to four hours or so in the van. He’s perfectly happy and often it is a benefit to him. He doesn’t want to be dragged around very hot tarmac streets when he could be left alone in his 2nd favourite place (the van) which will be parked in shade all the blinds down and roof fan going. Obviously if we don’t feel he will be ok we don’t leave him, but its all about setting the situation up for it to work. Shade, cool time of day, radio on, big walk/swim before hand, and most importantly a well trained dog that is happy.

That's what I was trying to put over. Dogs should be fine left for several hours unless it is too hot of course.

Do those who won't leave their dog in the MH for long never leave the dog in the house when they go out?

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[138go]

My children grew up with our Golden Retriever. She was a joy and a much loved member of our family. There’s no reason at all, to think kids and dogs don’t mix.

Our current dog comes everywhere with us but she’s very well trained and can be left in the motorhome, if she can’t come. Our motorhome is well insulated, which means we can leave her even on a hot day.

As a puppy our dog experienced cars, boats, trains, buses, children, other dogs, and being left for short periods. You have to do these things when they are puppies. Training is everything.

 

[NicandJay]

Our dog is in his twighlight years now and we have said we will give ourselves a break from dog ownership when he goes so we can do all those things we couldnt with him. They are as loved as a child if not more so but a huge commitment like others have said that prevents you doing stuff together. We used to leave ours when younger but not more than 1 1/2 hours and almost not at all now.
PS. thankfully the kids left home.....

 

[Potty]

Our dogs have always been left for up to about 4 hours, including the only one we had from being a puppy who spent the first 4 years having somebody with her all the time.
We have found that if you can’t park in full shade, closing all the blinds on the sunny side of the van and leaving the windows on the other side on the latch plus opening roof lights and putting blinds part way across keeps the van reasonably cool. Always make sure there is a bowl of water.

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[Jimbohorlicks]

All the comments above are great,but and it's a big but.
They don't have two kids as well.

 

[TinaLes]

We love dogs, but dont want another one just yet. There are so many members on here that love their dogs all sizes, all types, get them passported, vaccinated, wormed etc, and take them all over the place.
But until recently I had no idea how much chaos can be had should your van incur a serious break down abroad
If the van has to be repatriated back to the UK as it cannot be fixed in say southern Spain, then you really do have a problem. The Breakdown cover would ordinarily pay to fly you home or even take trains, but with a dog you cant do that so easily. With a wife & kids you could arrange for them to fly home seperately, but then one of you is stuck with bringing the dog home, via hire cars to each side of borders, taxi rides in between, hotels/B&B's that accept dogs, its a nightmare.
It cost a couple of vloggers I watch regularly a lot of money, hassle & time, as everything was shut for xmas, plus the covid problem didn't help. Their AA breakdown cover with £120.00 premium, so gold standard, covered up to £1500 in hire car and hotel costs, and the tow truck home from Spain was £3500.00, but they had to pay out another £1000 to cover the total overall costs of the return to home at £6K
The broken van arrived back in bits 4 weeks later, the insurance companies will not agree to repatriate the van before a local garage deems the repairs to be over a certain figure, I think it was quoted at £500, so they took the engine apart to find the cause, but put all the bits in cardboard boxes in the back, rather than reassemble it, thinking it would need a whole new engine I guess.
It really was a tale of woe, one that I wouldn't have thought could present so many problems in taking a dog or two with us on holiday.
Something to consider.
LES

 

[AndyPK]

The main reason we bought a Motorhome is because we have 4 rescue dogs - we’d never put them in kennels so that we could go on holiday, and very few hotels/B&Bs take more than 2 dogs at a time, so a ‘van was the obvious choice!
We have never regretted our decision, and Wendy, Tasha, Mylo & Taz love going away just as much as we do.

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[138go]

All the comments above are great,but and it's a big but.
They don't have two kids as well.

We had a dog and three children. It was camping for us then, our dog loved camping.

 

[138go]

We love dogs, but dont want another one just yet. There are so many members on here that love their dogs all sizes, all types, get them passported, vaccinated, wormed etc, and take them all over the place.
But until recently I had no idea how much chaos can be had should your van incur a serious break down abroad
If the van has to be repatriated back to the UK as it cannot be fixed in say southern Spain, then you really do have a problem. The Breakdown cover would ordinarily pay to fly you home or even take trains, but with a dog you cant do that so easily. With a wife & kids you could arrange for them to fly home seperately, but then one of you is stuck with bringing the dog home, via hire cars to each side of borders, taxi rides in between, hotels/B&B's that accept dogs, its a nightmare.
It cost a couple of vloggers I watch regularly a lot of money, hassle & time, as everything was shut for xmas, plus the covid problem didn't help. Their AA breakdown cover with £120.00 premium, so gold standard, covered up to £1500 in hire car and hotel costs, and the tow truck home from Spain was £3500.00, but they had to pay out another £1000 to cover the total overall costs of the return to home at £6K
The broken van arrived back in bits 4 weeks later, the insurance companies will not agree to repatriate the van before a local garage deems the repairs to be over a certain figure, I think it was quoted at £500, so they took the engine apart to find the cause, but put all the bits in cardboard boxes in the back, rather than reassemble it, thinking it would need a whole new engine I guess.
It really was a tale of woe, one that I wouldn't have thought could present so many problems in taking a dog or two with us on holiday.
Something to consider.
LES

The insurance cover we always have includes repatriation of the dog.

 

[TinaLes]

The insurance cover we always have includes repatriation of the dog.

Did your insurance company say how the dog would be repatriated, just asking out of interest?
The AA will not repatriate the dog by air or train, the quickest method, as they cannot fly without special arrangements plus quarantine maybe when they reach the uk at additional expense.
So in my Vloggers example, they had to bring the dog across land by hire car, taxi etc, and find hotels and hire car companies en- route, that would accept dogs. they had to agree & sign that If any dog hair was discovered in the hire car at handover they were going to be charged an additional 40 Euros to cover cleaning/valeting charges.
LES

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[Parrot Face]

Don't have any ,2 kids should keep you occupied enough,why would you want the hassle and expense of travelling with and looking after a dog..Best to wait till the kids have grown up and left home and then get one ,you will then realise they are worse than having kids.

Perfect time to get a dog. Your kids will love it. Our kids were 4 and 8 when we got a pup. We travelled europe and uk in a 12ft caravan full of bikes, surfing and windsurfing gear. We have loads of happy memories, and videos, of us all in happy times. The dog was a border terrier and was such a well behaved dog. He was never a problem.

 

[Googlebot]

We were a bit worried about space, but I think we are over that now and are happy we have enough room in the motorhome for a small breed.
You say you don't leave her in the warmer months, does that mean that you might in the cooler months?

We do leave her if we are 100% it won’t get warm in the Motorhome, she isn’t noisy and is content to be left for a few hours. She doesn’t chew or destroy things either so we are more than happy if she is.

 

[138go]

Did your insurance company say how the dog would be repatriated, just asking out of interest?
The AA will not repatriate the dog by air or train, the quickest method, as they cannot fly without special arrangements plus quarantine maybe when they reach the uk at additional expense.
So in my Vloggers example, they had to bring the dog across land by hire car, taxi etc, and find hotels and hire car companies en- route, that would accept dogs. they had to agree & sign that If any dog hair was discovered in the hire car at handover they were going to be charged an additional 40 Euros to cover cleaning/valeting charges.
LES

Red Pennant appears to be the only insurance that repatriates your dog. To my knowledge this is done depending on individual circumstances. Our experience of the Red Pennant insurance was excellent when my husband was sick in Spain. They are very supportive and helpful and I would expect the same support with the dog.

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[bigtwin]

If you want to go in a church,house,museum,shop,restaurant,pub,beach,amusement arcade,bus,train,football match,swimming pool,stately home.............you get the picture.........you will find that many such places will not let your dog in !!!!!!!! Ok,so one of you stays outside??.......not ideal.

Yes, we often say to people that we have seen the outside of an awful lot of buildings.

Ian

 

[Peskyrabbitt]

We have 2 Jack Russell's and where we go they go and if they are not welcome anywhere then we don,t go, They are our family and we never leave them on there own in the motorhome. We used to travel 2-3 times a year going on holiday abroad. we no longer do this as not prepared to put our dogs in kennels, but each to there own as they say, your kids are at a good age to help and respect the dog and most of all have fun with it.

 

[bluesifi]

We take our dog with us on our trips, in fact the reason we purchased our first van was so we could take him with us, rather than find someone to look after him. Charlie Dog love it so much that we can not say VAN without him getting excited.

Yes as some have said it can restrict you on some of the places you can go, NT gardens being one, but we just find alternative things to do and places to go. We have left him occasionally for max 1 hour, but not in summer or hot days

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