New puppy ❤️ How to introduce to the motorhome? (1 Viewer)

[Pocket Rocket]

I have a new best buddy - a gorgeous golden working cocker spaniel puppy She is only 2 months old, and just come to live with us, but is settling in well at home.

We love our motorhome, and want to help our puppy love it too! Any suggestions for how to best introduce a young puppy to the joys of motorhome holidays?

We have a safe travel crate (measured to fit a quiet spot in the motorhome), lots of vet bed etc. Any advice on what else we would need? (Eg habitation door barriers, outside fencing etc)

Really interested to know how others first introduced their puppy (or older dog) to their motorhome? Any suggestions welcome … with puppy / dog pictures

Photo of my gorgeous girl (aka the “ginger ninja”)

 

[Silver-Fox]

We bought a Moho put the dog in and drove home.

Same when we collected her, into the car in a cardboard box and drove home.

She is a Patterdale Terrier though

 

[Jane And Rog]

I’d say to make sure she associates the motorhome with fun times. So start by doing short journeys to a fantastic walk, for example. Our dog, who’s always being driven to different walks, loves the car. Our friend’s dog, who’s only ever taken to the vet, hates her car.

Also, we started off with our dog in our VW with a crate under the raising bed. Dark, no view. Our dog put up with it ( see good times above), but now we have an Adria Twin and he gets a harness and a seat on the dinette looking out of the window, he loves it. Wags like mad when the harness goes on.

 

[Zoobec]

She is adorable I remember replying to a similar thread a while back, https://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/threads/introducing-a-puppy-to-our-pvc.262939/#post-5045647 that might help with some ideas. Yoshi absolutely loves going in the van, every time I open the door he’s in there before me

 

[bigtwin]

Just start by doing stuff in the MH and ignore the puppy. Curiosity will get the better of it and it’ll make its own way into the MH. Once she’s happy going in/out if the MH, introduce some play time and then add in feeding her in there.

Once you’ve achieved that you can move on to a 15 minute drive and build up from there being guided by her comfort levels.

Ian

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[Millermate]

Our now 7 month old cocker took to it straight away. As he was already crate trained it was no different to getting in the car with him. The best thing we bought was a ground stake and long lead so he could wander free on the pitch without getting into too much trouble. My advice would be to have the door of the crate positioned facing the habitation door or within easy access as morning wee's tend to be urgent ones. Our little boy travels really well especially on motorways but the higher centre of gravity and motion of the motorhome on country roads can make him sick so we always give him a couple of travel sick pills before setting off. A nice lone walk first and he sleeps most of the way.

 

[Dave Scadding]

We took Moho to buy our cocker spaniel and spent two nights in it travelling home. She’s happier in the Motorhome camping than at home where she barks at every little noise outside.

 

[Chris]

She is gorgeous

 

[Landy Andy]

Just go in your van and enjoy it, your dog will pick up on your happiness and join in. Get some training done and then you don’t need gates, leads, windbreakers, and fence yourself in. Also control any barking.

 

[irnbru]

OMG she is full of cuteness What’s her name?

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[Geistguy]

We've always made sure there are plenty toys in the motorhome ( not balls as they roll everywhere ) for distraction and just short trips to start. Just sitting in the motorhome on the drive with pup is a good introduction.

 

[Riverbankannie]

Our first trip with young Rosie at 3 months was to North Wales so quite a long drive. She was used to a fabric travel crate in the car and we were able to put that behind drivers seat. She slept well but every time she woke up we had a wee stop. She wasn’t doing well on the house training anyway and had come to us with urine infection. Had to end the drive with her having a cuddle on my lap.

However once grown out of that crate, a larger one would not fit in PVC so we had one short trip to Weston with her on my lap then bit the bullet and harnessed her on a rear side bench with a fixed short lead and travelled the 3 hours to Nottingham with the radio turned up, ignoring the whining! Since we got over that separation, she has been fine and settles down - obviously still harnessed. She also uses a harness on the rear seat of the car.

I bought a 50 metre fabric lead and extra clips online and made lots of lengths of leads, a long one which attaches to the passenger seat by the sliding door to allow her in and out.

More of a problem is the large basket of dog stuff to bring with us!

This water bowl is great, can be left full of water both on site and when travelling, never had a spill.
Amazon product ASIN B07P6YW9JQ

 

[AnnieB]

She is beautiful .
ours loves the camper. As soon as she realises that we are loading it up ready for a trip she’s out the front door and in it.
We started off just sitting in it for a while, reading, having a cup of tea etc. Then we booked our first trip and made it fun for her with lots of walks etc.
We have a ‘dog box’ and it has her food, treats, poo bags, lead, toys etc in it. Plus a pair of baby socks because she’s twice caught a few claw and when we bandaged it she promptly pulled it of. Now we put on a sock and tape it up. We had a tie-our stake but left it on a site , bought a second one but never use it as we have an extending lead we use And she’s never outside in her own because she hates that.

Im sure she will love it.

 

[joe and sue]

We bought a Moho put the dog in and drove home.

Same when we collected her, into the car in a cardboard box and drove home.

She is a Patterdale Terrier though

Same here, collected our CKCS in the motorhome, and then everytime we went out somewhere we used the MH, then weekends away and made a game of arriving somewhere, he now goes to the MH whenever the front door is opened, loves it !!

 

[125BEER]

Will you look after me in the MH....?

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[Pappy]

a long lead, a stake and a comfy seat

 

[PaulC70]

We bought a Moho put the dog in and drove home.

Same when we collected her, into the car in a cardboard box and drove home.

She is a Patterdale Terrier though

Exactly what I did with my last pup, went and collected him in the motorhome (late evening after work), popped him in his cage in the motorhome and drove 50 miles to the sister in laws, stayed the night on the driveway, pup in cage, next day, 170 mile drive home. Seemed normal for him by then, you still then have to tempt him in with nice things etc each trip for a wee while but doesn't take long as long as you associate it with food, treats etc.

 

[Southdowners]

What a beautiful doggy!

 

[RustyRuss]

This is Rosie, our Yorkshire Terrorist puppy, 4.5 months old, in her usual spot at night sleeping on top of one of our two Samoyeds! And she is indeed a terrorist! She decimates the area around the MoHo, bringing in leaves, twigs, small stones, feathers, Samoyed hair, crisp packets, flowers and stashing it all in her igloo bed.

But she is SO CUTE!

Cheers! Russ n Kathryn

 

[Speve]

oh she’s lovely we lost our working cocker last November not got another yet as doing a few things without dogs before we consider another longest we have been without one on over 40 years.
She will settle down to travelling I’m sure Seve loved the motorhome he travelled everywhere with us.
good luck with her

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[Wildbill]

How to introduce a spanial to the camper pack the camper get the dog in to camper with any family members get in camper go off with camper and have fun
The dog will learn to pop outside verry fast
Teach it to swim and fech ball job done.
The next time you go away the dog will be in the van before you.
Bill

 

[Pocket Rocket]

Thanks all for the positive encouragement, advice, tips, and doggy pic’s

She travelled fine in the car yesterday (only half an hour), and has settled well at home. So sounds like she will live coming away in the motorhome when she’s old enough to have her second vaccine in a few weeks.

 

[pampam]

What beautifull dogs your new cocker puppy has beautifull eyes

 

[Reallyretired]

Lovely dog.
They are all different and you need to consider their preferences. Meg likes to look out of a window while travelling and sits on the rear seat. Spice has no interest until he arrives and sleeps under the table. Both have harnesses attached to seat belt buckles if they had cages there would be no room for us.

 

[PaulC70]

Lovely dog.
They are all different and you need to consider their preferences. Meg likes to look out of a window while travelling and sits on the rear seat. Spice has no interest until he arrives and sleeps under the table. Both have harnesses attached to seat belt buckles if they had cages there would be no room for us.

Just to be clear, mines not in a cage now, the trainings done.

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[Speve]

What beautifull dogs your new cocker puppy has beautifull eyes

Those Spaniel eyes always get to you

 

[Ejaydee]

Our golden girl is also called the "ginger ninja" because she is so active, her name is actually Bracken. We used a cat travel basket while she was very young in the car and motorhome, but now she gets 'clipped' into the seatbelt connection which is attached to her harness. She absolutely loves being out and about in the motorhome, as many other Funsters will attest to, having been encouraged by her to throw her ball at every opportunity, on rallies and meets .

 

[SheikhLala]

As previously mentioned, make it fun. We have Jack (15 months) and Flossy (6 months) both Cocker Spaniels who go absolutely wild if you ask them if they want to go in Mildred ( MH ). Flossy first went away at 10 weeks and was a bit nervous but with plenty of encouragement and company, she began to settle in very quickly. They both love the water, so trips to the beach helped her associate Mildred with great days of fun.

 

[Pappy]

Oh, and pub training is very good. Gets the dogs used to people, dogs etc. you do it for the dog.

 

[big bertha]

Still to introduce this little terrorist to campervan. I'll wait until he's had 2nd jab and we can go away. He has been in it though.

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