Community Forums

wfcentral · 03-02-2023, 03:55 PM

We have been RVing for about 4 years with dogs. We started with two and everything was fine... if we stop at a museum or roadside attraction we always started the generator, turned on music and the AC.

Now that one dog has passed away and the remaining dog is older (13) she is getting bored / anxious and damaging the RV. We have been asking more of her as we now have a grandson and cannot take our dog to their house because she SHEDS like crazy. So, she ends up in the RV for a week from 9am - 3pm. If we need to be gone longer we come home and walk her. If we try to go a park like Disney someone has to leave the park in the middle of the day to go check on the dog.

We have tried kennels with mixed results. She is an escape artist and is very strong.

We don't want to get rid of her, but we are about to retire and start traveling and don't want to be held hostage by the dog.

I'm curious what others have done to deal with dogs who are anxious and such. We tried some anxiety meds and you have to up the dosage to almost knock her out before it does any good - we don't want that.

We have thought about getting another dog to keep her from being lonely, but at the same time we are looking forward to a day when we don't have to worry about dogs (we've had dogs for 35 years) while traveling. When we decide to stop traveling then we can get dogs again.

TandW · 03-02-2023, 04:07 PM

Pets surely do tie you down. It's too bad we can't ask them what it is they want out of the relationship. But you know they do have a keen sense about their surroundings. Wishing your dog well!

tcg · 03-02-2023, 05:14 PM

We changed our lifestyle to accommodate the pets that have given us so much joy.

As they age out and pass on we won't be doing anymore rescues but for now all of our plans take into account our fury family members.

jacwjames · 03-02-2023, 05:33 PM

Talk to your vet, there are medications that can help anxiety.

My wife had a Curly Coated Retriever that was very anxious with separation anxiety. It got worse so my wife asked her vet and she prescribed medication which helped a lot but was not a cure all.

caninecop · 03-04-2023, 07:09 AM

We have a similar situation with our coonhound. Our problem is when we take her with us in our jeep she paces from one window to the other none stop. Our vet said it was anxiety, and gave us a calming collar to try to see it will calm her down. He said it might take a month for us to see a change. I hope it works for she has worn a hole in the neoprene seat covers.

**Camp CA** · 03-04-2023, 07:33 AM

We purchased our 1st rv (fifth wheel trailer) 20 years ago since we liked traveling / hanging our with our dogs and did not want to sneak our 2 greyhounds into motels. If we leave the rv we limit time away to up ~3 hours.........but our current dog is happy chilling out in one of his beds with food and water. Otherwise, we bring the dog the with us. We also try to let our camping neighbors know when we have left the dog in the rv in case of fire or emergency and find a dog walker if we plan to be gone for more than 3 hours.

We also have a 5 inch Please Rescue Our Pets sign on the front door window with dog name and size (small) and our names and cell phone numbers https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BMN9PTK2...roduct_details.

kmackenzie · 04-05-2023, 04:58 PM

Our dogs are part of our family and come on our RV trips with us... but we can't leave them alone for more than a couple of hours. They get very anxious and destructive if left any longer than that. Could you leave your dog with a friend while you go on day trips?

Old-Biscuit · 04-05-2023, 05:03 PM

Dog crate........

WHY....
she ends up in the RV for a week from 9am - 3pm.

At 13 she needs to go out more often then 6 hrs a day

Yellville · 04-05-2023, 10:24 PM

We use a crate when we are out. Our dog seems to like it.

nvs4602 · 04-05-2023, 11:12 PM

We use a crate as well. We also have a camera on him that is connected to our Hotspot so we can keep an eye on him and make sure we can hear the air conditioner running.

Currently I'm building a solar generator / battery backup with a 300ah lithium battery and 4k watt inverter. It has a transfer switch in it so if AC power goes out it will switch to battery power to keep air conditioner running.

My biggest fear is being away and AC goes out.

MevetS · 04-06-2023, 12:37 AM

We've used crates with 4 of our dogs, over about 20 years. Had 3 at the same time, one stray and 2 from a shelter. They all liked, their crates. Our current 2 year old mutt loves his crate. He sleeps in it every night with the door wide open. He uses it during the day, on some occasions if we are busy.

The biggest problem, with the young lad, is that he loves to play, of course. Reminds us frequently that it is play time. He has some issues with separation anxiety, primarily when my wife goes out. But he is not destructive. I guess we are lucky that he is very laid back. The most he will do is fuss with moving around shoes or grab articles of clothing and put them on the floor wherever he is laying down. He also, take over and uses furniture he would otherwise not be allowed on for laying on. But never anything disruptive. Worst would be some drool spots. We do put moving blankets on our newer couches. But more to keep the hair at bay and not to have drool on them.

wfcentral · 04-06-2023, 10:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Old-Biscuit

Dog crate........

WHY....
she ends up in the RV for a week from 9am - 3pm.

At 13 she needs to go out more often then 6 hrs a day

This is our fourth dog in 35 years. We have always crated all our dogs when we left the house. We "tried" to crate this dog. First crate was the one we already owned - standard plastic crate with a metal door - she would bust out of it in less than 2 minutes. So, we upgraded to a KONG metal crate that was supposed to be escape proof. It lasted 15 minutes. She is STRONG and SMART... we put cargo straps around it - that worked a few times... then, she figured out spots in the seams and edges where she could squeeze through. We watched her on a webcam. I thought either her eyes were gonna pop out or her skin was gonna tear... she made it out without any injuries. Each time she escaped we would come home and she would be perfectly happy just laying around. She never tore anything up. So, we decided to give up on the crate. She has something in her head that says "must not be caged" and she will do whatever is necessary to get out.

At this point we are just hoping to get 1-2 hours outside the RV without her, make all our first trips dog friendly places like National Parks and such where she can go on hikes with us and just take it one trip at a time.

If we go some place longer we will place her with a dog sitter who will be with her 100% of the time - we will explain to them that someone must be with her at all times or she will destroy things. As long as a human is around she is sweet and just lays around snoozing.

PNWGirl · 06-08-2023, 08:33 AM

I realize that this is an older post but just in case you haven't found a solution.....

These kennels have become wildly popular. They are impact proof and pet proof. There is no way for the dog to open the door.

I do know that they are spendy. The first time that I saw one I gasped. Then I talked with a lot of people who have them and realized that there is merit to them.

This is just one manufacturer. There are many others.

https://www.amazon.com/stores/page/2...f&ref_=ast_bln

DogwoodLynx · 06-08-2023, 12:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PNWGirl

I realize that this is an older post but just in case you haven't found a solution.....

These kennels have become wildly popular. They are impact proof and pet proof. There is no way for the dog to open the door.

I do know that they are spendy. The first time that I saw one I gasped. Then I talked with a lot of people who have them and realized that there is merit to them.

This is just one manufacturer. There are many others.

https://www.amazon.com/stores/page/2...f&ref_=ast_bln

+1 for these crates! I am currently full-time RV but tied to a location for work (for now). My pup stays in the RV while I am at work. He is used to this because I've had to leave him at home while working ever since I got him in 2020. I leave the AC on. He sleeps the whole time. I'm typically in the office 3 or 4 days a week. Other than that, he comes with me everywhere.