I have been putting off writing this blog post because I know it is going to be a long one, and that there will always be more questions than what I am going to address in this post. But, I'll offer the knowledge we have obtained from our own experiences with our own dogs, and what works for us.
I think there is a vast majority of people that overthink this topic. Here is my quick answer: Put your dog first, always.
Keep reading if you want my long answers to all the most frequently asked questions we receive...
I generally start my reply to these questions with: All dogs are different. Different breeds can handle different climates, different personalities in dogs can better handle the constant movement and inconsistency that comes with this lifestyle, the age of your dog can be a major factor, and of course how well your dog is trained. So, please do not base all the information about how our dogs do on the road and apply it to your dog. Your dog is different than our dogs, and it’s your job to do what is best for them on your trips!
Background info about our own dogs...
Our dogs are both rescues. We have two dogs--an Akita-Chow Chow mix named Missy who is somewhere between 12 or 13, and we have 9/10 year old golden-lab mix named Trip. Two very different dogs. They both have always loved car rides and long road trips before we ever thought about buying an RV, and they had been cross country with us a few different times in a car without any issues. We had no doubt in our minds that they would both adjust to the fact that they would be living in a moving vehicle. They both are well trained and will return if off leash, Trip can go on almost all the dog-friendly trails we decide to hike. Missy is now older and can not do any hikes with us, so we have had to adjust the way we travel and explore to keep her safe and comfortable.
Trip loves water, and swimming where as Missy would prefer to avoid water at all costs. Neither of our dogs are “barkers”, they'll bark if there is a knock on the door, but they don't just constantly bark or have anxiety that may induce lots of barking--this is an important fact that allows us to feel comfortable traveling full-time with our dogs.
What do you do with your dogs when you want to do something that is not dog friendly?
We very seldom want to do something that our dogs are not also welcomed to do. We chose this lifestyle, not them, so it only seems fair to include them in all, or realistically, as many of our plans as possible. We've always put them first since the day we adopted them, so moving into an RV hasn't changed that. It's a mindset you have to instill in your travels from the very beginning. If you had kids full-time on the road would you ask the question , "What do you do with your kids when you want to do something that is not kid friendly?"…You would seek out activities or things you and your kids CAN do together.
The question and answer below gives a more in-depth look at times we do need to leave the dogs, and what we do to keep the dogs safe.
Do you ever leave the dogs in the RV when you are not in it?
This is the number one question we receive on a daily basis. Yes, we do leave the dogs in the RV by themselves. It would be almost impossible not to while living on the road full-time. Usually, they would only be left alone if we were running into the grocery store, running errands, or doing something in the early hours of the morning or the evenings where dogs are not welcomed (for example: a sunrise hike or sunset hike). We rarely choose to do hikes or trails or National Parks that are 100% not dog friendly. We have made exceptions depending on the time of year or time of day. Which means we are looking for dog friendly trails, hikes, parks, etc, probably about 85% of the time when we want to go explore.
For the times we do leave them...there are tons of factors into how we decide it is safe to do so.
What is the outside temperature? Is it too hot? Too cold? Is it mid-day? Is it after 6pm?
We do not leave our dogs alone in the RV if the outside temperature would make it unsafe for them to be inside. The RV is insulated to help protect against these elements, and does help a fair bit. We have black out shades, a barrier between the front seats in the cab to keep the heat in there from entering the "home" portion of the RV, we have two MaxxAir fans, and last but not least a security camera that we can turn on that monitors video surveillance, temperature, air quality, and sound (You can find this product in the page "Products we LOVE").
If we still do not think it is safe to leave them alone one of us will stay in the RV with them, while the other runs errands, or finishes up doing whatever it was we were doing while planning on leaving the dogs.
Tips and tricks for the times you absolutely have to leave the pups for an extended period of time...
If there is a hike or activity you absolutely have to do, no questions asked, bucket list type of deal--download the app ROVER, or DogVacay, or find a doggy daycare in the town your in, and book a sitter so your dog is safe. We once booked a dog friendly hotel for our dogs while we were in Savannah, GA for a family gathering where dogs weren't allowed, so we left them in an air-conditioned hotel room and came back a few times that day to let them out.
How have Trip & Missy adjusted to living in the RV?
Trip and Missy are doing great! Trip has always loved the RV even before it was renovated. I think he liked the 25 year old carpeting, and all the weird little smells that came with an older camper. Missy was terrified of the rattling and road noise before it was renovated, so we did our best to rebuild the RV sturdy, and as rattle-free as we could make it. Of course, it is next to impossible to eliminate all road noise, but the difference is definitely noticeable, and she has adjusted amazingly! Update: As Missy has gotten older she started to have a harder time with the constant movement of a Class C RV, so we are now traveling in the Airstream we finished renovating August 2021.
For both Missy & Trip being medium-sized dogs, they have found spots on the floor/couch that they like to lay in the most and typically those are spots that are out of the main traffic area which is AMAZING for Tommy and I!
How do you guys plan your travels around the dogs safety?
Travel south in the winter, and travel north in the summer. Right now, we are still in Southern Utah which is getting a bit late in the season for us to be here comfortably, but we have some work stuff that needs to be finished in the area before we can head north. This is the best advice I can give you about being on the road with your dogs, or just on the road in general. If you are like us, where you would rather off-grid camp or “boondock”, then this will make life a whole lot more comfortable! There have been several times, we have not been able to out run the heat, and paid to stay at campgrounds to use our AC unit.
How do you clean your dogs or try to keep them clean on the road?
We don't try too hard to keep them squeaky clean because we are often outside where we are all getting dirty. We have baby wipes that are super gentle with no chemicals in them that we use to wipe their faces. We try to find hikes with swimming options we can take them on to give them a fresh water "bath" (really just rinsing them off as we would not use soap in a natural body of fresh water).
In the messiest messes the dogs find themselves in we will do a quick google search or “self-service dog washes near me”, and have never had an issue finding a place to wash the dogs.
We focus the most on keeping the RV interior clean, so each day we vacuum up their dog hair or any dirt they bring in from their bodies or feet.
Tip from a cleaning maniac in an 124sqft home with two dogs...
Your dogs, yourself, your tiny home, will never be perfectly clean. I'm still working on accepting all of this, but once you let that fantasy go, life will be easier—you’re camping after all!
When the dogs are off leash, are you guys ever worried about predators or your dogs getting hurt?
Our dogs are not always off leash. We choose specific places where we feel comfortable letting them run free. Keep in mind, we do not let them wander out of our eye sight very often.
If we are on a trail where there are lots of people and other dogs, our dogs remain on their leashes. We follow the rules at the trailheads, but do let the leashes go if it is safer for the four of us to walk a certain path without being held back or pulled through or up an obstacle on the trail.
We ALWAYS bring poop bags with us when we are out and about with the dogs. If your dog(s) poop on trail, ya gotta pick it up!
These were all of the most frequent questions we receive, I can continue this blog post in the future if there are a ton more questions!
