Motorhoming with dogs

[janbat]

My husband and I are considering a motorhome for our future holidays with our 8 year old Labrador. I understand that if we go visiting attractions where she is not welcome we cannot leave her on site but needs to be taken with us. As a motorhome can become hot in summer what do other motorhomers do. Is a fan adequate or must aircon be fitted? Views greatly appreciated.

[747]

You have made a good point and have the sense to realise you cannot leave an animal in a vehicle (of any sort)

 

We have more than one dog and we would never dream of having a trip that involved leaving them in the van during the day. Our interests are more open air than visiting attractions.

 

If the two aims do not match, then you would probably be better off without him. You could of course introduce some variety in your outings and take the dog sometimes. I know it is difficult to place a dog in kennels. The guilty feeling is very strong.

 

 

 

 

[JeffersonCampervan]

We take ours everywhere with us - we even flew him over the ocean to travel with us in Europe.

 

Europe is much more dog-friendly than N. Am. & we can take him into far more places - eg.restaurants (ask first of course). In fact, some castles & other attractions have let him in, especially if it is not busy.

 

For no-dogs-allowed attractions, we either don't go, or split up & each go in individually. We weigh the advantage of having the dog with us against the missing of an attraction. We never leave him all day, even though we have air con & can run on electric where we have a hookup.YMMV.

 

One plus of a dog is that more people, especially locals, engage you in conversation. And I guess it diminishes the tourist peg, since we are more likely to be asked for directions.

 

If it's a short stop, like shopping at a Carrefour, we park in a far corner (so as not to annoy others with the genny noise), turn on the genny & the roof air-con.

 

There are a lot of different opinions, but on the North American forums I'm on, RVers who attend dog shows often pipe in that they simply have to open the correct windows (to create a cross draft), park in the shade & turn on the fan. They claim never to use the genny/air-con, even though they have it. They point out that a motorhome is not a small metal & glass space like a car & with some foresight will not have the "oven" effect on a hot day. Personally, we won't take that chance with our dog but YMMV.

[Patricia]

Welcome to the forum Janbat. Lots of contributors to the forum travel with dogs and so I am sure you will get several useful replies.

 

I travel alone in my m/home with my Sheltie who is the same age as your dog and more furry! My m\home is extremely well insulated, in fact it can be really cold inside but hot outside. I travel to northern Spain and southern France and try to make sure that she is as comfortable as possible. She accompanies me to most places but if I have to leave her, e.g. to go for a swim, I leave her inside with windows closed, blinds drawn but with the ceiling fan open and on. I also leave the Truma fire cold fan on together with a cool air fan which I fill with ice (I do not have air-com). When I return she is cool and happy (even in outside temperatures over 40), usually preferring to stay inside. If she does come out she immediately goes under the vehicle. During the daytime I take her for frequent but short walks then give her a good run in the cool of the evening.

 

I have travelled like this since she was a puppy. In restaurants she lies quietly under the table or chair (floors abroad are usually cool tiles) and has always behaved impeccably (not always so at home!). This year I have actually found several pubs and restaurants in England that are happy to accept dogs.

 

I hope this has helped but I think the main advice I can give is to check the insulation qualities of any m/home that you view. Happy travelling and if you want any advice about travel abroad with the dog just PM me.

[janbat]

Patricia, very interesting that you leave your dog in the motorhome for a swim etc. and he stays cool. I am now wondering if we do leave our dog for short spells (I think people may have thought we are away all day) how would we stand legally. We would, for the main, be walking fells with her of course. I'm wondering if a drive away awning may be the answer or do the sites not allow dogs to be left alone. (she does not bark).

[Mel B]

Hi Jan and welcome to the 'dog' house! :-D

 

Despite what some have said, you CAN leave your dog in your motorhome, even on hot days - so long as you take precautions and are sensible about it your dog should be fine. Leaving a dog in a motorhome on a warm day isn't a 'death sentence' like leaving them in a car can be as a motorhome is a much bigger vehicle and therefore takes a lot longer to get warm, never mind hot. Our dogs are our family so there’s no question of leaving them when we go away ... we’d never get out the door anyway!!! Generally you need to make sure you get the balance right with what you want to do and make time for your dog’s needs too, but I’m sure you appreciate that already.

 

We have 2 dogs at present, however we have had motorhomes in one form or another since 1996 and have always taken them with us in the UK and mostly when going to mainland Europe (the exception being before the Pet Passport scheme was introduced). Leaving them at home, with family or in kennels was not an option for many as they have mostly been rescue dogs and would not have take kindly to being parted from us.

 

Our first foreign trip coincided with a heat wave in France in May/June 2005 - it was 41 degrees - we were at Cognac at the time and one of our dogs was 15! Then, no matter what we did, we were all 'melting' so lots of parking in the shade with windows wide open was the order of the day when it was at these silly temperatures. We had gone during that time as we'd thought it would be just nice ... typical! In the end we decided to head back up north as it was cooler and didn't have any problems with leaving our dogs so long as we followed common sense precautions to ensure they were okay - this is what we do:

 

Air - If we want to go out for the day and it is hot, then we always open the roof vents to allow fresh air in and warm air to escape.

 

Time - We make sure they are not left for a really long time (the maximum has been 5 hours when we got 'lost' in Paris and went the wrong way on our cycles when trying to get back to the campsite!) and even then when we returned they just looked at us silly as if to say - go away, we're enjoying the peace! As our dogs have been used to us going out to work each day, returning at lunchtime, then back to work, they were used to being left anyway so it wasn't a major problem. Depending on how warm a day it is likely to be, you'll be able to gauge the length of time you can realistically leave your dog without it becoming upset/distressed etc. If it is quite warm, plan to spend the longest time away in the morning as temperatures do tend to be higher in the afternoon.

 

Sun/Heat - To reduce the heat in the motorhome, we always put silver reflective screens (either internal or external) on the windscreen and both cab door windows, and pull up the blinds on the sides where the sun will be - we even made some reflective screens from the cheap silver/metallic windscreen sunshades to sit between the windows and the blinds which really work a treat, the same goes for the roof vents (just using some suction cups to keep the screen stuff in place).

 

Water - make sure there is plenty of water so if you dogs want it, its there.

 

Exercise - give your dog a good walk, but not taxing and don't let her get hot/excited, just a calm trot sufficient to make them want to have a 'rest' when they get back, that way she'll settle down for a kip.

 

Parking - If you intend to drive your motorhome to your destination and park up it will reduce the time your dog will be in the van, this is preferable to leaving it on the campsite, unless of course it's nearby. Whilst parking in the UK can be a pain in the bum sometimes, especially in the larger towns, we usually park up where we can and then get our cycles out to go the last distance - it also makes it less tiring and quicker to get around if the things you want to see are spread out (Paris was a case in point).

 

Destination - obviously when choosing where to ‘holiday’ or visit, you need to think about whether it is suitable at the time of year you are going - eg the south of France in August would NOT be a good idea with a dog unless you want to ‘cook’ it - remember your dog won’t be acclimatised like native dogs so bear that in mind as she wouldn’t cope with the heat outside of the van anyway.

 

Generally, motorhoming with dogs is pretty much ideal, I can’t think of another form of holidaying with dogs that is any better in fact.

 

[janbat]

Mel B, thank you so much for taking the time to write and let me know what your advice is. I think I should have taken rather a little more time with my initial question explaining in full how we will holiday when we buy the motorhome. So I apologise for those who have already replied but our plans are to holiday around the U.K. probably Feb - May. Our main holiday will be in France returning before mid July (our kids at Uni now) and Sept onwards in the UK. My husband works so these hols will be short breaks and weeks only until he retires. We have had tourers previously so know the lifestyle of sorts. Thanks for all your help.

[peterjl]

Hi

 

I would echoe Mel B and add that, in camp sites we ask for a sheded pitch - that combined with roof vents wide open + coverings on windows keeps the van cool even in temperatures of 40C - in fact it susually cooler in the van and our 7 yr old labrador prefers to stay in van until cool of evening.

 

Anyway our labrador justs wants to sleep most of the day!

 

Peter

[David Dwight]

We travel with our dog, we try and find a shady pitch if we can. We leave the dog in the van even in France. We have always found that with the blinds down and a sensible amount of ventilation it stays cool inside even on hot days. Our back garden gets hotter in the Summer than the inside of the van, and the dog loves laying in the sun.

Just be sensible and aware of where you park. The dog will love all the new and exciting smells it will come across in its travels.

David

[Mel B]

Any excuse to post a picture of dogs .... :D

 

This is Lily just about to go bedy-byes ....

[Patricia]

Just another couple of observations:

To keep the heat out all windows should be closed (this is what the French do in their houses during the daytime) and blinds drawn as others have suggested but of course top vents should be left open to let the hot air (if any) escape.

 

Personally I would not leave my dog in an awning as they can in fact get exceedingly hot (even in the UK) and you never know whether anyone, particularly a child) might come in. Even the most docile animal might take umbridge if teased particularly if it is hot or maybe catch the child with a claw etc. Not fair to the animal and certainly would be frowned upon by the site owners. Best not to advertise the fact either of leaving the animal in the m/home in the evening while you go for a meal either, although I do!

[jhorsf]

mirror signal manoeuvre dogs just love motorhomes

 

 

 

[janbat]

Thanks for replies they are all noted. It seems to me that just being sensible is the way forward, although nobody seems to think a fan would be of use which is a surprise. Anyway you all sound upbeat about holidaying with dogs in this way so that is a plus especially the last person to write - brilliant! PS Lily looks lovely.

[747]

Hi janbat,

 

Our first m/home was a coachbuilt with rear lounge. This meant that it had a lot of windows in the back and a large rooflight above the lounge.

 

It could get uncomfortably hot in the van, even when travelling if the sun was shining. I bought a fan that was on offer in MMM (about 6" diameter) and attached it to the back of the passenger seat, low down so it did not get in the way. It partly solved the problem but was not ideal. In my view, I would bear this in mind when deciding which van you want.

[Patricia]

janbat - 2010-01-27 11:46 AM

 

Thanks for replies they are all noted. It seems to me that just being sensible is the way forward, although nobody seems to think a fan would be of use which is a surprise. Anyway you all sound upbeat about holidaying with dogs in this way so that is a plus especially the last person to write - brilliant! PS Lily looks lovely.

 

Sorry but I obviously did not explain clearly enough as I use at least 3 fans - the Truma heater fan (which blows cold), the ceiling fan and the cooler fan into which I put ice. I also have a domestic fan which I can also use near the cab when driving via an inverter.

[janbat]

Oh dear - a rear lounge with double dinette is exactly the motorhome we thought we may buy. (I think it comes from owning caravans). I think we need to go back to the drawing board and reaccess which layout is more suitable. Good point made though 747.

[janbat]

Patricia, sorry you did say about the fans originally. It seems to me that because of the replies i've received it may not be such a problem as we first envisaged. My husband has said when we buy the motorhome we can test it on the drive in the summer with a thermometer. We have a new problem now - which layout!

[david lloyd]

Hi janbat and welcome to the forum - and, indeed, to motorhoming if you do go ahead.

 

We have always travelled with our dog(s) both in the UK and on the continent. Every one we have had has simply loved the lifestyle. As others have said, it just needs some common sense to keep your dog comfortable if left in the van.

 

One site you may find of interest before venturing anywhere is this:

 

http://www.dogfriendlybritain.co.uk/

 

Although it is difficult in the UK (despite being branded a nation of dog lovers) to find places where dogs are welcome and accepted there are some places that make the effort. I know you have said that you are keen fell walkers and many of the places that cater for walkers/ramblers also accept dogs.

 

Unfortunately, we have found more places that we can't take her in with us so have had to get used to going separately or giving some things a miss. Being able to have her with us when we go away more than compensates though!

 

Good luck with your choices.

David

 

[Patricia]

janbat - 2010-01-27 12:13 PM

 

Patricia, sorry you did say about the fans originally. It seems to me that because of the replies i've received it may not be such a problem as we first envisaged. My husband has said when we buy the motorhome we can test it on the drive in the summer with a thermometer. We have a new problem now - which layout!

 

I am sure that you will not find it a problem, mainly because you are obviously researching your new hobby carefully. One final thing to emphasise is to check on the insulation built into the vehicle. As a general comment van conversions probably haven't the same thickness of insulation and it will also vary between converters. I know from experience that Auto-Trail motorhomes are very well insulated and give the exact information in their literature. Probably Auto-Sleepers too whereas (maybe) continental converters do not need to cater for insulation to the same degree.

 

Hope you have lots of fun with your dog - keep us posted.

[Patricia]

David thanks for that link. Just had a very quick look and it seems it will be most useful.

[janbat]

David, I've just had a look at the dog web site and it looks quite promising really. Dogs in castles, on trains, and restaurants - amazing. We did take her to Goodrington Sands last year which she loved. Shes more fun than the kids.

Patricia. The motorhome will be a coachbuild with overhead bed and thats all we know at present. We have been to Brownhills Notts (30 mins from us) to have a look. We will keep looking.

[Petra]

We travel with our 7 year old labrador who loves motorhoming and have found a fixed bed format with a half dinetter and side sofa works really well. His basket fits under the dining table but he has taken over the side sofa when lounging on an evening.

 

It might also be worth looking at the Kennel Club site as they have a list of places including restaurants and attractions where dogs are welcome. We have travelled all over Europe with our labrador without a problem. We just dont leave him too long in the motorhome if it is hot.

[Mel B]

janbat - 2010-01-27 12:03 PM

 

Oh dear - a rear lounge with double dinette is exactly the motorhome we thought we may buy. (I think it comes from owning caravans). I think we need to go back to the drawing board and reaccess which layout is more suitable. Good point made though 747.

 

Jan - get the layout that works for YOU. Even with the large windows in a rear lounge van you can still block the heat out quite effectively as we do in our van which has a large side window, by using the silver screens I've made to go behind the blinds it's amazing how cool they keep it.

 

We have a double dinette and during the day there is a dog bed under the table (along with loads of toys etc!), at night the dogs sleep on the seats at either side of the dinette, we are in our fixed bed. It really is important to make sure that whatever van you choose has room for your dog to be able to move around and sprawl out easily and that you can move around at night when your dog is in her bed so that you are not in danger of falling over her when you make a nocturnal visit to the loo!

 

Make sure also, that you won't need to carry passengers in the rear as, if you do go for a rear lounge, there will be no seatbelts.

 

This is an earlier thread about dogs and motorhomes which may be of use:

 

http://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=16830&start=1

[janbat]

If one thing comes over clearly is the fact that all you dog owners are a real happy, funny, interesting and helpful bunch of people.

We have had our dog 8 years now & after a long walk she will go to sleep most of the day, never chews and does not bark, so at least those will not be a problem for us. All we need to do is buy the correct motorhome and be off. Hope to meet you all on our travels!

[Colin Leake]

We have a twelve year old boarder terrier who can no longer manage the long all day walks we still like to make but normally does not like to miss out. Our solution has been to buy and American all terrain pet stroller (push chair in English). She loves it getting out to walk when she wants to and asking to get back in when she has had enough. It's light, sprung and really is all terain. You would not believe the places and hills we have lugged it. We are pensioners but now as a result fit to Olympic standards.

 

If you do have to leave your dog for any reason bear in mind that it is the glass windows that cause the heat to build up not the plastic ones in the conversion. It's called the greenhouse effect and is why proper greenhouses are made of glass. If we leave ours to go shopping say we draw down all the blinds on the windows where the sun is going to come in, leave the roof vents open and close off the front cab area which has glass windows with a curtain. The back of the motorhome remains cool but put your hand in the front and it may well be like an oven.

 

On caravan Club sites they expressly forbid the leaving of dogs on Motorhomes and Caravans mainly to aviod possible noise from the dog. As ours does not bark or whine we do sometimes leave her for short periods of up to an hour in cool weather and have never been pulled up about this.

 

If you are thinking of purchasing from Brownhills I would advise reading what some contributers to this forum have to say about them. Most of it is not good. We purchased from their Swindon site and had no problems at first but subsiquently found the level of service available apauling.