seadog Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 As a new motorhome owner, we would appreciate a little advice on carrying a dog in the motorhome whilst on the move. we only have 2 belted seats so how have others overcome this.Do you let them roam free or have you devised a way of tethering them in one place Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teflon2 Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 Hi and welcome. When I carried my two dogs in my motorhome I made up the dinette single bed and fitted a side panel that gave them a safe area aprox 2m x 1m. they could then either sleep, look out the side window or look over my shoulder and monitor my speed. Some may disagree with this arrangement but all of us were happy with it. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest peter Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 Our jack Russell sits on my wifes lap and her (the dog) harness is attached to my wifes seat belt. So the dog also acts as a sort of airbag. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sydney1 Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 We have a Collie Doberman cross so a large medium size dog. He settles down nicely between the bench seats in the dinette area on his bed. We don't feel he is in any more danger than in the back of the estate car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayjsj Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 A lot of people think they should always travel in cages, my two Labradors would think they are in prison if i did that, and probably leave home. They travel behind us,on the floor in the dinette, on their 'memory foam' beds (don't ask !!) they, being 'labradors' sleep all the journey through, unless somone opens a packet of sweets, or food of any kind, at which point they are wide awake and taking notice. If I have to brake hard, they are restrained by the dinette bulkhead. Ray ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pepe63xnotuse Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 The Highway Code, under "Rules about animals" says, Quote: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 57 When in a vehicle make sure dogs or other animals are suitably restrained so they cannot distract you while you are driving or injure you, or themselves, if you stop quickly. A seat belt harness, pet carrier, dog cage or dog guard are ways of restraining animals in cars. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- So I doubt if just a perching a dog on it's favourite "snuggle blankie" would really suffice... (lol) I would've thought that a decent, purpose made padded travel harness and/or a secured "soft crate" would the obvious/safest route for all concerned?.. :-S http://www.dog-harnesses.org.uk/car.htm http://www.doggiesolutions.co.uk/dog-soft-crate-8842-0.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest peter Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 That's fine, but where do you store a bloody great cage/crate in a van?. I would rather have a dog flying at me in a van than a wire crate with a dog in it. The soft cages wouldn't be any use as a safety aid for the dog, more like a restraint only. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigal Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 Rayjsj - 2014-01-08 8:44 PM A lot of people think they should always travel in cages, my two Labradors would think they are in prison if i did that, and probably leave home. They travel behind us,on the floor in the dinette, on their 'memory foam' beds (don't ask !!) they, being 'labradors' sleep all the journey through, unless somone opens a packet of sweets, or food of any kind, at which point they are wide awake and taking notice. If I have to brake hard, they are restrained by the dinette bulkhead. Ray ;-) We have a rescue dog that, like many dogs from the rescue centre, had been ill treated or kept in a cage and for that reason we let our dog sleep on the French Bed or the bench seat immediately behind the driver. (Me) We also use the Tunnel instead of the Ferry when travelling to France because we would not want to leave her on the Car Deck on her own. During many years of touring with two different dogs we have not experienced any problems whatsoever when travelling. People who cage dogs should first experience being caged themselves!!!!!!!!! If you have passengers either animal or human you need to remember to moderate your driving accordingly! ;-) B-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyboyprowler Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 It's worth bearing in mind the laws of the respective country when it comes to travelling with your furry friends. In Spain they need to be secured, be it harness cage or barrier. In UK, we are more generous. Personally, we use a harness, but our rescue dog has been in it from the start, so he is fine. Either way, our mode of travel, is generally not too fast, BUT, even the smallest pet could become a missile in the event of a dead stop, and a big dog could do serious damage, both to itself and its owners, so it makes sense to have some sort of protection. So Seadog, maybe you could have a short lead attached to a harness, round a table leg or similar. That way, the dog could get behind you in the MH, but not past you if you have to brake hard, and have a bit of movement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gypsymu Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 Just a bit late I realise now but my friends were fined in Spain for not having the dog fastened in to a seat belt. I can't remember if it was 40 or 60 euros but don't know if this applies in England. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparks1061 Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 We have 3 medium sized dogs and whenever we are using the van they are with us. I lower the dining table which is behind the drivers seat and put a wire cage on that for the largest dog, it is safely wedged between the bathroom bulkhead and the drivers seat, so it can´t move anywhere. The other 2 lie on the floor behind a gate that I have fitted between the kitchen unit on one side and the bathroom on the other. Safe for them, and safe for us. When we are parked up the cage folds down and goes under the van,unless we use it to keep a dirty dog in 8-) For those who commented about it not being nice to keep dogs caged, Our dogs have been caged since puppies and they treat the cage as a secure safe location, shown by the fact that first sign of thunder in the summer all 3 were queuing to get in the cage :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seadog Posted January 9, 2014 Author Share Posted January 9, 2014 Thanks everyone, it has given us food for thought Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pepe63xnotuse Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 peter - 2014-01-08 9:56 PM That's fine, but where do you store a bloody great cage/crate in a van?. I would rather have a dog flying at me in a van than a wire crate with a dog in it. The soft cages wouldn't be any use as a safety aid for the dog, more like a restraint only. I wasn't aware that I'd suggested using a "bloody great cage/crate.." Peter.. ;-) Personally, if we still had a dog(s), we'd probably use a harness AND a soft crate...securely latched/strapped to something solid(..recessed "D" rings bolted through the floor, if nothing suitable was avaialble..) Just letting a dog roam about a vehicle where it wants to,unrestrained..be it to lay/sleep/sit on a dinette seat/settee/bed is just plan dangerous... :-S (..and seems very much at odds with the how much "love" owners are supposed to feel for them? :-S ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 I have made a strong point to attach Troy's harness.........not that we use it much ;-)........its just there in to comply with Mr Plod if ever we get stopped :-| ..........as he travels on the bench seat behind me.......so any forward motion would be absorbed by the seat in a frontal collision.........if I rolled it then I doubt any kind of restraint would help :-|..........as Horace is designed to collapse on impact 8-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 You could also consider the risk of motorhomes being involved in accidents compared to other forms of road transport, together with the generally lower speeds involved, and ask yourself whether you really need crates, seat belts or harnesses for pets? Both of our border collies were trained to stay on one of the seats/beds up against or close to a bulkhead or solid support to help prevent them sliding off under heavy braking when on the move - and they always did just that. Over twenty five years of travel with a dog in a motorhome, covering some 125,000 miles both in mainland Europe and the UK, we never once secured either of them and never once had an incident where we wished we had. Perhaps we were lucky but based on that experience if we do get another dog - sadly our Rosie died just before Christmas - we will not be using a cage or harness, but the dog will be trained to stay put and not wander about. On balance it all depends on the individuals perception of acceptable risk and I simply record our way of dog in a van transport leaving others to make their own choices. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sshortcircuit Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 As usual the total lack of common sense. I came to a sudden stop at slow speed. All the tools etc which were in the rear came flying forward and all about me thankfully as it was slow speed no damage done. Does anybody wonder why vans, which a MH has been, have bulkheads/mesh cages to prevent flying object hitting the driver and a dog unfortunately cannot hold on to anything which means it will and possibly yourself get seriously injured. For all concerned restrain the dog whether it be by a harness or a cage. Unfortunately I do not buy into "doggy will not go in cage" as you are the master? and you should protect yourself and the dog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pepe63xnotuse Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 sshortcircuit - 2014-01-09 10:53 AM As usual the total lack of common sense. I came to a sudden stop at slow speed. All the tools etc which were in the rear came flying forward and all about me thankfully as it was slow speed no damage done. Does anybody wonder why vans, which a MH has been, have bulkheads/mesh cages to prevent flying object hitting the driver and a dog unfortunately cannot hold on to anything which means it will and possibly yourself get seriously injured. Ah!?..but you should have "trained" them to "stay put" at all times... (lol) (lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayjsj Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 Well seadog,there you have it, the majority seem to think that they are safer and better 'restrained' within the van. I personally think it depends on the Dog, if it is prone to 'wander' about, then I agree, restrain it. And I must admit the 'Soft cages' look good, I hadn't seen them before. We will continue with our mode of 'restraint' , a firm command to 'Stay' and a bulkhead to prevent 'Flying dog syndrome'. Good 'doggy' travelling. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maggyd Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 Only you know your dog or dogs :-S mine are quite happy to curl up in their large bed that is jammed behind the drivers seat in the front dinette under the table I do have harnesses but they aren't attached to anything ! they would be too nervous to have them attached to the seat belts and on a seat,. If they do move out , I know they need to go out to toilet so we then can find some-where to stop but as I make sure they are both exercised before we leave and half way, when we stop for refreshments, you will soon get the hang of it, its no different really than travelling in your car, how do they travel there? As they are on the floor and small I know they wont be flying anyway other than the front of their bed and back seat, and the driver isn't distracted at all as I have one eye on them . :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 peter - 2014-01-08 8:13 PM Our jack Russell sits on my wifes lap and her (the dog) harness is attached to my wifes seat belt. So the dog also acts as a sort of airbag. :D Our dogs act as airbags ... but not in the way you 'use' them ... more like pongobags! (lol) We have 3 dogs, 1 large heffalump called Romy, and 2 small ones, called Lily and Tazzy. Romy usually lays in the bed under the side dinette table behind the driver's seat (hubby), or on the dinette seat itself, or between the cab seats on a large padded dog bed. Tazzy, depending on what's 'vacant' will use one of the available areas, or will snuggle on my knee in a dog bed/large cushion and just usually snooze. Lily does the same although she prefers to watching the world go by when she's on my knee ... she has a fascination for sheep!!!! Romy would NOT go in a cage ... not for anything - she was very badly abused as a pup and then spent a year in rescue kennels so putting her in one sends her absolutely frantic. Lily hates cages/crates or any sort and just panics constantly in them, whilst Tazzy doesn't like them but would 'tolerate' one if necessary although if you could see the sulky face she can give us you'd understand why we don't to so! :D We've travelled with our dogs for over 18 years and never had a problem doing so, but again, others need to make their own minds up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterjl Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 Hi The issue is Risk. What would happen if in a serious accident not just heavy braking. I, for one, would not want a flying Labrador and I doubt she would be too keen. We have used two different methods, 1) cage, we had one when she was small and for first 3 years. She loves her cage and feels very safe. The cage folded when not in use on a site and could be stowed under the van. 2) when we changed m/h the cage would not fit so harness with a climbers tape loop attached to a secure point. These points have varied in the different m/homes. I am confident that if we were in a major accident she would be relatively secure and would not "fly" into us. These solutions are also worth considering when in a car or estate car, there are similar risk profiles. Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billggski Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 I bought a retractable cargo net for an estate car from a well known on line auction site and the dogs are on the lower transverse rear bunk with it pulled up. They have a rear window to look out of which is slightly open for ventilation. The net rolls up into itself automatically when not in use. I tried several ways of restraining them, and actually chose the layout with the dogs in mind. (a K9 door barrier is a brilliant accessory) They actually have the best bed in the MH! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Leake Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 We have a Border Terrier (Maisie) and use a padded dog travel harness. This is attached to a short leangth of lead securely fixed to the rear of one of the front bed frames. She can travel in comfort and safety able to lay down and sleep, sit up or even stand up and look out of the side window. We also use the same harness in the car. A cheap and easy solution that works just fine. When we set off she jumps up on the bed ready for the off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seadog Posted January 9, 2014 Author Share Posted January 9, 2014 Well a healthy crop of differing thoughts and ideas. I am thinking of the soft harness route would be best for us. Thank you all for your input Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poppy Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 We have one very small dog.She travels on the back seat with a harness on that is attached to the seatbelt with a belt bought from Halfords.That is how she travels in the car as well.She is a good traveler but its there in case we do have to break sharply. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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