RV travel with dogs doesn’t have to be ruff. Discover our best tips and tricks to making exciting memories on the road, without all of the fuss.
This is a guest post by Jenni Chandler from Dogsplorer {https://dogsplorer.com/}
Introduction – RV travel with dogs
An RV camping trip all summer long is an unforgettable experience. There’s nothing like exploring the open road and settling down to sleep wherever you like. Sharing it all with your best four-legged friend, and RVing with dogs, is just the cherry on top!
Many dog owners worry that their pups will feel confined and restless when traveling via RV. Luckily, this doesn’t have to be the case. An RV is actually one of the best ways to travel with your dog, because of how comfortable and spacious they are.
With careful planning and the right entertainment, you can be sure that your pup will have the best vacation ever.
Keeping Your Dog Entertained on the Road
Providing A Safe Space for Your Dog
Our pets feel most comfortable in a structured environment. While the essence of a road trip might be giving up on the usual structures of daily life, this can be very unsettling for a dog.
Creating a proper ‘home away from home’ for your dog is the first step toward keeping them comfortable, happy, and entertained, in the RV.
Crating Your Dog in an RV
Crating your dog is a perfect way to give them their own space within the RV.
Inside of a crate, you can make sure that your dog is safely secured while still giving them access to everything they need for an enjoyable trip.
A strong, well-made wire crate will greatly reduce any chances of injury if you find yourselves in a crash.
It will also stop your dog from moving around the RV unrestricted. This can be both a safety issue for your dog and a distraction to you. To stop any bad habits from forming, it’s best to set this boundary from the very beginning of your RV trip. After all, nobody is going to have fun if you’re too busy yelling for your dog to sit down!
Alternatives to Crating Your Dog
If your dog isn’t crate trained {https://dogsplorer.com/4-simple-steps-to-crate-training-a-puppy/}, there’s no need to worry. There are still plenty of other ways to make sure that they feel at home on your trip.
Consistency is the key to creating a safe space. An effective alternative to crating can be as simple as making sure your dog is given the same seat during every leg of your journey.
Make this seat a place where your furry friend can easily access their toys, treats, dog food and water if possible. They will very quickly begin to see this as their spot. Having this positive association will greatly reduce the amount of time it takes them to get used to traveling.
Bringing along their dog bed from home is another great idea. You want the RV to feel as homely as possible, especially when stopped for the night, so don’t skimp on packing any creature comforts that your dog may otherwise pine for.
Choosing the Best Dog Toys for Your Road Trip
The best toy for your trip will depend on your dog’s preferences and how long you are planning on traveling for.
If your time on the road is only three hours, but you’re spending a week at your destination, you would likely be better off packing fewer toys and planning more activities. However, if your time on the road is any longer than that, it makes sense to pack more of your dog’s favorite toys for them to rotate through.
It might be a good idea to have a written packing list of essentials {https://dogsplorer.com/dog-road-trip-essentials-ultimate-packing-list/} to ensure you don’t forget any special items. Variety will be the key to keeping that tail wagging. Don’t forget the essential first aid kit in case of any emergency situation.
Dog Bones
The right bone can keep a dog busy for hours at a time. This can make them a fantastic addition to any road trip!
Working away at all of the different parts and pieces helps to stimulate your dog’s brain and allows them to put their problem-solving skills to the test. Add in the fact that they’re delicious, and it’s unlikely that you will hear any complaints at all from the backseat.
While your dog may love their bones, however, most people find the smell to be unappealing. Keep in mind that adding the scent into the confined space of an RV will be unpleasant unless you are planning to only travel with the windows down.
Loose gristle and fat can also create a mess. To prevent any staining, bones should be kept for crated dogs. They may be best avoided altogether if you’re using RV rentals.
Chew Toys for Dogs
Chew toys provide all of the benefits of a bone, with less nasty smells and in a much wider variety of styles.
A simple plastic chew stick will help keep your dog active physically. If they prefer mental stimulation, a puzzle toy such as the Kong is a perfect choice.
The biggest benefit of a Kong is that it allows you to choose its filling. Instead of working gristle away from a bone, your dog must use both their mind and body to extract a yummy treat of your choosing (many owners use peanut butter) out of the center hole of the toy.
Puzzle Toys for Dogs
Prefer to avoid any food-related entertainment? There are many other styles of ‘puzzle toys’ or ‘enrichment toys’ available to choose from.
Puzzle toys often use artificial scents to engage your dog. If you prefer, you can purchase puzzle toys that allow you to hide your dog’s favorite treats inside.
This style of toy is like a brain teaser designed especially for your dog. Some can take hours to solve depending on their difficulty level. Others are a little less complex, but more versatile in how your dog can play with them. This makes them perfect for keeping your dog entertained in an RV.
Soft Toys for Dogs
Soft toys are perfect for easing your dog’s travel anxiety, keeping them calm and quiet. They’re a great way to increase your pup’s bedtime comfort if you need to drive through the night. Allow your dog to choose a favorite toy from home.
Roll Down The Windows
A breath of fresh air and a great view will keep anyone occupied. At least for a little while, anyway.
The old ‘dog hanging out of the RV window’ stereotype exists for a reason. While it might not be safe to let Fido pop his whole head outside, it doesn’t hurt to roll the window down as long as your dog is properly secured. It is vital to keep your dog safe.
Be sure that your dog isn’t blocking your view or acting as a distraction to you. We all love to make our pets happy, but that shouldn’t come at the expense of anybody else’s safety.
Bring Along A Friend
You know what they say: the more, the merrier!
If you only have one dog, why not invite a friend and their furry companion to join you?
Having another pup along for the ride is a great way to calm an anxious traveler. You can crate the dogs within eyesight of each other, helping to prevent stress and loneliness while you’re otherwise occupied.
This also means that your dog will have someone to keep pace with them during rest stops and potty breaks – leaving you to simply kick back and relax.
Planning your stops
Planning your stops means you can deliberately look for dog-friendly RV parks, as well as dog parks to ensure you and your dog have some recreation time. After being confined to the RV for hours at a time, both you and your dog will need to stretch your legs and so doing some research into where the local dog park in an area is, will save you time and hassle later on.
Conclusion – RV travel with dogs
Taking a vacation with your dog is a great way to make some lifelong memories together. Planning your packing list ahead of time will help to keep the experience stress free, by making sure that everybody is able to enjoy their RV life out on the road.
One of the benefits of traveling in an RV is that you have plenty of room, so take full advantage of it! Toys, treats, and your sense of adventure are all essential.
Do you have any secret tricks or tips for RVing with dogs? Feel free to share them with us below!
Of course, not all dogs do well in a vehicle, so if you prefer the RV lifestyle without your dog, you can always opt to hire a pet sitter for the duration of your trip.
Author: Jenni Chandler from Dogsplorer {https://dogsplorer.com/}
Jenni Chandler has traveled extensively across the US and Australia since 2016 but since becoming a proud dog mom to 6 furry friends, she loves to share her epic outdoor adventures with her dogs. When she’s not exploring with her dogs, she can be found growing vegetables, devouring novels and helping out on her family-owned ranch.
