Dog etiquitte at FW

[LMC]

I have a few questions about doggie etiqitte at FW. We just got a 7 month old dog from the pound and don't really want to leave her home when we return to FW. She is very timid and we are afraid how she will react to being left mostly alone for one week. We do have someone come in daily and take care of our other dog and animals but due to circumstances with her, we have considered taking her along.

1. Do you pick up your doggie do in the dog walk areas on pet loops?

2. Can she be tethered outside while we are at our site with her?

3. Is it best to crate them while they are inside the camper and you are out?


This is the first dog we will have ever taken on trips with us. I know people usually pick up the doggie do but are the areas at FW designated free reign?
I plan on tethering her (if allowed) while we are at the site and are cooking, watching kids ride bikes, etc. And of course, since we don't want the camper destroyed, we plan on crating her but I don't want to be mean to her either. She is crated every night while we sleep so she will be accustomed to long crate periods. Any other advice is appreciated! Thanks!

 

[John VN]

I have a few questions about doggie etiqitte at FW...
1. Do you pick up your doggie do in the dog walk areas on pet loops?

2. Can she be tethered outside while we are at our site with her?

3. Is it best to crate them while they are inside the camper and you are out?...

1) Wouldn't want someone stepping in my dog's do, would you?

2) You have paid for her so she is entitled to enjoy being outside, tethering is fine if she is happy with that. Some people put a little fence up.

3) Crating is something you and she will have to work out. If she can be a good girl then let her enjoy her home on wheels. If she misbehaves well.....

John

 

[tim5055]

1. This is proper pet owner etiqitte wherever you go, not just FW. Cleaning up after your pet is your responsibility. It is unfortunate that many pet owners don't see it this way and give those of us that do a bad name.

2. There is no problem with using a tether as long as she is comfortable with it and does not whine/bark to the point of disturbing those around you.

3. This question will depend on how you treat her at home. If you use a crate and she is comfortable with it it is probably your best bet. But, don't introduce her to a crate the day you arrive at FW. Some advice I have on my Camping With Your Dog Web Page includes:

There is no simple answer to this question, every dog is different and you have to make your choice based on the temperament of your dog. Remember, you dog is a member of the family and should be treated as such. Do not place them in a dangerous situation.

On a couple of camping trips "test" the dog. Put them in the pop up and go out and get in the car, slam the doors for the correct number of people and drive away. One person stays behind and keeps quite listening to see what the dog does. Some dogs will go to sleep, some will whine/bark for a coupe of minutes then quiet down while others continue to bark.

If you do plan to leave them alone, please keep in mind they can't care for themselves. Make sure the temperature will be in a safe and reasonable range. While you may have A/C or a heater, what will happen in a power failure? Remember food and water!

This is also not something you should spring on your dog out of the blue. If your dog has only experienced being with it's "pack", being abandoned may be difficult for them to deal with. Over several trips in the pop up you may want to slowly build up the time you leave them alone.

Some things that may help:

A bed the dog is comfortable sleeping in; even better is a crate if your dog is comfortable in one.

Close all curtains to keep it dark

Run your A/C to keep it cool (plus it adds background noise)

Leave a radio on softly to block outside noise.

Again, the choice will ultimately be yours. You must feel comfortable with leaving your dog alone.

 

[FWCamper]

Hi, there are doggie bags provided inside the pet loops. They are on poles and you just pull them out.

I tie my dog up outside when i am outside only if there is enough room where they are not roaming onto the site next to ours.

My dogs are big so they just sleep while we are gone. But i have seen little dogs go wild attacking the windows in the rv. I can't believe that they don't damage the window and half the time they look like they might bust through. I guess you will have to see how your dog behaves.

I think my dogs love the fort more then i do!!!

 

[LMC]

OK, thanks for the replies. We'll make sure we clean up after her! I guess I'll get the camper setup in the drive way and get her use to being crated in there by herself before our beach trip next month.

Does FW have a limit on the length of their tether chains? I read on a site somewhere (maybe the state parks) that dogs are only allowed on 6' tie outs or leashes.

 

[John VN]

Have never seen any posted length limits but you want to make sure she stays in your site and can't get caught or wrapped up on anything around her.

John

 

[LMC]

I am thinking a 6'-8' tether will be good for her to be on when she is outside lounging with us at the site.

 

[duranfan]

I think 8ft would be OK. I would also recommend having the tether near the back of your RV.
Other suggestions: If this is a big dog do not let a child 'walk' the dog. Other dogs/enviroment can cause the most calm gentle dog to get rowdy. I know a year back an older family member was almost knocked down and scared to death by 125lb dog that broke lose from a kid. Sure the dog was being friendly but it scared the older lady.
Dogs are not allowed at comfort stations.
Dogs have to remain in dogs loops. Also, many campers in dog loops don't actually have animals. The 100/300 loops for instance was the most popular loops before the dogs were ever allowed to be there. SO just another reason to be sure to pick up the poo even if no ones looking.

Be sure to bring enough of your dogs fav food/treats as the outpost has a VERY limited variety of dog food.

 

[LMC]

Well so far she will only walk on a leash for me. She is scared of DH and Dkids so I get the priviledge

And, she isn't eating well yet but loves to chew cardboard. I hope her eating improves soon but I have to stand with her while she eats or she won't eat. I guess the cardboard chewing may come from having papers in the kennel at the pound? Who would have guessed (after I bought all those dog toys for her!)

 

[Rhonda]

LMC: We just got a new puppy and he didn't eat for the first week! Just little bits and pieces here and there. So don't worry - he'll eat when he settles down and isn't so nervous.

 

[LMC]

Any information on the cardboard chewing???

Also, anyone know why some adoption fees are so high? I pd $80 but she is spayed, vaccinated for 11 mo's and heartworm checked/preventative so I feel like I really got her for a good price. But, I've seen some mix breed (part purebreds) that are adopting out for $150+!!!

My dd would like a lap dog but I'm not paying that much for one that may get bigger than we want since you don't know what mix is in them. I'd rather go pay $400 and know that we will have a small dog when it is grown. I just think they could adopt more out if the fees weren't so high and it seems all the small dogs have child restrictions on them.

 

[kristalab]

Hi there,

Sometimes dogs have weird appetites, I had one that would eat any paper products available. Probably after he settles and relizes that he will get regular meals he will settle into a routine. Especially if he wasn't getting proper meals before he entered the pound, you might have to retrain him onto proper chew toys, peanut butter in a kong works great.
Adoption fees are high because of all the treatments these poor dogs have to get, shots, spay, neuter, tests, treatment for parasites, mange, etc. these all add up. Our local humane society charges $120, we got ours for 60 because he is a special needs boy (blind). We spent a lot more than the $60 we saved on vet bills.
If you want a small dog consider adopting an adult, then you'll know how big it will be. Our blind boy is a maltese and he's big for a maltese but sill only 9.5 lbs. They don't like to adopt small dogs to houses with small children because they break easily. If a child grabs a leg to get the dog, falls (toddlers especially), runs through the house and steps on it accidently they can get hurt very easily. My aunt rescued a pug puppy from a house with children because one of the toddlers fell on the dog on accident and broke it's pelvis and they didn't have the money to treat it. That "pure breed" pug is now 25 lbs so theres no guarantee that even a pure breed would be small. That said if your child has good doggie manners talk to the local shelter, take her with you to look, show the rescue that she's gentle. Also, look at petfinder.com you can put in a search paramater for small dogs and it brings up a bunch.

sorry we're getting off topic,
Heather

 

[emeraldlover]

I just made my reservations for 4/16/05 last week. I don't know which site I am on as of yet. We are bring both of our dogs (4 year old Jack Russell Terror (oops, I mean Terrier), and a 1 1/2 year old yellow lab). The Jack's crate is small enough to fit in the trailer. However, the labs is not, and since he still is prone to chewing when bored, we are planning on kenneling them down there is one of the kennels.

Many places we have camped do not allow you to leave your dogs unsupervised (even left in the trailer) when you are off site. I had just assumed that was the case at FW. The kennels down there are much cheaper that we will have to pay to leave them home and kenneled. $18 a day for both dogs at Disney for only 6 days (4 other days are travel days) versus $25 a day for both for 10 to 11 days at home.