please! helpful comments on bringing our "boxer baby"

[noabeliv]

Okay here's the deal...we have a new puppy that will be a little more than 4 months when we head to Ft. Wilderness in the motorhome. We have camped there several times but not with our pets. We also have never had to board our dogs either. Someone has always been here to take care of them. How we feel about leaving her changes daily. I'd like to hear from those of you who bring pets. Do you have any "make sure to bring" items or helpful hints that make life easier? Can I hear anybody's " Okay, this is what we do/did"?

 

[FWCamper]

Hi, I have always camped with my dogs and cats. I make sure to bring their food and medicines. Also extra leash and dog collar , along with my vet records. Always travel with the vet record of shots. I also packed bottled water specifically for the pets. And chew toys. My big dogs have never been a problem as they are lazy and LOVED traveling in the coach

However we got a new puppy and he is a pain. I can not leave him on the loose as he is a force of destruction. I bought a soft sided crate for him but he is putting a hole in it so I have a metal pet crate for him that he is use to. I never used a crate but I knew I needed it in the rv so I got him use to it at home so he would feel safe and secure in it.

The small dog is very high energy and after camping a couple of days seems to go bonkers being stuck in such a small space with all of us. In reality he is not a very good camper like my big dogs were.

So anyway I guess I'm trying to say that it really depends on the personality of the pet as to how well they will do. My 1 cat LOVES camping, my other one hates it and cries at the rv door. You just never know. For my cats I also travel with pet cages and their vet records.

During one trip our engine block cracked and we were broke down on the side of 95. Thank goodness I had the pet cages, not to mention 2 human babies on board. My have towed a car ever since then because being stranded with pets is no fun.

 

[29Scienceguy]

As you can tell, we love camping at the "Fort" We have a 50lb Dobey mix, and she LOVES going. We have a travel trailer and leave the AC on for her.. with the kids, the only chance we get to go is during the summer. Now, Suzie puppy was already 2 by the time we first got to take her, and she tended to be a little destructive; paper towels and napkins, occasional magazines shredded in front of the camper door, just so we wouldn't miss it . The past two years, we have taken our kitten with us. they are the bestest of buds, and the behavior has gotten much better. We travel from PA, so its a total of 18 hours driving so we take a travel water bowl, and bottled water is GREAT idea.. We've only been to WDW twice without our canine baby, and it just isn't the same... The second time, we took a collapsible crate, but she has gotten good enough that we don't even take one anymore..

Definitely take vet papers..

GOOD LUCK AND Enjoy!

 

[des1954]

The whole reason we have our MH is so our kitties can go with us!! I could never bring myself to board them! (Spoiled, I know.) They love to travel with us, and don't object to being placed in a carrier while we're on the road.

You might want to get your boxer baby used to being crated so there won't be any problems while you're on the road. Do some small trips in your RV to get him/her prepared. Make sure you bring along favorite toys, food, and treats.

If you aquaint your boxer to camping, I'm sure he/she will end up being a "happy camper"!!

 

[ftwildernessguy]

Before you get angry at me, let me say I have been a dog owner for 50 years and we always camp with our dog at FW. I personally think a 4 month old puppy is too young to do this kind of trip.

 

[noabeliv]

I appreciate all of the responses I've gotten so far. "Jasmine" is crate trained for the most part now. She is doing quite well with the potty training too. We are going to puppy obedience classes each Saturday in hopes that she would know her basic commands in time for the Disney trip. She is really a good dog but she is still a puppy.
The apprehension we have about leaving her at home is that she will not be worked with while we're gone. (She would be home with my 19 yr. old son who isn't very excited about the thought and has better things to do with his time. ). My younger children 16,12, and 8 think it would great to have her along. I just don't know....

 

[Shannone1]

Our 3 year old dog is a good traveler/camper. We just got lucky with him because we didn't start camping until he was almost 2. We bring his crate and he stays in there while we are away from the motorhome. He doesn't bark and seems very content to have his chew toys in there. If he didn't stay in his crate, he would run from window to window barking at people walking by. I figure it isn't any different than when we are at home. When we leave the house, he stays in his crate. We've boarded him a couple of times and had bad experiences and won't do it again. We are all happier when he is with us.

We have a new puppy who is almost 9 weeks old now. Although she will be over a year old by the time we get to FW she will be over a year old, we will be taking her camping with us before that. She is being crate trained now, and we go for frequent car rides so she gets used to vehicle motion. We will start leash training when she gets a little older so she will be able to go for walks with us at the campgrounds.

One tip I have is to make sure you stop every couple of hours while on the road to let your dog get some exercise and use the bathroom. We try to combine stops around fuel or meal stops.

You can also take your puppy out to the rv and let her get used to the space. Go out there and watch tv or hang out until she feel comfortable there.

 

[OK GRUMPY]

I think having my dogs with me at FW sheds a little more pixy dust on our vaction. We started going with our older dog but she has not made the trip in a couple of years. We went in Dec 2006 and took our 8 week old Golden Retreiver puppy she was great! We also took her again in October she was a year old she is very comfortable with traveling. Its sounds like you are very responsible pet owner. You should go for it! One thing that I have done is put one of those spill proof water bowls on the floor of the truck so she has plenty to drink.

 

[Mmketeer]

Hi,

I don't think your puppy is too young. My two BT's were camping at FW when they were only 10 weeks old. We were actually "living" in a motorcoach for a few months while our property was being developed and we figured why not spend a few days at Disney. Let me just say that teaching them to be confined in say a crate is the best thing we ever did. Our kids do not whine when they have to be left a kennel at the parks while we run in and ride a ride a two and it saved the motorhome we had. We learned our lesson the first time we left them alone and they chewd up the table in the motorhome. They were crated from then on.
At the campground when they were puppies we didn't really leave them very much though. We felt they were too young to be alone in a cage for to long as they had little bladders. So, I bought them a playpen for outside, so we could enjoy the fresh air with us and DH and I pretty much just stuck to a bike ride or two.
It's been about four years since they've been camping, but with the 5th wheel we got for Christmas it's time they start going back to FW. I have been taking them out into the 5th wheel to get them use to it and we started with a quick tour and now have built upto spending a few hours in it. Next step is to keep them in it over night with us while it's still on our property and we still have to test them out in a rain storm too in it (as they don't do well with those even in our home). But, so far so good as I want them to be as comfortable in that as they are in their own home. I always take their favorite toys with us when we go out into it and a throw as well from the house. I think having the smell of home helps.
Next thing I am gonna work on is how to have them outside with me this time as they have out grown the paypen I bought them as puppies. I might just add a few panels to it. But, my first camping trip with them will be for them and we'll figure it all out again then.
Have fun!

 

[noabeliv]

I just wanted to thank those of you who gave us encouragement on bringing our puppy with us to Ft. Wilderness. She did fantastic and is definitately a camping girl!
She tolerated the 11 hr ride from TN on the way down pacing around the motorhome a little bit but by the time it was time to pull out she was having a good time and rode back like a pro!

 

[Shannone1]

I just wanted to thank those of you who gave us encouragement on bringing our puppy with us to Ft. Wilderness. She did fantastic and is definitately a camping girl!
She tolerated the 11 hr ride from TN on the way down pacing around the motorhome a little bit but by the time it was time to pull out she was having a good time and rode back like a pro!

That's great news !!