Nervous dog travelling in a Motorhome
I deliberated where to post this as there is a dedicated pets thread but in the end as it is specific to Motorhomes I opted for here.
When we had the caravan and the kids came too, our Schnauzer would sit in his basket on the back seat wedged between the two of them and after a bit of panting, settle and the journey was ok - I say ok, because every time we stopped, it would start again till he'd settled.
Now we have a MH and no kids or ability to put him in the "back". Each journey has honestly been a nightmare. He sits in a basket and pants and shakes uncontrollably. When the MH stops, the behaviour goes instantly,
Clearly this is dreadful for him and we wondered if anyone had any tips that they could offer.
We've tried the basket on the floor wedged between us, on a seat so he can see out wedged with pillows to make him feel a bit more secure but we are really stabbing in the dark as nothing seems to make a difference. We considered a calming spray but I'm not sure a) if I'm keen or b) even that they work.
Please come to our rescue.
Other than this we have no issues with his feeding, behaviour in general or anything really.it is just this (
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I would presume that the adults get into the MH with the dog and assume that the most terrible situation is about to occur and the dog is going to go through hell?
It obviously started when the dog was first on it's own and you reacted to it's consternation!
It's easy for me to say but put it out of your mind and just get on with travelling except for you it is certainly nearly impossible....but not totally impossible!.
Apart from that I can't offer any further advice from a distance but getting on with things is the only solution!
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Our dog did the same in the MH, KD, and got worse as he got older. Letting him see out of a window helped a bit as did making shorter journeys. We never resolved the issue - sorry.
Adaptyl is supposed to work. The prices are lower on line than in pet superstores. I would try the collar rather than the spray, I think.
I'm pretty sure there is/was a thread discussing this in the Pets section.
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You are not alone with this type of problem Kdee and it's a difficult one to solve. It doesn't appear to have anything to do with earlier training either. Both of our dogs have got worse at travelling. In fact the larger dog demolished a fabric travelling crate that he once was quite happy to use. We now use a collapsible metal crate. We've noticed that certain noisy road surfaces have an affect on his behaviour, cattle grids are the worst. We assume he can feel the difference and it produces a fear reaction. We now drive very slowly over grids!
Our smaller terrier started climbing all over the other dog which resulted in chaos. So we've separated them out. The larger one has the crate to himself near enough to me as the passenger so that I can reach round and calm him with a reassuring hand through the crate. I now have the terrier out on a harness right by me. She is travelling better and I just keep an eye on the crate when we pass over noisy road surfaces, jointed bridges etc or anything which sends a vibration through the van floor.
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We had the same ,when we changed to a M/H, towing the caravan she would travel in her crate in the back of the car , now she travels in the same crate in the M/H just behind the seats ,but gets a bit agitated , I think this is due to the stiffer ride and more noises ,we tried putting a blanket over the crate ,in the hope that if she couldnt see she might lay down ,it worked to a degree and she is getting better, again once we are on site she is fine
our M/H is on our drive and we let her in it as much as we can ,to try and get her more used to it
i don't think there is an universal answer ,just trial and error
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One theory I've heard is that dogs pick up the whine from the engine turbo. There's no doubt that travel in a MH is noisier than in a towcar so it seems likely that noise is a factor.
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Wow! Well in a way it's reassuring to see that I'm not alone...I'll wait to see if there are any more replies with someone who's nailed it! I'm sure we'd all be interested
On another note, it's interesting to read about the blanket on the crate.
I had a friend who's spaniel howled, or should I say HOWLED one year all the way down to Cornwall. It had been an 8 hour drive. My friend was at the point of hysteria when one of her children accidentally threw her coat into to the boot and it landed on top of the dog in the crate. The spaniel stopped howling...immediately.
They were 10 mins from the site
That said, the journey home was a lot more enjoyable!
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May be a bit left field for a non dog owner but have you considered an animal Behaviourist. No idea whether it would work but my sister in law's dog became almost frightened to go out as he was very sensitive to noise. They came up with some suggestions that helped and he is a lot better now although he still goes and hides at the first sign of fireworks which I expect is not uncommon.
David
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We had a problem with our dog when we changed to a M/V,and found road noise was one reason, but also there tends to be much more roll with a m/v than a car , he seemed to need to "hold on" but he got better the more he travelled,and in the end would get into the van "first"
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It's probably because the MH is more noisy with all the rattling that goes on. Can you put a radio on closer to him?
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You could try Bachs Rescue Remedy. We used it for a nervous dog in the show ring and she finally got over it.
There is also the possibility of a 'thundershirt' or 'anxiety wrap' which help a nervous dog to feel more secure. Can't think of anything else offhand that others haven't already suggested.
Funnily enough we had the opposite problem. one of our dogs hates the car...drools for England, but settles with little problem in our PVC.
don't you just love 'em!
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We are in the process of purchasing a Motorhome after having Caravans . We have two dogs the older one 7 is nervous in the Car he shakes and pants i have tried tablets to try and calm him to no avail he has been in the car from being a pup. We have another dog 1 and he is ok travelling but when they are together the youngest gets a bit overwhelmed so i separate them in the car. So i think this is what i will have to do when we get the Motorhome.
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It's trial and error, KD. We never solved it but I hope you have better luck.
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I too will post once we have the Motorhome and once we have taken it out .. I too do not think the Tablets work other than giving the Dog Valium which you can get from the Vets there is not a lot we can do . Some Children are Travel sick we have a Dog that has Motion Sickness but he is never sick in the car .
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We find ours calm down when the road surface is fairly smooth and we drive at a steady pace. It might be best to consult with your vet if things don't improve. We have tried pheremones (Adaptil) but this did not work either. We have added an extra foam layer underneath the travel crate to lessen road vibration. Ours travel quite well in the car so it's difficult to solve in the M/H. Good luck, it seems to be a common problem.
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We have a Golden Retriever and she is not at all happy travelling in the MH. She used to lay on her bed just behind the passenger seat, but she would keep sitting up, and of course when I turned or braked she would be wobbling all over the place. She as got a big plastic dog basket , we take that with us now and if we can keep her laying down she seems to be a lot happier and sleeps most of the way, with lots of stops for her to run about of course.
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