Taking a dog for the first time.
As my son has emigrated to America we have inherited a 14 year old Miniature Poodle called Charlie. Our caravan is a 2 berth and we have an awning. Charlie has been rather spoilt and will pine if left alone at night although he is happy to sleep during the day. Usually our trips include visits to NT properties or similar, Retail Therapy, and local touring and meals out. Any advice would be greatly appreciated as putting him in kennels is not an option we would consider.
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Lucky you only got one! My son left me with two! However I did get permission to get them adopted after a few months! I couldn't cope with a total of 4!
Can you fit his bed in the shower - or in some convenient corner? Maybe even in the doorway? I don't know what car you have but I have a Barjo Gate at the back of my car and a dog guard to stop them getting on the back seats. The car can be locked and the Barjo gate is padlocked but I can leave the tailgate up. That way the dogs can be parked up at NT properties and multi-storey car parks in almost all weathers. The Barjo was originally for a Peugeot 405 but I have moved it now to about 6 cars from a Peuge 306 Skoda Fabia and Octavia and now its on a Mitsubishi Outlander. I did need a blacksmith once to enlarge it after I made it smaller for the 306! They make them for all makes of car. Dogs do require a bit of forethought when planning trips but most things are doable. In my limited experience its pretty difficult to make an awning dog proof but its really good to have dogs used to being tethered. NOT as in the Barking Dog's thread though! Mine are happy in the caravan during the day - with the blinds drawn now they are used to the caravan (the rescued one was anxious and opened the caravan door to find me) but she is fine now. Good Luck - I am sure Charlie will adapt if you keep up some of the pampering! My son's two were CavaPoos and they adapted to the caravan instantly - they didn't have a choice! I was able to put their bed at the end of the bed my two big dogs sleep on but I am sure you can find a spot for him. If I can be help more please let me know.
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From the sound of it Charlie's a small dog, so you shouldn't have any problems. Just put his bed down in a spare area of the 'van floor. At the age of 14 he shouldn't want lots of exercise either.
The majority of CMC members are dog friendly and you really shouldn't have any problems I'd have thought. Just be careful to make sure the 'van is well ventilated if you're leaving him there - they can get very hot in the summer.
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If you use your 2 berth as 2 singles it's easy to put his bed down between your two just in front of the drawer unit.
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Dogs usually love caravanning, allows them to get up close to their beloved owners. You will be fine, just a few things to remember:
Get dog used to van before you go if you can, try and establish a sleeping space. Walking dog prior to setting off will help with travelling.
Check any medicines you might need for an older dog, and make sure you have enough for your holiday away. Club Sites usually have details of a vet practice in the area just in case.
Take regular food with you, especially if the dog has any special diet.
Make sure you fit in a comfort break for the dog after a couple of hours on road. Older dogs will benefit from having a walk around to loosen off joints a bit as well!
Check site dog walking, local walks etc....
You will find a lot of pubs welcome well behaved dogs, and more and more shops now welcome dogs, but you might find you have to go in one at a time in some. NT properties usually have somewhere to walk dogs, especially if big estates, some even have dog crèches, although these are rare. EH sites are usually very dog friendly unless a big house. Check out access to beaches before you go.
In very hot weather, older dogs can quickly overheat. A cold wet towel can be used to cool them down, or even better if your dog likes water, a swim!
It might be different for you with a dog, but still enjoyable, there are lots of dog friendly places around, and lots of like minded folks happy to share ideas and advice with you. Hope you have a good time!
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Thank you all for your replies. Some great advice. We think we will go to a local site for a couple of days and experiment. We do wish we had taken him some years ago, so he would have adapted easily. As he has got older he needs more care and attention, more frequent loo breaks, and his joints are suffering due to his age. Thanks again
Brian
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Brian don't worry about his age - I had an SOS from my sister to say that her regular dog sitter had refused to look after one of the dogs "because she was too near death - and didn't want the responsibility" Muggins here said I would take her as long as I could take her in the caravan on a trip planned. She was fine - well most of the time - she got lost at Englethwaite Hall - but I found her again! My fault really but I didn't have enough hands to transfer all dogs into the car at the same time! She had gone off after someone with a Black Labrador - I suspect thinking it might be one of the friends not deemed too old by the sitter!
I am a firm believer that if we take life in our stride our dogs will take the lead - so don't stress too much Charlie might sense it - he is bound to be a very bright dog. My son's two miniature poodles crossed with Cavaliers were very clever.
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Takethedogalong mentions that many pubs allow dogs. If you don't know it already it's worth looking at the Doggypubs website. They will tell you the location of the nearest pub that will allow dogs. There is also an app too - worth paying the 80p or so. I have it on my android phone and wouldn't be without it.
David
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