Dogs ridning in the camper this time. What do you do with yours?

[Rot Box]

I'm headed out for a week and a half trip in, near and around Yellowstone next week :wings: and my wife's nephew is flying in (Columbus OH) to join us. That said we are going to have four adults in the truck this time so my Golden (6months old) is going to have to ride in the Four Wheel Camper. I would like to have him in his kennel so he doesn't eat the retro interior (LOL) while we're not looking, and my main concern is the temperature (its well over 90* right now in the valley) back there while traveling. I'm worried about the roof vents and windows not holding up to the wind--they are quite old. And tips of advise for keeping poopsie cool? Thanks!

Andrew

[jarmstrong]

myself, I couldnt make the dog ride back there alone, not with a truck that large.Our aussie would rather be on the floor with us than alone in the camper.but if you must I would invest in a small 12 volt fan to keep air mving.Does you camper have a sliding window in the door and at the front to the cab ? if so you can leave those open as well to improve airflow and allow some of the front A/C to get to him.good luck,We take our dog everywhere we go and it can be challenge sometimes.
Jerry

[BigAl]

can he ride in the bed of the truck? in his kennel?

[TooeleCherokee]

he is only 6 months old he can't be too big yet.. let him ride on the floor boards in the back seat or inbetween the seats.. I just don't want to read a post titled - "I am dumb and killed my puppy"

[SunMan]

My 3 y/o lab rides in my FWC exclusively. When its hot I open the side louver windows and keep the roof vent cracked. I also ensure we make plenty of stops to stretch his legs and drink some water.

The previous poster had a great idea. I will likely start running my small fan which plugs into the 12V lighter socket if the heat is getting extreme.

[waynemaple]

I have two Akita mixes and a black truck. They both ride in back with a leer canopy,bed rug and headliner. I've wired a fan with two speeds and oscilates, that is controled in the cab, and water bowl that velcros to the bed rug. I have a thermometer at bed rail height, and if it gets above 90 degrees they don't ride back there. Dogs run a few degrees hotter than humans and have fur coats. It takes under 15 minutes for your dog to get heat stroke in cars, even with windows open. If you can get the underside of your dog wet it helps cool them down. Take a stop every chance you get. Travel safe with your pets they usually don't like heat, unless they are hairless or reptile. You can get battery powered crate fans at pet stores, they work ok.

[waynemaple]

The fan is a trucker style one that I purchased at Baxter auto, O'rielly auto in some parts of the country. It was under $30 with spool of wire, and quick connects. About 3 hrs to install. Hey Quad -Cabbers that drive alone, how come I see mans best friend sliding around the back of your truck? Afraid to get the seats dirty? That one bothers me more than anything.

[pskhaat]

That one bothers me more than anything.

Why?

[fisher205]

Most of the time my labs ride in the back. I have a remote thermometer I put in the back to monitor the temp. The Alaskan stays fairly cool when closed up, you might be surprised how cool the FWC is. I have put my older dogs up front with the airconditioning, but you need to check floor temps. The floor can still get pretty warm.
Brad

[SunMan]

you might be surprised how cool the FWC is.

Agreed.

[tanglefoot]

We did a day trip with the Shepherd mix and red heeler in the pop-up. With the top down, the campers are pretty reflective and well-insulated. It was cooler in the camper than in the truck cab (no A/C in the old Yota). I had the camper side window open a little. I tried opening the front slider a little but they pushed it open the rest of the way with their noses and jumped into the cab, which is what we were trying to avoid. Otherwise they stand in our laps and scratch us all up.

After a little bit of driving, they both laid down on the camper couch and alternated between looking out the side window and napping. They looked comfy--they weren't even panting most of the time.

I just put an old blanket over the camper couch since they got so dirty every time we stopped to explore around. They didn't do any damage to the camper--just muddy paw prints.

Eric

[tnt]

Besides the front slider or the louvered window on the side of your FWC, we have also slid the access doors to the tie-downs under the cabinet open.

[Photomike]

A few years ago while visiting a zoo we left our dog in the back of our TC. She had water, a bone, two beds to sleep on and her food. Came back to let her run after a couple of hours and found a note on the windshield from the local Human Society complaining that we were making our dog suffer in the heat. Checked the thermometer inside and with it being over 30C outside it was still 19C inside.

Mentioned this on another web site and someone said he keeps a thermometer that has a high and low reading, so if someone argues he can show that. That got me thinking why not get a digital thermometer with a remote so when driving you can see the temperature from the front and know how things are in the back, only $25.00 and will give a little piece of mind.

[Stan@FourWheel]

Does your camper front the front opening window (front sliding window) ?

Does your camper have any small access port holes inside the camper to allow you access into the wheel wheel area of the truck bed ?

If you open any access port holes, open the front sliding window, crack the side window, you should be able to get really good air flow back there.

With the front sliding window open, it is like a small wind tunnel back there when you are driving.


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[Rot Box]

Great thanks for all the reply's you guy's :) Its great to see so much thought put into keeping your dogs safe! The fan idea is great I'll go pick one up tonight. I guess I was in a hurry typing, but he is actually 8 months old--he's a big galoot and only getting bigger :snorkel: He always rides in the back seat, but with 4 adults and his size it would make for one very long trip with him in the cab so I'm looking into other options. I find that once i cross into Wyoming anyway the temperature is usually about 10* cooler hopefully excessive heat wont even be an issue but I just wanted to get some ideas just in case.

I have the truck bed access doors, but no sliders anywhere other than the two louvered style windows on the side and the two vents on top. Do you think the louver style windows would be okay to have open while driving? I wont be going faster than 60mph I was just worried about the wind ripping them off. Either way I won't have him back there without a decent form of ventilation in case anyone is worried.

For the most part the trip is going to be great for him but the park is going to get interesting. No board walks or backcountry means he will have to sit in the camper. Dogs can be a pain sometimes :Wow1: Thanks again if anyone has anymore ideas please post them up.

Andrew

[SunMan]

Do you think the louver style windows would be okay to have open while driving?
Andrew

I leave mine open all the time, no probs.

Also, i've left my pooch in the camper at Zion, popped up, all windows open with the fantastic fan going, he was fine. Probably a heckuva lot more comfortable than i was schlepping all over the park! It can be a challenge in Nat. parks but totally worth it, they are just happy to be wherever you are.

[rusty_tlc]

There is a company called Ray Allen (http://www.rayallen.com/) that sells stuff for K9 Law enforcement.
Among other things they sell Kennel Fans (http://www.rayallen.com/product/12volt_Kennel_Fan/Kennel_Comfort), Heat alert systems (http://www.rayallen.com/product/f_series_k-9_deployment_and_heat_alert_systems/K-9_Transport) and A/C systems (http://www.rayallen.com/product/coolk9_ac_system/K-9_Transport).If I had to transport my dog in a kennel in the camper I'd have the A/C hose running to his kennel for heat and cooling. I'd probably just use a cheap indoor/outdoor thermometer to monitor the temps back there.

Hope this helps.

[joeyumbra]

I have this powered vent in my ATC pop-up. It has a higher profile than others, but can be open while driving without an additional vent cover. It has held up well for almost 3 years. With the front slider and side windows open, a nice breeze sets up while underway. With no slider, I would turn on the fan to keep things moving. A test run of the conditions back there would also help.

http://www.maxxair.com/images/stories/deluxe_maxx_fan_galllery/1_MaxxFan_Smoke_1.jpg (http://www.maxxair.com/maxxfan.html)

[waynemaple]

Why?

Because dogs have a hard time staying in your truck when you go 65 mph then stop, or turn fast. Also flying stones and debris off the road can punture eyes. Just to name a couple. Its safer for you to ride in the cab then out in the back.

[peekay]

Because dogs have a hard time staying in your truck when you go 65 mph then stop, or turn fast. Also flying stones and debris off the road can punture eyes. Just to name a couple. Its safer for you to ride in the cab then out in the back.
it's also safer for them to just stay home. In most countries and in many states, humans can ride in the pickup bed, so it's probably ok for dogs too. Dogs are dogs- they don't need to be coddled.

[waynemaple]

it's also safer for them to just stay home. In most countries and in many states, humans can ride in the pickup bed, so it's probably ok for dogs too. Dogs are dogs- they don't need to be coddled.Very true, some people thought it was a good idea to use asbestoes in houses and lead in water pipes as well.Yeah really!! Dogs are pets, My pets are just lucky to live with a humane person, that cares about there well being. Nice to hear that the FWC stays cool. Nice to hear other people are just as concerned about their pet Dogs.Does anyone leave the artic pac on all the time, will it help keep the temp down? Does the fantastic fan work while driving at highway speeds?

[Marc1]

I wouldn't think about heading out without my road-dog, (he hasn't missed a trip yet) With this in my mind he rides in his kennel in the back of the camper with the front slider open and one of the aft turn buckle cracked and like Sunman said we take stops for water and a stretch.

marc

[Stan@FourWheel]

dogs inside the camper

&

a creative customer that built in his own kennels inside the camper

:)



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[evldave]

I'm frequently in the same situation, I can't imagine leaving the dogs behind, even on trips to Nat'l Parks. I use a cheapo weather station (hi/lo temps) + fan + I use blocked ice...the dogs love to lick it when they are warm, and the fan blowing over the ice is nicer than just a fan. And when it melts, it's cold water (huge for keeping them cool). Crack the windows for fresh air and even on a 90+ day, the dogs stay warm but not hot, very little panting.

As for back of the truck, I've seen plenty of dogs tossed out of the back of the truck (and a few kids too). My brother is an avid duck hunter, with wet muddy smelly dogs...they ride in crates strapped down in the bed of his truck, even in the middle of freezing winter. But he'd never let the dogs run loose in the bed even for a short drive. When I had a truck, I had a cable running across the bed right behind the cab and I'd use dog harnesses and carabiner in the dogs...they could get their fun w/the wind (no rocks!), but even if they got tossed out they'd be relatively ok because they were in a harness not a collar. It would also help deter interested dogs from jumping out to check out that cute puppy in the car next door ;)

[fisher205]

Great idea about the fan blowing on ice!

[Rot Box]

Thanks again everyone and Stan those pics are great! :bike_rider:

Over the weekend I put him in the camper while I went on a few dirt bike rides leaving for only a few hours at a time. Looking at the thermometer it seemed to have never risen above 78*. I'm expecting the similar temperatures on my trip. Between the fan and the window's being open I'm a lot more confident than I was a week ago. May have to try the block of ice idea as well :sombrero:

Andrew