How to make my motorhome pup friendly

[Langtoftlad]

She once snarled at my youngest, I don’t think she meant it, he woke her up while dreaming we think. However the cold and lonely few hours she spent outside meant that has never happened again.

Sorry, don't approve of that.
Your dog & all that, but nevertheless... .

 

[dave carnell]

Got a 15 week Border collie cross. He's a great chap and very friendly, but a fur ball of destruction while his training is in progress.

After reading so many funsters enjoying their dogs while motorhoming, I thought this was a good idea. All those lovely walks by the sea.

But now the reality has hit home I'm having sleepless nights about the confined space, chewed leather seats and woodwork, wet dog smell, travel sickness, muddy paw prints and endless cleaning. Beginning to think this was a terrible mistake and I'm on the wine.

Planned our first trip in March but need some help before I turn into an alcoholic.

Here's the hound from hell.
View attachment 361371

We have a Spanish water dog pup she's always been in a crate when left alone at night and sometimes during the day when she has a nap.
I hope this helps.

 

[Makingtrax]

Dogs in vans are fine. They settle down. Pup there is about 9 months.

I'm sure having another dog helps a lot.

 

[Makingtrax]

I don't think I would try more than several day trips until your pup is housetrained, sleeping through the night, and a bit more settled. Another few months should see a massive change in his behaviour and it will all seem much more doable!

We've planned a series of actions starting from just going in for a sniff around, making a cup of tea in there, to trip round the block, day trips, over night on the drive, overnight in a campsite and then a couple of days. Starting next week when he's 4 months.

 

[Googlebot]

Sorry, don't approve of that.
Your dog & all that, but nevertheless... .

Had it happened again she wouldn’t have had a home with us. She is a big dog and could seriously injure or kill a child should she be inclined to do so. The only thing she is bothered by is not being included in our company hence why she was excluded outside. Food, by choice she won’t eat for 24 hours and has no favourite toys. I would never advocate physical punishment either so there isn’t a lot left I can do to show her she really cocked up.

She is a working breed who will happily sleep outside in -1 temperatures even with the option of coming inside.

I would be genuinely interested in how you would ensure it wouldn’t happen again? Not a dig at all, I am always interested in how others manage big dogs.

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[Makingtrax]

The best thing to do is not to over exercise physically, he is too young for that anyway and get thr pup to use his brain. Different feeders, scatter feed, shuffle mats etc.
Frozen carrots and kongs are good for chewing, and feeding his main meal..
After physical exercise you can calm.him with a licki mat, cheap and cheerful, with soft food and liquid rubbed on.
If you just physically exercise a dog it just gets fit however with dogs such as collies they need their brain to be used. Training/games are key and can be done in daily activities.
Sorry is this has already been said but there were a lot of answers to read and I got lazy ?

Yeah, he get's a lot of training and he loves it. His tail wags as soon as I clip on the treat bag. As far as exercise goes he goes for a run with me in the field behind the house in the morning. It takes 10 minutes and I have him on a 10m leash. He loves it. Then in the afternoon he plays fetch in the garden for 10 minutes. Other than that we take him for very short walks to potty or socialise.

 

[Langtoftlad]

TBH - I'd be concentrating on educating the children, not to disturb your hound whilst she's sleeping... it's a natural instinct for a dog rudely awoken to be in defensive mode until they figure things out. I wasn't there but I assume it was "just" a snarl, not a snap. Alarming nevertheless.
Waking her by calling her name before invading her personal space, perhaps.

 

[Makingtrax]

TBH - I'd be concentrating on educating the children, not to disturb your hound whilst she's sleeping... it's a natural instinct for a dog rudely awoken to be in defensive mode until they figure things out. I wasn't there but I assume it was "just" a snarl, not a snap. Alarming nevertheless.
Waking her by calling her name before invading her personal space, perhaps.

My pup put a hole in my thumb last week. He picked up some bark and I tried to pull it out of his mouth incase he swallowed it. He snapped and bit me. I put it down to owner and puppy mistakes. I should have put a treat on the floor and waited for him to drop it, and he's still very young. That's what I'm hoping

 

[Googlebot]

TBH - I'd be concentrating on educating the children, not to disturb your hound whilst she's sleeping... it's a natural instinct for a dog rudely awoken to be in defensive mode until they figure things out. I wasn't there but I assume it was "just" a snarl, not a snap. Alarming nevertheless.
Waking her by calling her name before invading her personal space, perhaps.

Your absolutely right, we did that after the incident, a bit late perhaps by then. She had her quite large mouth round his arm, thankfully without any bite or pressure. Not nice for him or the dog, he was very upset and never woke her up suddenly again.

I should add we were fostering at the time and as a result had a transient number of children in the house. Some of them we couldn’t educate due to the short time they were there, some due to particular problems they had which meant we were unable to trust them around the dog. As such we had to try and train the dog to be extra patient with those unable to realise how to be round her.

It’s not all serious, we had one lovely boy with special needs who adored her and got a great deal out of her company. He would copy her until she licked him and he licked her back before I could stop him. The resulting fur ball on his tongue meant he didn’t do it twice.

 

[Parrot Face]

I don't think our dog would attack or bite the grandkids but all dogs no matter the breed must be observed and supervised with kids. Our dog got very excited when he first met the first grandkid. We put his xmas jumper on him. That acts like a de-stressing coat. He just becomes passive and sits alongside the grandkids for hours while they play. Another tip is that during the formative/early years dogs should not be given too much affection. Most dog behavioural experts suggest Discipline and Exercise should take priority over affection. I'm surprised at the number of people who pick up leads and collars and get the dogs excited before going out for walks. Too much affection, according to the experts creates a dependency on the owners and can cause separation anxiety within dogs. Then when left alone, say in a motorhome, this separation anxiety can manifest itself in destructive behaviour.

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[ShiftZZ]

Crate, at night, Tilly great at home, but wont sleep in it in motorhome, she doesn't chew anything, I agree with Pauline Kong or chuckit ball, the only ones she cant destroy, also have cheese, ultimate treat, she loves smelly cheese.

Great looking dog, you need to sign up for puppy classes and socialisation classes

 

[Mrsambulancekidd]

But the crate must be seen by the dog as a refuge, they should never be forced into it but see it as their "home" which they can retire to for a snooze.

I 2nd that.
Gus was popped into his when he came home and proceeded to play with the toys that were waiting for him & he happily hopped into it for his dinner.
It was his safe place.

Give him toys that he can chew, encourage those & discourage any other chewing...….but please no nylon bones or hide chews unless you want at best huge vet bills.

He looks lovely, do you know what he is crossed with, was it a Bearded Collie or perhaps a poodle?

Anyway, he will be worth the hard work.
Hello from Gabby & Gus.....he has just had his nuts cracked.

 

[Mrsambulancekidd]

Got an antler thanks. The trouble is, he knows I'm not the sharpest tool in the box. If he wants my attention he just goes for the corner of the rug or the dining room chair legs then I'm off my iPad and straight to him. Works every time.

Theses are handy for helping to break bad habits before they start and will mean you won't be dancing to his tune.
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/710-...0001&campid=5338547443&icep_item=233085982229
I don't know about this seller, it's just so that I can show you what I mean.
You only need a short burst with it.
Just get the pocket size to give it a try, but as with most puppy training, timing is key.

 

[Fraggle 22]

We take our 2 std poodles everywhere and find that as puppies they travel and sleep in a crate. Once they are older we have no need but poor travellers are often better with the crate covered. We use Vet Bed both as beds but also as carpets in the MH. They absorb the wet and mud, dry quickly and shake out easily. A dog drying cloth as opposed to an ordinary towel also absorb wet better. Just wring out tight and rub again. Once the dog is dry brush out and clean, sweet smelling dog again.
Lots of brain training is very useful on wet days when you don't want to be out all day walking too.
Our big dog was the naughtiest pup in the world but once he got to 2 he was much easier.
Happy holidays

 

[Makingtrax]

I 2nd that.
Gus was popped into his when he came home and proceeded to play with the toys that were waiting for him & he happily hopped into it for his dinner.
It was his safe place.

Give him toys that he can chew, encourage those & discourage any other chewing...….but please no nylon bones or hide chews unless you want at best huge vet bills.

He looks lovely, do you know what he is crossed with, was it a Bearded Collie or perhaps a poodle?

Anyway, he will be worth the hard work.
Hello from Gabby & Gus.....he has just had his nuts cracked.
View attachment 361628View attachment 361629

Poodle cross. Yeah, seen the damage those hide chews can do. He loves his crate, no worries there.
Good luck to Gus, he'll be a different boy now, maybe not quite as nuts

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[Puddleduck]

Everybody seems to have had non destructive dogs on here. Feeling left out.

Ours (Irish Setter) was destructive if left by herself and never grew out of it.

I was also asked not to take her back to dog training classes as she was too disruptive ...... but I did manage to train her myself by working with the "working" part of her brain and also the "wolf" instinct she had. The only problem then was that I was the Alpha and she only took orders from me.

 

[Reallyretired]

Our collies are as lazy as most dogs, after a long run on the downs in the morning they will happily sleep most of the day. Meg does like to have a walk about 9 at night for some reason, so it is our special time just for us. Spice has the garden to himself and I just take Meg up the lane. We usually meet at least a couple of other dogs so a popular time. She is on the lead though as the local cats and foxes are also around.

 

[Fraggle 22]

I notice you say you have him on a 10m lead. Maybe that is part of his problem. The collie/poodle mix is the most difficult cross. Both breeds need free running exercise. Can you find a safe place to run him? We also live in Shropshire so could suggest some safe places where he could run - possibly with our dogs. Our big dog needs to be about 50m away from us on a walk but comes immediately whilst the smaller one wants to be nearby. We found Caribbean hot chilli sauce a good chewing deterrent when he wanted to chew the dining table, skirting boards, doors etc!

 

[bellabee]

I'm sure having another dog helps a lot.

Yes, I'm sure it does. So there's the solution to your problem.

 

[Mrsambulancekidd]

Good luck to Gus, he'll be a different boy now, maybe not quite as nuts

Thanks.....Nuts being the operative word.
He is a pretty good boy on the whole, he was being a bit of a hornymone driven teenager.
Saying that, we didn't let him get to the point of trying to mount Gabby, she would not have tolerated that.

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[138go]

There's a lot on here about how to treat your dog as part of your pack, with you being pack leader. Pack theory has recently been the subject of much scrutiny and dog trainers have now dismissed it as credible. Instead, they talk about leadership, guidance and good training.

The History of Pack Theory
The dangerous but common misunderstanding about the concept of dominance and pack theory in the dog world is based in large part on research collected from studies performed on a pack of unrelated, captive wolves in the 1970s. The results of these early studies suggested that there was a rigid hierarchy in which 'alphas' (leaders) had priority access to resources, forcefully maintaining the group structure through displays of aggression to others.

Because dogs were believed to have descended from wolves, it was then assumed that similar social groupings and violent 'pack' dynamics must therefore exist among domestic dogs as well. What is more, the formation of these dog packs was supposedly based on the desire or drive of certain dogs to be the alpha or top dog of the group, and the resulting hierarchy was based on competitive success.

 

[OwnedbyCollies]

Posted in error not sure if the video worked!

 

[TPMM]

What an interesting thread! Tho the drying bags seem a good idea I prefer the Arcadian Dog bathrobes - the dogs can still walk around in them but provided you put them on quickly as you enter the motorhome, they stop them shaking all over the place (you do realise in a motorhome just how far the shaken water travels!) and keeps them warm as they dry off. Any mud dries and can be brushed off later. The bathrobes also dry quickly which conventional towels obviously don't. We have put an extendable shower curtain type rail above the cab to provide extra drying space for wet towels when parked up. Our dogs have always just settled down to sleep when we travel and to our surprise seem to find travelling tiring so do not need as much exercise when we stop for lunch or arrive in the evening as we thought they would. (We have a collie and cockerpoo - not couch potatoes!) We have always used crates at home (and a nylon collapsable one when motorhoming with a puppy) and found that puppies are reluctant to wee or poo in them. Teaching them to wee and poo on command is very useful especially when you are about to set off. As others have mentioned, stimulation is vital - you can train a collie sized dog in a motorhome - sit/stand/down/paw/beg/walk back/circle etc etc in a really small space and that really wears them out - 5 mins of training is equivalent to a thirty minute walk (and if its raining you don't get so wet!!). If you feed your dog dry food you can make it "work" for some of it. You could try teaching him the names of his toys so he can fetch them by name (I have totally failed to train my dogs to do this but its another game to play). My two year old cockapoo has always loved chewing and still enjoys chomping on nylon bones - she makes virtually no impression on them so I have no worries. She also sometime has hide chews but only under supervision (and I understand why others have warned against these). Puppies are very hard work but all the effort you put in now will be worth it - you have a lot of fun ahead! Happy travels!

 

[Fraggle 22]

Another good one for walking in wet/ muddy weather are Equafleece coats. They cover the dog from ears to tail and down to the ankles, covering all the chest. Easy for the dogs to wear as they dont restrict movement like a normal dog coat and dry very quickly. Turn inside out as you take them off and a good shake removes most of the grit. Also come in a variety of colours so could match your dogs colour. If you have a fluffy coated dog like mine though it does knot the coat.

 

[OwnedbyCollies]

Ditch the bowl!

3 Ways to Ditch The Bowl (and supercharge your dog training) - Absolute Dogs

Ditch the Bowl is a KEY dog training concept for us that our dogs LOVE! But what is ditch the bowl? And why is it SO important for our dogs?

absolute-dogs.com

Jess and Flynn love their snuffle box - we filled a supermarket cardboard fruit box with odds and sods from our recycling - yogurt pots, scrunched up paper bags, plastic bottles etc. They love to search out their kibble (obviously one at a time) Also good to put some kibble in a plastic bottle so that they have to work out how to get it out.

Using the daily food allowance for training makes sense - the dogs would be huge if we used treats in addition to standard meals. Flynn can go through his breakfast in one 'Magic Hand' session!

Resources - Absolute Dogs

absolute-dogs.com

I love the Absolute Dogs games based training - I'm not on commission - honest!

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[Potty]

Oh and a dry bag is fab......

Much prefer a Dogrobe. Similar but leaves legs free. Had a collie with really thick fur, impossible to towel dry but the dogrobe dried him quickly and his body heat dried it , so no wet towels to dry.

 

[PeteH]

These are good for keeping the muddy dog away from the soft furnishings -

Henry Wag Dog Drying Bag

Henry Wag Dog Drying Bag. Ultra absorbent microfibre material.

www.innerwolf.co.uk

Ah! yes, Ours took an age to get in. And seconds to got out of?

TBH - I'd be concentrating on educating the children,

OOps1 Ive been in BIG trouble advocating that!. The abuse I get when I suggest that Kids are like dogs ie. First they have to be trained, only then can you educate!. Scars? I could not count them!!

I notice you say you have him on a 10m lead. Maybe that is part of his problem. The collie/poodle mix is the most difficult cross. Both breeds need free running exercise. Can you find a safe place to run him? We also live in Shropshire so could suggest some safe places where he could run - possibly with our dogs. Our big dog needs to be about 50m away from us on a walk but comes immediately whilst the smaller one wants to be nearby. We found Caribbean hot chilli sauce a good chewing deterrent when he wanted to chew the dining table, skirting boards, doors etc!

English mustard works too!

There's a lot on here about how to treat your dog as part of your pack, with you being pack leader. Pack theory has recently been the subject of much scrutiny and dog trainers have now dismissed it as credible. Instead, they talk about leadership, guidance and good training.

The History of Pack Theory
The dangerous but common misunderstanding about the concept of dominance and pack theory in the dog world is based in large part on research collected from studies performed on a pack of unrelated, captive wolves in the 1970s. The results of these early studies suggested that there was a rigid hierarchy in which 'alphas' (leaders) had priority access to resources, forcefully maintaining the group structure through displays of aggression to others.

Because dogs were believed to have descended from wolves, it was then assumed that similar social groupings and violent 'pack' dynamics must therefore exist among domestic dogs as well. What is more, the formation of these dog packs was supposedly based on the desire or drive of certain dogs to be the alpha or top dog of the group, and the resulting hierarchy was based on competitive success.

Sorry? Bunkum!. It`s like the Liberal Child psychology of the 60`s which has given us the uncontroled undisciplined people of to-day!. The ME ME ME society!.

 

[Fraggle 22]

Yes a dogrobe is good for drying off after the walk but the Equafleece is worn for the walk so the dog doesn't get dirty in the first place

 

[ambulancekidd]

When dog whisperers arrive to train a dog, what their really doing is training the owner!
Some tips which may reinforce you dominance over the dog.
Never try giving them long commands, simple no, sit, lie down etc is the way to go, yes many dogs do understand a lot of what we say but long orders just don't work.

Your pups chewing needs to be sorted out, perhaps he's suffering from separation issue's but, it could just be boredom.

A cage works perfectly, lots of encouragement to play with his toys which he can chew if he wishes, lots of praise is required, pups love to be told their being good.

If all else fails, get a proper dog trainer in or join a local puppy training class, it'll be worth it, you'll go out with him & someone will say that he's handsome or a lovely dog, you'll beam with pride.

Dogs are loyal to their owners beyond belief.
An old joke of mine is Try locking your dog & your wife/husband in the boot of your car, then go back in half an hour & see which one is pleased to see you!

Gus's bestest pal Pepsi, this is their first meeting.

 

[138go]

Sorry? Bunkum!. It`s like the Liberal Child psychology of the 60`s which has given us the uncontroled undisciplined people of to-day!. The ME ME ME society!.

You don’t understand. You don’t need to be leader of the pack to have a well trained dog. What you need is patience, persistence and understanding of dog behaviour. It’s essential to be clear, firm and consistent with your rules and you need to reward your dog for desired behaviour.

It’s all about behaviour and how to get the behaviour you want. For example to train recall, I use a long lead. When I call my dog back she comes back because I have the other end of the lead and a treat. It’s nothing to do with me being leader of her pack. I absolutely deplore badly behaved dogs, I have no time for the outdated pack theory yet I have a well behaved dog.

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