....been a long time lurker, had some really good and interesting advice from these pages - so now looking forward to speaking to some of you.
I'm not new to caravanning, (been caravanning for about 6 years, on and off.) but new to caravanning with dogs.....
Can anyone give any tips on having our 2 cocker spaniels sleep in the awning at nights? Obviously only in the summer months. (can't come in the caravan due to allergies unfortunately)
(have tried to use search with "dogs awning" with no results, so sorry if asking a question that has been asked before)
any other general doggy advice relating to caravanning would also be very welcome!
we have just moved to our dogs sleeping in the awning. It does help if your dogs are crate trained as you can put them in these at night and, if needed, surround the cages with warm bedding too. You can also get water bowls that attach. The downside is the size and weight of these things if you need to use the wire versions.
Currently we use a metal cage for our young lab, ( a huge one that would easily fit two cocker spaniels together)plus his platic bed from home in there and our rottie x lab sleeps in her normal plastic baskets from home with lots of bedding and surrounded by tarp to try to keep draughts from her. (as she is double coated and a thick build I expect she is fine anyway but we worry) The rottie is also tethered just in case.
Our lab was already crate trained so goes in there fine and during the day we leave the cage open so he can hope in and out at will, whislt on a tether that also allows him to lie on the grass outside too. The rottie will go in a cage for short periods but we have never tried to get her to sleep in one yet so don't know if that would work.
Becasue of the weight of transporting the cages I have just ordered two soft crates instead. They will never be used unattended and by day will work as above with tethered dogs jumping in and out at will and by night I do not know if I will still need to tether or not, but expect I will not as they sleep soundly at night. ( I will know after this weekend)
I've ordered one xlarge and one xxlarge and like the fact that they are canvas surrounded so will cut out draughts and will fold down well plus easy to transport.
Not for dogs that hate crates or for leaving unattended of course. If we need to leave at all ( and cant think why we would) then we will use the boot of the car unless too hot. (Maybe a quick meal in a pub or nipping into a shop but that is about it for leaving)
If dogs really not crate trained youcould still use as long as the dog is tethererd
which if I need to leave them they can be zipped safety away without being able to escape. As you can see from the picture as it has mesh windows they have lots of ventilation and there is a removable reflective sheet that can be zipped into the top to shade them too. Folds down to next to nothing and weighs even less.
Thank you both for your fab replies - you know what - I never even thought about crating them!! (yet they were both crate trained, one after the other though as they are different ages so we only have one crate sadly)
I was just thinking of tethering them inside the awning but the soft lightweight options youve both suggested look a great idea. I have to say i was worried about then clawing at the caravan to get in if tethered? Any experience of this?? or barking at night? (ours very occasionally do this if disturbed, once or twice howling in perfect harmony, ha ha) but seriously, i would really hate for them to disturb other campers....
We are going away for a week this Friday with them for the first time. Usually pop them in the kennels.....
we were in the same position as you when we got our Boxer puppy at the beginning of summer. She was crate trained and we bought a soft crate which we put in the awning with a few newspapers underneath. We also cover with a couple of rugs at night to prevent any drafts. Our dog loves it and will go in during the day when possible.
no real problems in the thick of night with barking. The rottie is so tired she sleeps the sleep of the dead lol. Odd times the other dog will bark, usually when someone very near is talking (usually a male voice sets him off) but he tends to do a sort of warning half bark at which point we tell him to shut up and he does! (usually the talker does too) You do need to be prepared to get up when they wake though but that is only the same as with kids. We are lucky in that it tends to be 8 onwards before the lab starts and the other one would sleep all day if we let her.
As you are using the awning I would try leaving the caravan door open at nights at first if you feel comfortable and it is warm enough. That way you are that bit closer to your dogs tro hear them and for them to hear you. this closeness seems to help. (You could put up a barrier for the lower part. Failing that leave a window open if you can and it faces into the awning.
I would maybe looking at one large crate for your two to share rather than separate beds ( as long as they get on well) for shared comfort and warmth.
I would also practice at home so if you are going to use a crate or some form of new bed, set it up at home and use the bedding you intend on using too at least once before you go. That way the dogs smell is on it when they first use.
Finally long walks and just being nosy while tethered on the campsite seem to really tire out the dogs so they are ready for bed come night.
Ps tethering is fine with decent beds for them to get into but I do worry about draughts so tend to try to set something up round the rottie when in her bed just to protect from the draught. Can use windbreaks if not using a ground sheet but I thought the fabric kennels would give us a slightly longer season as we can also drape extra blankets over them too.
Our daughter bought her two dogs to stay with us at Sandringham last weekend, and they slept out in the awning. The only problem we had with them was when the local foxes and badgers started kicking up a heck of a noise during the night and woke them up, they must have been scared as they started barking and howling and we had to get up and take them inside the caravan. They are only small crossbreeds the same as a sh*tzu x JRT, and although our awning was well pegged down around the mud walling, we were afraid they would try to escape, as they have never been crate trained.
The other problem we had was with the cheeky rabbits tunneling and scratching around our pitch, show a JRT a rabbit lol and you know what happens! Luckily the dogs were teathered and the bunnies could run faster than they could, but it still caused a lot of barking despite us telling them to be quiet!
Julia
------------- Just love to be out amoungst Nature and Wildlife
Celebrating 37 years of Caravanning in 2019, Recently Considered Retiring, but Totally Addicted for Life!
Our dogs sleep in the awning in their own crates, the crates areput up on pieces of 2 X 2 wood to getr them away from ground damp and cold, they have a canvas cover each to stop draughts, and they never bother with the water bowls after the last walk before bed anyway. they are usually too tired after the full days walking and being petted to do anything but sleep lol
As your dogs are already crate trained you will probably find you won't have a problem really. As they will be with you most of the day, you will find they are awake more than normal so come night time they are bushed. Just ensure the damp can't get up into the pens/crates etc. I just put a groundsheet underneath and put their beds in with them.
Have fun!!
I've got some left over laminate underlay (used as a damp barrier and soft base on concrete) so I think I will cut this up to the size of the crate base and put underneath the crates as added protection! It's lightweight and easy to cut plus a have a big sheet of it left over so no cost.
You've all given some brilliant tips, most of which I'm going to take up.
really looking forward to our first holiday with 'the boys' now. (hubby thinks I'm soft as I keep saying to them "who's going on holiday on Friday??") lol.
Hopefully the weather will be as glorious in Devon next week as it has been here in Brecon Beacons for the last few days.
To anyone going away this/next week, with or without furry friends, have a lovely time!
Our Flat coat retriever sleeps in a soft crate,zipped up nice and cosy,only problem is waking him up in the morning and dragging him out! He has been known to cart himself off to bed before we even think about going to bed.
My soft crates arrived and the xxlarge one is huge!!! Almost big enough to use as a tent in its own right. Both were very easy to put up (in the kitchen) and the rottie cross loved hers straight away. The lab is not keen on his though so I left it up overnight as he is going to have to sleep in it tomorrow for real on our latest camping trip!
Got pics but lost my camera to laptop lead so can't show them. I would recommend them though as very easy to put up, pretty light and they look quite robust when up. Still fairly big when folded down but that is what you get with bigger dogs!
Well here's my method fwiw. I have a Delta dog tether which is pegged to the ground about a foot away from the awning outside, with a 3-metre cable passed under the mudwall to the inside. Attached to the cable is one of those 'split lead' things (don't know the proper name for them but you can put two dogs on one lead). The dog beds go along the side of the awning where the cable enters, I use a groundsheet anyway but have a small cheap builder's tarp folded up under the beds for extra insulation. The cable means they can wander round the awning without escaping, they aren't caged up, and when I want to put them outside it's a simple matter just to pull the cable back through. So the one cable and tether does two jobs - a lot cheaper and without taking up the space of a crate. And as others have said, when my two have been out all day they are too knackered in the evening to do anything other than sleep.
------------- Tigermouse
I have a very temperamental personality - 50% temper and 50% mental
I have two German Shepards that are both crate trained, the only thing they have is a very large top of the range waterproof bed, one that a pressure washer cannot get though..
The crates are side by side which fill the whole awning width at one end. We also use the crates to air Our bedding during the day
This thread reminds me of when we used to go Bongo-ing in our Mazda lifttop before we converted to caravans.
A couple we became friendly with put their British bulldog in their zip up inner tent in their awning.
We were having a nice drink at our van on the other side of the park when up tips the dog, alone.
We went to see who had let him out and found a dog sized hole in his inner tent.
I laughed so hard i almost. . . You know.
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Topic: Dogs Sleeping in Awning?
