Soon to be new Hawk owner- Need advice Re. Dogs.

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dharte

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 8, 2015
Messages
161
Greetings,
My new FWC Hawk will be finished by the end of the month and my wife and I are anxiously waiting to use it! We are already planning a spring trip to Death Valley and Utah. I would like some feedback on how other campers deal with their dogs as they travel and camp. I have three dogs that range in weight from 12 to 130 pounds, and I have always carried them in the back of my truck, which currently has a shell on it. We have a large tent that we have all slept in (gets a bit fragrent sometimes...). Can the dogs ride in the back of the camper saftely and with adequate ventalation? Does anyone put protective coverings on the seats and floor (other than a dog bed or blanket)? I'm worried about scratches and occasional "accidents". My truck is a 4x4 crew cab F250, so I could possibly carry the dogs in the back seat area, but would prefer not to. The camper is a front dinette model, and I did order the sliding front window which may help with air flow into the camper when driving.

Thanks for any tips and advice!

David
 
On my last extended cab truck I took out the back seat and made nice platform for my dog. On the new crew cab the seats fold up and it has a built in fold flat platform that She can roam on. I just put a sheet down to cover the exposed carpet. I don't think there is very much room for a dog to ride in the camper. Longer trips usually end up with stuff on the floor and there isn't much ventilation or light inside.
 
We have a nice secure bed for our pug in the back cab seat but it's a different story if you have three dogs I guess!

We're in Utah, send me a message when you know the date and we can meet up!
 
First, welcome. I built a platform in the back seat. It was done in July and can be found in Truck Mods. I use a dog ramp for her access to the truck and camper. We have camped in cooler weather and she sleeps in the truck with windows partially down, while we grab lunch. She is a great traveler. We bought a K-9 water bowl that doesn't spash, have a dog bed between the front dinette seats and a larger dog bed in the truck. Dog Platform for backseat, July 26, 2015 for pictures. jd
 
Thanks for the ideas so far-I guess I will have to find a way to convert back seat space to dog space, and carry all gear in the camper. I'm just worried about what to do when the dogs get wet or dirty, or when I need to carrry extra passengers. Longhorn1, I will check out your platform build. I'm glad people on this forum are friendly and have a sense of humor!
 
Dog rides in the cab. I do sometimes leave him in the camper alone but you have to be cognizant of the conditions. Can get pretty hot in there. I don't put anything down, just deal with hair all over. Its a bit better with the new dog. He doesn't jump up on the bed like the old one did. I probably should get his own dog bed. Currently he sleeps on the cushions under the bed and on whatever I didn't move out of the way. If I had a bed on the floor I might be able to better contain "some" of the hair.
 
What year is your truck? My F250 rear seat backs either fold down, or the seat bottom folds up. There is a metal platform that then folds out to make a flat place to place items. You could easily throw a dog bed on the platform or even a blanket.

Filson (www.filson.com) makes some products for (hunting) dogs and one of them is a mat http://www.filson.com/hunt-fish/filson-dog/dog-travel-mat.html so the dogs aren't on the upholstery. They used to have a hammock like thing that the dogs could rest on but I don't see it anymore.
 
Ramp from Camping World, $100+, 6', folds to 3'. Hammock from REI, forget price.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Wander The West mobile app
 
I took this from the Internet, but this works well for me and there is some storage on the floorboards, etc.

dog bed.jpg

I also made this little bag I call the "Pooperoo" (a play on the "Trasheroo") as a place to temporarily stow my poop-filled bags. I've never seen a bag invented or a knot tied tight enough to trap all of the smell and I don't want the filled bags in my camper or cab, so I toss them in the Pooperoo and dump it when I come across a trash can.

IMG_0534.JPG

Finally, on my first cold weather camp with my dog, I placed his bed on the camper floor and the next morning I noticed a ton of condensation under it. Now, I put a large trash bag down first and put his bed on top of it. This acts as kind of a vapor barrier.
 
I have 2 dogs - boxer and a shepherd. Typically when we are moving they ride in the extended cab on the back seat (98 Chev 1/2 ton) I use a metal collapsable kennel as I find them a little more versatile.

The Boxer sleeps inside as his hair is so short the mosquitoes are hard on him and he is a suck. The shepherd does well in his kennel outside while we are sleeping. Our outdoor shower works great for keeping them clean (and us). From time to time we travel with a dog - in the kennel in our Hawk.

I could not leave home without them - they are 51% of the fun
 
Our dog rides in the access cab back seat area on a platform. Plenty of room there for two golden retriever sized dogs- 3 might be pushing it depending on their size and temperament. We have a collapsible kennel for him. He sleeps on the floor of the camper with a sleeping bag over him if it's cold. We are very careful about leaving him in the truck in warm weather- can be a problem in parks that don't allow dogs on the trails. We will skip the hike rather than leave the dog if it is too warm.
 
Wow-thanks again for all the tips and ideas! I think I will research and order the hammock for the back seat. I hope they make them big enough for a full size truck. My back seats do fold and make a flat metal platform but the dogs would be sitting and lying down kind of low. They probably want to look (and drool) out the windows. As for sleeping arrangments, my little rat terrier mix will be with us on the upper bed and the two big dogs can sleep on dog beds on the floor or maybe on the folding dinette bed. i agree that dogs are half the fun when camping. We prefer to camp in remote areas in Nationa; forests where dogs are not restricted.
 
We have an older set up and a standard cab truck. All of our gear rides on the floor of the camper and makes an area level with the seats. We stuff a sleeping bag in any large cracks between cooler and boxes then cover with a dog blanket. Our two, 45 pounds and 30 pounds ride on that in the camper. We keep the window between the truck and camper cracked and have never had a problem with heat or air circulation while moving. When camped, we open windows if we need to and leave them in the camper. No problems so far. My younger dog hops right in. I pick up the old guy for in and out.

Welcome to the group and happy camping.
 
I have 2 black labs, my girls go everywhere with me when the temp not above 70'F.

Not nearly enough room in my Hawk for two 75# labs. Plus, if they're wet, I wouldn't want them in the Hawk anyway.

I'm converting the back seat in my F-250 crew cab to a platform for their sleeping area. They can ride for hours in the back seat perfectly content. The platform should be even more comfortable for them. I plan on covering the platform with memory foam (mattress) from WalMart.

I also have an several tents they have slept in. But, they prefer the back seat of the truck since the back window opens and they can stick their heads into the camper.

I have to pick up my 11yo and put her in the truck. I teach my labs to place their front paws on the door jam and I lift them into the truck with their rear legs. I would not recommend teaching/encouraging them to jump up into a truck. Bad for back and hips at that steep angle. Further, if they catch their dew claw on something and rip it off, expect to pay about $300 for surgery. Don't ask how I know. Why I now teach to put front paws on the jam for a lift up and into the truck.
 
Update: I purchased an inexpensive ($25) back seat pet hammock from Amazon that seems to be decent quality although it's slightly too small. The camper is being installed on 12/30! I sold my old shell, had a spray-in bed liner installed, and also purchased a hitch mounted step system that has two steps. I hope my dogs will be able to use the steps-they are very sturdy and each step is about 16" long by 7" wide.
 
Congrats!!! We travel with two pit bulls and they do not go in my Hawk! I setup the backseat platform and put their crates in and then pack on and around the crates. They stay outside with us and when we go to bed, they go get in "their house" to sleep for the night. I have contemplated bringing a tent or adding a rear awning and enclosing it. If we cannot take them with us hiking etc, we go somewhere else. Enjoy your new camper!
f3e915908d3482fc037c34308b861e3f.jpg
 
My border collie mix,Bob, rides in the cab as did all my previous dogs. Both Bob and the dog before him,Babe-an Aust. Shep, slept in the camper at night; hair and owning dogs go together, so I don't worry about that. For short trips or short stops, depending on how hot it is, your dog can ride/stay in the camper, but i have a couple of on-board fans that i can turn on-also just use your common sense, park in the shade, leave water in their dish and open the windows. At night , i trend to read for a while as i lay on the couch, so Bob lays on the floor and watches thru the screen door for bad things that may try to sneak up on the camper(his job), when i crawl up in to the rack for a little more reading before bed, he gets on the couch and stares out the window (good dog). I never leave my dog out at night, to many creatures out where i camp that would like to eat him! Yep his job is to let me know when those bad things (like birds and cattle) try to sneak up on the camper at night!

Smoke
 
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