Okay so I am in my home on wheels having the time of my life.... Are there any precautions that you take with your animal out and about? What about when you stop on the side the road for a toilet break for your pooch do you let them explore the scrub or do you worry about snakes and such? Do you have them always were a tick collar? Do you take them to the vet more often?
What do you do with your dog when you are camping somewhere? Do you leash them to the home? Is it safe to leave them at a caravan park while you go out for supplies or whatever?
Some general info would be great!!!!!!!!!
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How do you think I've remained interested in life this long?
Our two are treated monthly with Nexgard tablets for fleas/ticks. Never allowed to explore scrub, always on-lead. Fear of snakes is great.
Vet is annually, if we have a specific, unusual concern, we ring the local (always have numbers to hand for the area we are in).
Ours are crated (Lifestages crates, fold down easily for transport) when we go out for a short time (up to 2 hours), or we get them sat (Pawshake & Madpaws are two resources we use - people who sit the dogs in their own home for a fee). Some areas have doggy daycare, and some boarding kennels/pounds also offer this service. Longer trips, they are boarded, either with a reputable kennel or a sitter.
Keeping your dog on-leash is essential, for his/her safety and your peace of mind. We run ours in fenced dog parks.
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The Mobile Madhouse: me (Rosie), him (Troy), a kelpie, a kelpie-dingo, a husky & a rainbow lorikeet.
My original though was to take some light weight fencing to use if I was staying somewhere for a while, however I have since thought that, that would not work too well and it would be just an extra thing to carry.
Are there many dog parks in the outback?
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How do you think I've remained interested in life this long?
Roadside stops for short breaks, caravan parks, stops anywhere - always on leash before she gets out of the bus.
Rarely allowed to explore in scrub etc - fear of snakes and ticks - and baits. Relax that a bit if away from tick areas and it is really cold weather and I can be sure there are not baits.
Run her off lead in areas designated for same, on the beach etc.
If going to be in tick areas, use Nexguard tablets and Advantix collar.
Only take her to the vet for annual injections, check up, unless there is something specific wrong.
When we are parked up, she is tethered by rope to the bus bull bar. Length of tether varies with size of site. Otherwise, she is in bus.
Most caravan parks specifically state that dogs are not to be left alone. Occasionally, you find a really great park that offers doggy day care - like the Opal CP at Lightning Ridge.
Great info wendyv I have filed this info into my ever increasing array of txt files about everything. So in compensation I will basically have to get my dog a really nice collar harness.
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How do you think I've remained interested in life this long?
One thing to think about -if you are planning to spend much time in National Parks (in WA anyway) you'll need to find someone to look after Fido.
Ive got a 3kg hand bag pooch (Not my choice)- we drove into one Park by mistake with Daisydog on the wife's lap, I stopped at the Ranger station and nearly copped a big fine. The dog never left the car.
Also look at rules about restraints for dogs in moving vehicles- I think dogs have to be constrained in most states- so you will need one of those gizmo's to plug into the seat belt.
On the plus side Daisy was great company on the road, don't be put off. She was up and down on her run all evening
we take our fur baby everywhere we go , always in his harness , always conscious of snakes and other dogs (unfriendly) , mainly unfriendly humans he doesn't like ,
Roadside stops for short breaks, caravan parks, stops anywhere - always on leash before she gets out of the bus. Rarely allowed to explore in scrub etc - fear of snakes and ticks - and baits. Relax that a bit if away from tick areas and it is really cold weather and I can be sure there are not baits. Run her off lead in areas designated for same, on the beach etc. If going to be in tick areas, use Nexguard tablets and Advantix collar. Only take her to the vet for annual injections, check up, unless there is something specific wrong. When we are parked up, she is tethered by rope to the bus bull bar. Length of tether varies with size of site. Otherwise, she is in bus. Most caravan parks specifically state that dogs are not to be left alone. Occasionally, you find a really great park that offers doggy day care - like the Opal CP at Lightning Ridge.
I thought you were talking about my wife until I got to the last line
Regarding dogs when travelling in the vehicle: my understanding is that in QLD, they must be restrained after they are 6 months old. Our 2 wear harnesses, secured by seatbelts.
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The Mobile Madhouse: me (Rosie), him (Troy), a kelpie, a kelpie-dingo, a husky & a rainbow lorikeet.
Our dogs are always restrained, whether in the vehicle or at a roadside stops and in van parks and free camps. Only time they are allowed to run free is in dedicated dog exercise areas.
There are many nasties in rest areas that can be picked up, like ticks, other peoples rubbish and detritus, then there are snakes etc.
Most caravan parks do not allow dogs to be left alone due to the nuisance they can cause by barking while alone, unless you know your dog is quiet alone it's a definite no no.
In van parks ours have their raised hammock bed near the dual wheels which they share, and are attached with a caribina hook to a fixed point, they are exercised at least 3 times a day so are happy to lie quietly and watch the world go by there, might add they are not yappers or barkers.
Part of traveling and owning a dog is to ensure they are not a nuisance to other people or other dogs. some seem to struggle with this ethic. Also not everyone loves dogs like you or we do, respect this, as there are many dog haters out there believe me.
Fortunately my dog is not really a barker, she does not normally bark at the obvious (people, other dogs), however she does bark at weird things like larger vehicles parked where she can see them. Or if you leave the vacuum cleaner out or something horrifying like that. If that happens I have to tell her to go look at it, so she can see for herself that it is not a big monster after all.
I wouldn't leave my dog alone or of leash ever though someone might steal her.
So what do you guys do when for instance when you have to fuel up, or duck into the supermarket for a couple of supplies? It will only be me and her so is it okay to park under cover or a tree and leave her in the vehicle?
I would happily get a fan for her for these times.
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How do you think I've remained interested in life this long?
Park in the shade, leave her water & a fan, take her for a 'pit stop' before you head in when you are going to be a little while (30 minutes), and she should be fine. Even if you are only going in to pay for petrol, leave her water & the fan.
I would never leave our 2 in the car, it would get far too hot, but in a m/h, with access to water and a fan running, they would be fine for a little while. In fact, they spend most of their days in the bus, with water & a fan. We've only had 2 days this summer where they appear to have experienced heat stress with that, and one of those days we hit 45 in the shade..........
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The Mobile Madhouse: me (Rosie), him (Troy), a kelpie, a kelpie-dingo, a husky & a rainbow lorikeet.
