Dogs entering Van Life
They love adventure…
but do they love van life?
When first starting out on the quest to van life the thought doesn’t really cross your mind, How will my dogs do?
At least it didn’t cross my mind, I thought they go backpacking with me and love it. This isn’t to different.
Oh they’re going to be fine! They’re born adventurers.
You sort of begin to assume that your dogs are simply going to love it. You’ll get to open the door and they jump out and go run.
In all honesty most of the time you open the door to a parking lot and the leashes go on.
My dogs were fine the first night in the van. I think they were excited thinking we were going backpacking some place glorious with lakes to swim in and animals to chase.
But just like anything that excitement wears off.
I could tell my dogs were a little unsure, they didn’t know what was happening. They went from sleeping in a bed at a warm cozy house to inside a steel box. There’s really no way to explain to dogs what’s happening, you just try to make them happy.
For most adventure dogs you get them out into the wild and let them run. See the tails wagging and paw prints jet off in the distance.
My experience transitioning from a home to the van was not the easiest for the dogs.
Although you may be excited the dogs have no idea what’s happening.
Dogs will always look to the owner for reassurance as to the situation.
If you exude confidence they are going to be calm and know it’s okay.
Unfortunately this was NOT the case for my german shepherd.
“Oh they are going to be fine! They’re born adventurers.”
My german shepherd is a rescue that I’ve had for roughly 6 months. She is typically a very sweet and anxious dog.
When we would take trips in the Jeep she wasn’t keen on the longer drives at first, but she quickly learned to love when I would yell “LOAD UP”.
This left me feeling confident that van life would be a smooth transition.
Well I’m here to tell you it’s not always easy.
There was nights with bloody diarrhea, well lots of them. I continued to say if she is miserable I will not force this life on her. Hoping that with time she would settle in.
In the meantime knowing she was anxious I decided to try CBD, and while at the pet store going to get the CBD for her they told me to try this natural relaxant for her. The woman in the store was a dog trainer and used this with great success on her aggressive and anxious dogs, and if it stopped working she would then add in CBD.
Richards Organics
Pet Calm
I will tell you that it is less expensive on Amazon then in the pet store. Considerably less.
I kid you not from the first dose I gave her she was so much more relaxed.
Seeing my dog relax instantly gave me a sigh of relief
Starting with the very mild natural remedy was the best choice. I started giving it to her 3 times a day and I saw a drastic change in my dog.
She was running and playing and the worried look in her eyes was gone.
For the following week I kept her on the pet calm 3 times a day.
DON’T FEED THE DOGS AND THEN DRIVE
We had another diarrhea incident and I will admit I lost my mind.
I realized I had fed them before we started driving and maybe that made her stomach sick.
By this point the last thing you want to do in your new home is keep cleaning up the most horrific smelling dog diarrhea.
It’s also challenging trying to get the dogs adjusted to a new feeding and walking schedule.
Because well there is no schedule.
You can’t feed them at the same time or walk them at the same time. The days are never the same. You don’t know when you will be able to feed or walk or when you will be driving.
How to Handle Long Drives
You want to make sure that when you are taking those longer drives you stop every 2 hours or so to let them walk. It’s not only good for them but it’s also good for you to stretch your legs and get a little burst of energy. The best solutions are often on those out there roads.
You want to open the slider and say
RUN DOGS
The dirt roads that often have nothing on them are such great places to pull off because you can get away from the highway and have the spot to yourself for a few minutes.
If my dogs go for a long walk during this time then I give them some water but I definitely don’t let them gulp it down.
For now these are my major tips for introducing your dogs into van life. I’m sure as we continue there will be many more tips to come.
I travel with 2 GSDs. Seems like pups enjoy virtually anything as long as their with us. That & the unconditional love make them stellar partners in a life of adventure.