# Dogs And A Fifth Wheel



## pearldrop (Aug 20, 2010)

Hi, We currently have an Outback 210RS, but we are looking at buying a fifth wheel. We have two dogs, a standard poodle and a wheaton terrier. with the Outback it is not a problem transporting the dogs because we have the truck bed and we put them there. With the fifth wheel, we won't have that option. Putting them in the cab of the truck is not an option because we have a two year old so she gets the back seat. DH wants to put them in a kennel in the fifth wheel. Has anyone done this and how have your dogs reacted? I'm worried about the dogs traveling in a fifth wheel. Any opinions, etc. Thanks.


----------



## egregg57 (Feb 13, 2006)

pearldrop said:


> Hi, We currently have an Outback 210RS, but we are looking at buying a fifth wheel. We have two dogs, a standard poodle and a wheaton terrier. with the Outback it is not a problem transporting the dogs because we have the truck bed and we put them there. With the fifth wheel, we won't have that option. Putting them in the cab of the truck is not an option because we have a two year old so she gets the back seat. DH wants to put them in a kennel in the fifth wheel. Has anyone done this and how have your dogs reacted? I'm worried about the dogs traveling in a fifth wheel. Any opinions, etc. Thanks.


 OOOOh.. Not sure how that would be for them. I suppose your could put a temporary camera in the fifth wheel, try it on a short test drive and see how they react. If they are curled up and snoozing...well you might be okay!

But I think I am going to have to really defer to some people who might have done this before..


----------



## Chuggs (Jun 8, 2010)

People check their pets in kennels as cargo on airplanes...and in most cases they arrive just fine.

I would worry most about the temperature during the summertime. It can get VERY hot without the air conditioning. Otherwise they should be fine.

From what I've read...you can ride back there in a 5th wheel...as a passenger --- so long as you maintain 2-way communications with the driver. You could ride a short distance back there with them to see what their reaction is. I wouldn't recommend riding in the 5th wheel under normal circumstances though.


----------



## pearldrop (Aug 20, 2010)

Chuggs said:


> People check their pets in kennels as cargo on airplanes...and in most cases they arrive just fine.
> 
> I would worry most about the temperature during the summertime. It can get VERY hot without the air conditioning. Otherwise they should be fine.
> 
> From what I've read...you can ride back there in a 5th wheel...as a passenger --- so long as you maintain 2-way communications with the driver. You could ride a short distance back there with them to see what their reaction is. I wouldn't recommend riding in the 5th wheel under normal circumstances though.


I never thought about the temperature factor in the fifth wheel but it makes sense. I think that if the temp was too hot, we would likely bring them into the cab with us or put a fan in their kennels. I've seen fans you can attach to the kennels that run on battery, which would help for short trips.

I think that we will probably try riding in the back and see where is the most stable place for them and then see their reaction. I think my poodle will be fine because he is sooo laid back but I worry about my Wheaton. Thanks for the suggestion! Much appreciated.


----------



## CdnOutback (Apr 16, 2010)

Why not put them in the kennel in the bed of the truck?


----------



## maddog (Dec 16, 2009)

We have a German Shepherd and he rides in the front bedroom of our Fifth wheel. That is probably the most stable place in transport in a fifth wheel. We usually only go a couple hours (3 at most) in the summer months due to heat. We will run the a/c for a day before we leave and get it cool and run a battery operated fan during transport. He does just fine. Long trips we will check him into a Kennel. I am going to install a second shore power in the front of the trailer connected through a transfer switch and connect to a generator in the bed of the truck to run the a/c while in transport.


----------



## pearldrop (Aug 20, 2010)

maddog said:


> We have a German Shepherd and he rides in the front bedroom of our Fifth wheel. That is probably the most stable place in transport in a fifth wheel. We usually only go a couple hours (3 at most) in the summer months due to heat. We will run the a/c for a day before we leave and get it cool and run a battery operated fan during transport. He does just fine. Long trips we will check him into a Kennel. I am going to install a second shore power in the front of the trailer connected through a transfer switch and connect to a generator in the bed of the truck to run the a/c while in transport.


We will probably put them in the front bedroom too. My poodle has ridden in our old truck camper and he did fine. I like the idea of running the a/c for a day to get it cool for the dogs. That is a great idea. My stepson suggested installing an inverter connected to the truck so we could run the a/c while in transit, but he wasn't sure if it would be enough to power the a/c. I'll have to tell him about your idea of the second shore power. We normally don't go far in the summer months anyways. 2 hours at most. Longer trips we normally go in fall or spring when it is not as hot so I'm hoping that it will not be an issue with the dogs in the fifth wheel for the longer trips.


----------



## Y-Guy (Jan 30, 2004)

When we had our Raptor 5er both dogs rode in the 5er, no kennels and did just fine. They would hope up on the bed and lay down, never saw any signs they were tossed around. Many times we'd stop and go in, they would still be sleeping. Our Golden has more issues riding in the motor home then she did in the 5er I think.


----------



## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

Our lab rides in our 301BQ...and it appears he loves it.

We open the door and he BOLTS in...spins around a few times like dogs love to do..then jumps up in the lower bunk area where his bed is located...lays down and looks up at me as if...LETS GO ALREADY!!!


----------



## pearldrop (Aug 20, 2010)

Thanks Y Guy and Oregon Camper! That puts my mind at rest that the dogs will be fine in the 5er. My poodle will likely not be kenneled but I'll kennel my wheaton. She can be very destructive at times so it is not a good idea for her to be roaming around free in the 5er. I appreciate everyone's responses and helping out a newbie!


----------



## hautevue (Mar 8, 2009)

To power the air conditioner with an inverter, you need upwards of a 3500 watt (output) inverter. While our air conditioners draw about 15 - 16 amps of 120vac (or about 2000 watts) running, they need a good deal more amperage available to start the compressor--upwards of 25 - 27 amps for 3 - 4 seconds. Many inverters rated at 2000 watts will trip before your compressor can get going.

That big inverter draws about 200 amps of 12vdc when operating. Heavy wiring, and it needs to be close to the batteries, plus that amperage draw will suck your batteries down to flat in just a few hours.

And to make you feel really good, a good one with transfer switching, etc., (Aimes, I think) costs about $1800!


----------



## Chuggs (Jun 8, 2010)

pearldrop said:


> I never thought about the temperature factor in the fifth wheel but it makes sense. I think that if the temp was too hot, we would likely bring them into the cab with us or put a fan in their kennels. I've seen fans you can attach to the kennels that run on battery, which would help for short trips.
> 
> I think that we will probably try riding in the back and see where is the most stable place for them and then see their reaction. I think my poodle will be fine because he is sooo laid back but I worry about my Wheaton. Thanks for the suggestion! Much appreciated.


Since dogs don't "sweat"...they maintain body temp thru breathing/panting.

While a crate fan will feel good to them...they still need >>>

Ambient air temperature lower than thier body temperature
Ample supply of water (they loose a lot of water thru respiration while panting)
Healthy repiratory system.


----------



## clarkely (Sep 15, 2008)

our dog sleeps on our bed







if nice highway he is fine and relaxed.............if bad back road or stop and go traffic - i can tell he is a little stressed - but then we all are...LOL

we crack a window and leave the vents open - on hot days it is not bad as long as we are moving........... stop and go makes it hot........

gonna hook up the generator ....for air for real hot days...........


----------



## Y-Guy (Jan 30, 2004)

We did run the 12v exhaust fan when the dogs road in the back, when it got hot out we had an on board generator that we fired up and then kicked on the AC for them.

We use one of these no spill dog bowls while camping and I've never had one tip over while enroute.


----------



## pearldrop (Aug 20, 2010)

It looks like we are going to have to consider getting a generator so we can run the a/c while going down the road. We also have a no spill bowl, but I think yours looks better Y Guy. Our dogs actually don't drink much water when in transit. Weird but true. We normally stop every couple of hours to make sure they are ok and give them a rest break. They will drink water then. Go figure.


----------

