Newly wed caravanners need practical advice about dogs and sites

[Vikki_374303707]

Hi, Firstly thank you very much for reading this i dont realy know who else to ask as we dot have any friends or family that currently have a caravan.

We are due to get married in July and for our wedding present we are /were going to ask people to donate towards a caravan for us - as we would like to see more of great britain. The thing being is that we have to dogs (both bitches) one is a labrador and the other is a rottweiler puppy, she is just a year old. The labrador is 8 now always very well behaved and for the puppys age she is excellent at obedience, she is in traning twice a week and she is generally a well behaved dog other than excitable puppy behaviour. We have been camping once or twice with her and she settled. I have looked for sites that take dogs and realise it is very tricky for them to except the larger known dog breeds and also i think its difficult for them to get insurance for dogs such as German shepherds, rottweiler, dobermans, pitbulls and mastiffs. i am not favourable of big strange dogs myself and am very vigilant about what my dogs are doing all of the time because i know how much it puts people on edge and i completly understand the worries of mums and dads around the camp sites when there are dogs such as this around i am jst trying to work out a way we can use our caravan in a nice, safe and legal way.

i actually bought my rottweiler because i do animal assisted therapy work so i am also training her towards being a therapy dog like our older labrador. (ROttweilers are brilliant at this type of thing because of their sturdy nature).

Anyway the question is are there any sites that will take my dogs? And if not where are you legally allowed to park a caravan overnight? Exmoor have lots of mini car parks on the moors are you allowed to park there?

Thanks again

Vikki

 

[Bazz1]

Vikki, this would be better posted on the general forum page as most users look there first. Dogs on camp sites? yes they allow dogs but if you are in any doubt as to whether they wiil accept your dogs then ask before booking, on site its the usual does and donts. Keep them on a leash and always pick up there droppings. This usually keeps the non-doggy people satisfied. Happy camping and all the best, Bazz.

 

[Damian]

Vikki, the easiest way to ensure you can take your dog on site is join the Caravan club. Almost every site allows dogs, and they do not charge for them, unlike a lot of commercial sites whichcharge anything from 50p per night up to

 

[Lord Braykewynde]

When I read "Newly wed caravanners need practical advice" I thought to myself ahhhhhhhh my dream job. I must admit that after further reading I did feel a little disappointed that it wasn't the practical advice I was envisaging ..... hehheh!

 

[Vikki_374303707]

When I read "Newly wed caravanners need practical advice" I thought to myself ahhhhhhhh my dream job. I must admit that after further reading I did feel a little disappointed that it wasn't the practical advice I was envisaging ..... hehheh!

Thank you so much for al theadvice about this. i didnt realise joining the caravan club would change things. i will call them today.

Yes i now know the error of my ways - i just read the title back to my hubby to be and he held his head in his hands and said 'i cant believe you titled it that!'

Sorry to hear about your mastiff Damien, it is heart breaking losing a dog.

I didnt realise we would be so at risk on the moor car parks... my dogs run at the first sign of trouble anyway so we dont count on them to make us feel safe i can tell you. From what you have said though we cant any way.

Thanks again

Vikki

 

[Claire_5039866]

I just want to reiterate the earlier replies we have two labrador puppies (13 months and 10 weeks - with a very expensive broken leg (thought my heart was riped out - much better if my other half had suffered)), anyway - a lot of the larger more comercial sites don't like dogs, but if you're taking them with you you won't be out every night leaving them. Always ring a site beforehand and request a pitch close to the dog walk. You'll meet lots of other people with dogs and they're always a great ice breaker. Any tips on getting the 10 week old to stay off her feet - I thing the nest month isgoing to be a long one !!!!

 

[ThePlotter]

Vikki

You could try a post for the attention of Lisa she is into dogs in a big way with Staffies and also I think the psychology bit she might be able to help.Sorry by the way for his Lordship he gets a bit that way at his age he only has memories left.heheheh

 

[LMH]

Hi Vikki

Some excellent replies here. Welcome to the fourm by the way.

Good luck with the caravan, you'll love it. That's one of the reasons I bought our caravan so we could take the dogs with us.

Is your lab a PAT dog? If so, it must be nice and calm etc already. I'm looking into training my SBT to be a PAT dog but he's still mouthing at the mo.

There are many campsites in the UK which accept most breeds of dogs. Some sites restrict the number of dogs per pitch to two or three. I have seen some sites which won't accept bull breeds, rotties, GSD's. If the site doesn't stipulate breed restrictions, you could always ring when you book and just check with the site. As someone else said, join the Caravan Club, you don't have to pay extra for dogs.

For information, the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 (Chapeter 65) states:

An Act to prohibit persons from having in their possession or custody, dogs belonging to types bred for fighting ........ then lists:

1- (1) This section applies to -

(a) any dog of the type known as the pit bull terrier

(b) any dog of the type known as the Japanese tosa and

(c) any dog of any type designated for the purposes of this section by an order of the Secretary of State, being a type appearing to him to be bred for fighting or to have the characteristics of a type bred for that purpose. (My bug bear is the 'type' bit which is often misinterpreted).

You don't mention whether you might be thinking of having your youngster speyed. If you are not planning to breed from her, I recommend you seriously consider speying because apart from seasons and what that entails, it will minimise the risk of pymetra (potentially fatal infection in the womb, linked to seasons).

My only comments regarding dogs and caravans are, will the dogs sleep in the caravan? A lab and a rottie will take up a serious amount of space! If you are going to crate them in the awning, your cages will be rather big and heavy, so bear that in mind. You know your own dogs, but I wouldn't leave them on the loose in the awning when you go to bed.

It's not fair on dogs or other campsite users to leave dogs unattended for long periods. (Some campsites will state in their terms and conditions that dogs are not to be left unattended).

Do all the good PR stuff - If children want to stroke your dogs, tell them how to stroke a dog properly (ask the owners permission first, stroke it under the chin, not over its head). Pick up after the dogs, etc. I guess you know all that.

Finally, I have a SBT and a cross SBT. Our breed has had some really bad press lately. If you ever did get abuse purely because your dog is a rottie, (which I have had with my SBT). Try not to rise to it. (Easier said than done). There will never be anything you can say, no matter how much of a pussy cat your dog is, these people are ignorant and not worth responding to.

GENUINE people will be pleasantly surprised that the dog on the end of your lead is well socialised, friendly and balanced in terms of temperament.

All the best.

Lisa

Oh, p.s. Have you had rotties before?