Class B RV stuff and camping with dogs

Mason In Olympia, Washington

I really enjoy having an RV that is under 20′. It enables me to go almost anywhere and stay anywhere. Some roads and campgrounds have a 21′ max length, that’s never an issue for the LT.  The only limitation is in handling and roughness of the ride. The handling did seem to improve over time, towards the end of my trip the LT was powering ahead without much trouble in strong gusty winds. I was actually surprised just how strong the winds were when I parked and opened the door to discover walking was a challenge and took extra muscle power; we didn’t go far. I’d say there seems to some truth in what I was told that the new steering gearbox, tires, shocks, steering gearbox stabilizer and steering damper needed time to break in. When 3,000 miles have accrued, then I will know for sure.

The LT is capable of fairly robust speeds but I generally see little merit in traveling much faster than 55 or 60 mpg unless the roadway is particularly boring. I use the cruise control a lot. I know my mother hates cruise control, but I love it.  It keeps a nice steady speed and enables me to focus on being peaceful, relaxed and aware as I drive. Particularly when having handling troubles it’s something I will always use. My feeling is that those motorist speeding along can easily see another vehicle moving at a steady clip and plan their pass without pushing from behind.

My 1996 Class B Freedom Wide Leisure Travel can go anywhere.

The solarize curtain linings were great! A bit messy due to my lack of sewing skill but they not only kept the interior of my RV cooler they were a simple solution to creating darkness when parked under bright lights. My old system of mounting reflectix was awkward, the curtains with their linings were super easy. On the rear windows I could close just the linings or both the lining and the shade or just the shade.  Using the lining and the shade kept my dogs comfortable which was my goal.

Another perfect addition was the little auxiliary double fan which I mounted in the cubicle which used to hold the old TV in the upper front center of the rig. I really loved it as it meant I did not to run the generator while driving to keep the house air conditioner running. The fan pushed the cold air from the regular air conditioner back to the rear. It stayed nice and cool inside. I was really happy. When I stopped I’d open the wing windows and also turn on and open the upper Fantastic vent. I wish the old-fashioned wing windows were still utilized. You can’t put your hand in there and unlock the door and if you should need to turn off the air conditioner while driving such as climbing a steep hill in 100 deg heat you can open those windows and get a good blast of air, of course it’s hot air but still a lot better than opening the regular window.

12V AboveTEK® Dual Head Car Auto Cooling Air Fan, $35.00 from Amazon. These look big in the picture but they are actually small, I recommend them! The two fans swivel and turn.

Not so great was the latex bed topper. When my GERD was especially bad I found I could prop  my bed/couch part way up and sleep halfway sitting, actually kinda curled on my side with my torso lifted up.  It’s a bit hard to describe . . .  was comfortable and it worked. I still had room to lay flat if I wanted and the dogs had room to curl up on the bed in the morning . . they like to do that when they get the signal I’m awake. Dogs are amazing at knowing that instant when a person wakes, even if don’t move or make a sound, they know. The latex proved to be too bulky and too hot and just not comfortable. My wool bedtopper was all I needed. I wound up cutting the latex pad into pieces to use for dog beds.

Sand in the bed. This was an issue since we frequently went to the beach.  Mason hair does not hold sand, or dirt; Lagotti hair on the other hand marries dirt and sand and keeps it wrapped tight letting little bits fall out over a very long time (it does not come out with rinsing or light washing but eventually it all falls out in places you don’t want it.)  The best but most time-consuming solution was to shake everything out before I went to sleep each night and I finally resorted to this solution. I tried sealing off the bed with covers, blankets, towels, dog beds; sand still got through somehow making me like the Princess and the Pea, thrashing around sand irritated. Nothing like sand rubbing on your skin. I move around a lot when I sleep by learned habit. This helps me not wake with dead spots, painful cramping, headaches, or limbs completely asleep . . . most of you likely don’t have this trouble; it’s part of whatever’s amiss with my body. Moving from side to side during the night generally takes care of it.

Sand on the floor. This was the same solution. I have the rugs overlapping in short segments so it was super easy to lift them out and shake, shake, shake, did this every morning before leaving camp.  To remove dog hair I use a plastic hair removal brush or if nothing else one of the dog’s brushes works.

This trip I never used the exercise pens or crates for the dogs. Mason never goes anywhere, so I attach a light thin leash to his collar and that’s it. I know it’s cheating as the leash is not attached to anything.  He likes to be outside if it’s sunny, otherwise his favorite place is on the rear bed or one of the captains chairs. I tethered Jackson with a long line clipped to the side door. At first I was tethering Jeana as well, but she was like Mason, she didn’t go anywhere so I used the same system as Mason. If there were distractions I’d clip all the leashes to the RV or occasionally to the picnic table. My dogs don’t like to roam. They love to be with me. If I’m leaving them for some reason at the campground, like taking a shower or something, I’ll put them inside the RV.

Camped at the Rogue River: Leashes on but not attached to anything!

If you travel with dogs the number one thing you should teach your pets is RECALL. A perfect recall is so important. Your dogs should be so happy to come when you call, whistle, raise your arm in the air (my silent recall signal)  that they just don’t think about it. 100% recall is not difficult. That means a recall when they see a deer, a squirrel, another dog, whatever it is they should be more interested in returning to you. I know it sounds impossible but it’s not. I make allowances for squirrels but only in how long it takes for the recall, the recall still happens. If you want to know how it’s done message me.

There are tons of things for second place, here are some of them. No bark, stay here, wait, let’s go potty, don’t do that, stay on the trail, ignore those other dogs, do you really have to go out now? Not your ordinary commands like sit and heel, but things that are useful for traveling. I talk to my dogs the same as I’d talk to a person that needed my care. I read a lot of studies about what scientist believe about the intelligence and communication skills of canines. I take all that with a grain of salt, no, something bigger than a grain of salt. Dogs are not as intelligent as a 3-year-old or only capable of understanding 100 to 300 words or any of that. They are not human, An adult dog is extremely capable and intelligent. Some dogs are certainly smarter and more aware than others. It’s people who make dogs dumb and sometimes helpless. A dog cannot be compared to a human. How many dogs would compare their human to another dog? Wow, is my human dumb, I’ve been telling her for 10 years that I need …  fill in the blank here….  and she still doesn’t get it. A dog is another species. They are 100% (wow I get to use 100% again) intelligent. In my opinion dogs are brilliant.  Not many other species can understand humans let alone work successfully with us in hundreds of skills and tasks. That said, try respecting your dog. No kidding, they know what they’re doing, their motivations and purposes are not the same as ours. Every dog is a bit different from any other dog. There are genetic breed characteristic and drives, inherited, learned and environmental variances and disturbances. Dogs are emotional creatures, they dream, they play, they thrive on approval and happiness. they base their actions on being dogs and doing what is normal to them. Most dogs are responsive to rewards and excellent communicators. Why else would people love dogs so much? They even emulate us. And don’t think for a moment that they don’t train us, for some people more than they train the dog.

All 3 Lagotti. Waiting until I’m ready to go. This is what they usually do when off leash and I’m not moving.

Teenage dogs are a challenge but that’s normal for many creatures. It’s a time of self-discovery and development of adult personality and skills.  As dog trainers say, it may seem your adolescent dog has forgotten everything you ever taught it and will not learn; it is not true, so preserver and maintain your lesson plan. I don’t tolerate nonsense from my dogs but I allow them to be fully dogs. They bark, they run, they jump, they get dirty, they get excited. I only ask them to adopt a skill set so that we can be together and become a team. They don’t have to do it (it being what I want them to do) all the time or in all situations (except a recall.)  Mostly their job is to be a dog and mine to be a human. We get along much better that way and when I need them to do something they do it. I make it a priority to understand their language. Dogs will tell you everything. They love to communicate, they do it with each other all the time and they do it with us all the time too.

We ask a lot of them, to go against their nature to do what we want. Please don’t yell at your dog unless it’s an emergency and be patient with them. If you live with a dog teach your dog how to get along with others and what behaviors are needed in what situations. Don’t teach your dog to be a troublemaker and then throw up your hands as if You had nothing to do with it.

Leash is on.