Airstreaming with my 3 Australian Shepherds

[My3Aussies]

Have you been to the 4Paws Kingdom campground, if so did you like it? I checked it out their website, quite interesting and fun! I've always wondered why aren't there more places like that across the states. Or campgrounds with a "dog-sitting" services on the premises where the campers could drop off their dogs for part of the day or at night if they want to go on the town or to the beach or any place where the dogs are not welcome, and specially since almost all campgrounds don't allow leaving the pups unattended in the RV. Thanks for the recommendation, I'll definitely look into it.

[Xplore]

Originally Posted by My3Aussies

Have you been to the 4Paws Kingdom campground, if so did you like it?

Yes we stayed there in June. It's a beautiful secluded campground. Owners take pride and it shows. Lots of activities for dogs, several dog parks which included an agility course. Many sites have decks and large dog pens. The staff is really friendly and helpful.

Lots to do in the area. Most places are dog friendly. Parker-Binns Vineyard is a really cool spot on the weekend with a food truck and entertainment.

The Tryon International Equestrian Center has a free Saturday night horse showjumping competition which is dog friendly. It's a nice facility with many restaurants and shops.

Barley's Taproom & Pizzeria in Spindale is another hidden gem. All within 15 to 20 minutes from 4 Paws.

Lake Lure and Chimney rock are only about 30 min. away.

[My3Aussies]

Nice spot! Thanks for the recommendations! Happy trails...

[Oregon Ms]

We obey park rules and let him go off leash where we can.

[mariner65]

We took our Aussie tent camping for the first time when he was about 15 months old in a state park campground with a lot of RVs as well as tents. He was going through a horrible barking phase at the time and boy, was I nervous! In a new setting with new noises, the dog keep giving us his "alert" bark every few minutes after bedtime...yikes! Fortunately, my stepdaughter came up with a great solution: she turned on a "white noise" app on her phone which covered the outside noises for the dog but wasn't audible to others outside the tent. Everybody, including the Aussie, was asleep in minutes! Might not work for everyone, but always good to have a back up plan :-)

[SMKovalchik]

Many parks limit dogs to 2 so be prepared with options. I think a huge key has already been mentioned. PICK UP AFTER YOUR DOG. You’ll be shocked at the dog owners who don’t. They’re an embarrassment and the bane to all dog owners.

[upnorththree]

Everyone has given you such good advice! I just have to say this: pick up the poo! I'm sure you always do but it is worth mentioning because I see un-picked up poo at every single campground we've ever been. Every. Single. One. Ticks me off.

We travel with two high-energy retrievers, and they love it. They are bored when we get home. We always look for pet-friendly restaurants and off-leash parks or beaches, I use bringfido.com. Some of our favorite places are:

Fort DeSoto near St. Petersburg, FL. Off-leash dog beach and dog park.

James Island in Charleston, SC. Great dog park with a small beach and lake.

Indian Creek Campground in Cherokee, NC. Dogs are to be leashed but ours played in the creek and no one minded. Note, though, that ours learn their boundaries quickly and have really good recall.

Assateague Island National Seashore in MD. We let them play in the water early in the morning when no one (and no horses) were around. This is a place that you have to be really, really careful - recall, recall, recall.

Cedar Pass Campground in the Badlands. We let our girl off leash because she stays on the campsite no matter what but we kept our boy tied up because he might go up to people walking by, especially if they have a dog.

I asked this same question when we started camping with our dogs, and you really need not worry. Most campers at least like dogs, we have not had one single instance of anyone complaining.

[mysprinter]

Hi,
I have traveled with my goldendoodle and labradoodle. Its definitely a challenge especially if the weather is hot.. One thing I didnt see mentioned is to go to dog parks along the way to let them run off leash. There are apps to help you find dog parks. Many KOA campgrounds include dog runs. You have to inquire what size that would be. Consider feeding them their kibble mixed with chicken broth in a "kong" and frozen. Dinner will take at least 30 minutes and use their brain.

[rastapoodle]

We traveled w/3 standard poodles for years. All were rescues, one was a stray and the other 2 were surrenders. We're down to 'only' dog and she's 12.5 now. We found some campgrounds only allow small dogs or have a 2 dog limit. So, we never went to those campgrounds.
Keeping them quiet was always a challenge. They loved being outside but would bark at most people and ALL dogs. They were a pack but were ALWAYS on a leash and were rarely left in the trailer.
Puling up to a fuel island was like watching a clown car unload. Depending on where we were, sometimes I'd walk all 3, sometimes not.
We traveled all over with them but I must say that w/3, it was about where we could go, what we could do w/3 dogs. Now it's about us and 'only' dog is part of our pack. Not thinking we'll ever have more than one, again and I have not been 'dogless' since I was a child. We're looking at some long-term international travel about 15 months from now and after we get that out of our system, we'll get another rescue.
The 1st photo was at Watkins Glen's Clute Memorial Park before Luella (white) died about 10 days later. The 2nd was while we were traveling the Mississippi Blues Trail, in Indianola.
Just be aware of your dogs behavior at all times, give them lots of exercise and enjoy the travel with them.

[Jayjay89]

We enjoy traveling with our Granddog, Pico, when our daughter is out of the country. It necessitates a few changes in our camping style, but certainly worth it. Lots of good advice already mentioned. I will just add that we make sure we have reliable electric service if the weather is hot. More fun for all of us. Pico and our cat, Glorimir, are fine if left in the Airstream for a short period of time but we seek out dog friendly activities to enjoy all together. Have fun!

[Jan Tillman]

We have camped with 4 dogs we had a lab and a yorkie poo, plus our son's lab and his chow Our son got sent to Iraq at the same time his wife went to Afghanistan.
As the dogs were all very well trained many people stopped to visit with them.. Some parks had a 3 dog rule but made an exception when we explained why we had 4.

[My3Aussies]

Thanks for sharing your story with me, and so sorry about Luella! They look adorable and happy! What will we do without them, right? My yougest Finley the red merle who just turned one is one trouble maker, but he is so loving and full of life , you can't help but adore them. I take comfort in knowing that it can be done, it will be challenging, but those "Awww that was all worth it" moments are just around the corner.

[Julie-Bob]

Our Abby a Welch Cory has RVed with us since she was six weeks old and now she is 12. She loves the AS when I bring it home to pack it she runs and jumps in and lays in the door looking at us like let’s get it on.

[My3Aussies]

Thanks for the recommendation of stopping at dog parks along the way for a good run off leash. My one year old is a high speed runner, a frisbee, tennis balls retriever, and loves to chase the other two. I like the frozen dinner idea; my dogs inhale their meal in 2 minutes no matter what I do, so I will give that a try, thanks!

[My3Aussies]

These places sound great, I will definitely keep them in mind for my future trips.
I know what you mean about people not picking up after their dogs. I used to take my pups to this beautiful dog park when I lived in Salem, MA with an agility course, small swimming pools in the summer. Not long after we stopped going because many owners would just sit around chatting completely ignoring their dogs who pooped everywhere and no one picked up after them. They ruined it for the good owners.

[rowiebowie]

Originally Posted by My3Aussies

Hi all, I am new in the Air Forums, and still learning to navigate around the many ways of joining in, starting new conversations and where to look for the many answers I will be looking for. I recently purchased a 2019 Flying Cloud 28RQB and can't wait to take her out on the first trip.
I was wondering if any of you have traveled with more than one dog, and what types of challenges you have encountered. My 3 Aussies are friendly but very active and vocal at times. We will be staying mostly in state parks where I have made early reservations, picking sites away from "activity buildings", playgrounds or pools as to minimize encounters with kids or lots of people. I am aware of the restrictions and rules of every place we will be visiting. I will be taking them on hikes where trails exist to get them exercised, but my main concern is how would neighboring campers react especially if they don't like dogs or pets in general? Will I be constantly stressed about having to keep them quiet at all times? I will obviously bring their toys and treats and bones to keep them entertained while I'm grilling outside or just relaxing by the fire. I'd love to hear some of your experiences or bits of advice regarding this subject. Thanks! Mimi

Your situation, like some others, involves multiple dogs and they do bring a little pack mentality to the mix. I'm not saying it's a bad thing, just multiple personalities and their pecking order to deal with, as opposed to one dog who looks to you as the "alpha" and bonds more closely.

We've had dogs forever. Small, large, medium and in multiples and singles. We always got closer bonds and better behavior when it was just one or two. We just began Rv'ing this Spring and here's how things worked out for us.

We got our first standard poodle in '2004 as a therapy dog for my wife who had just undergone two cancer surgeries for thyroid cancer. He was professionally trained and my wife is very good with getting animals to behave so all went well. We had his working vest, but never took him out in public. We also never left him alone at home for more than a few hours. My Wife is fine now, but their bond was very deep.

In '2007 my daughter gave us a second standard poodle. He was named Typhoon because he was a whirlwind of energy. We could have named him Odie because compared to the other Standard, he seemed to be always sitting with his tongue hanging out and we used to joke the "thought bubble" over his head was always empty. He bonded very strongly with the other dog, but less so to my Wife. Or so it seemed.

Our old standard passed away in March of this year and we wondered how Typhoon (Ty for short) would do. After a couple of months of adjustment (for us all), we received the greatest surprise when he took straight to my Wife and I looking to please us just as he had done with the older standard. It appeared Ty had been watching and learning all along, sometimes from us, sometimes from the other dog

In May we started planning our first RV trip. Ty had never spent a single night away from us and we weren't going to leave him now. We got out the Therapy Dog vest and put it on him. Age has calmed him considerably, and it was like he knew exactly what he was supposed to do. He was now a working dog.

Bottom line, Ty (now known as "Ty the Wonder Dog") went everywhere we did on our trip. He seemed to enjoy it, and even now if we're out in driveway with him, he looks up to see if the van door is open. If it is, he climbs in as if to say "Let's go!"


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[kitpumpum]

I have two fostered American Shepherds
That came with bark collars. Not once has anyone complained, but we put the collars on when we leave for a couple hours.
Bring patience when you’re hooking up and breaking down. Three pups underfoot can test you for sure. Then again, I’m sure it’s all in the training be it them or you 🤪

[hickory]

Spent three nights in Branson MO. Motor home next to us had a yappy dog that never quit when you were outside. Owner left every morning don't know when they returned. Never saw the dog but had a sharp bark. Could hear it inside our trailer with doors closed. We were gone most of the time. So never complained but it wouldn't have been very pleasant trying to sit outside.
Hickory

[rmkrum]

Try dealing with 5 silly small dogs on a Long trip. It gets interesting at times, but they really love being with us. To them, the AS is just a big silver doghouse. Interestingly, they rarely bark when they are alone inside—unless someone looks in the window or the like.

Next trip, I’ll bring the cones and “Caution Tape” to keep lookie-loos clear.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

Ours pretty much never bark unless they are barked at. Even then it takes a bit to get them going. That may be because they have learned that you catch the rabbits by creeping up on them rather than by barking at them .... They still are working on what to do about deer ...

The one exception to that is when a stranger pops up suddenly in view. *That* is likely to get them agitated unless they are commanded to stand down. It's not so much an aggressive move on their part as much as a hope for a surprise load of dog treats ....

Bob