question for dog owners
Thread Starter
|
Senior User
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 337
Likes: 0
From: California
question for dog owners
OK- this may sound silly.... But the wife is close to letting me get a new 6.7 for our family vehicle. We have 2 children both in car seats and 2 dogs. Her concern is for the dogs. I plan on putting a camper shell on it. We travel frequently in areas where the temperature is around 100 degrees in the summer and below 32 in the winter. The dogs currently ride in our suburban that has heat and cold in the rear section. What do you all think? Thanks
Lead Driver
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 5,227
Likes: 4,242
From: Kaysville Utah
I put them in the trailer with the horses and both seem to survive the heat and cold. Open the windows in the summer and close them up in the colder months.
I figure if they can stand running along side us on the trail in the snow or heat, they will do just fine in the trailer. But then I'm not one to pamper lap dogs.
If you are going to put them in the shell and worry about them, get a boot installed between the shell and cab, Then some heat or A/C will blow back to them. I see a lot of hunting dogs, making the trip to and from hunting in portable kennels in the back of open pickups. I sometimes wonder how the retrievers do that after getting wet in December.
I figure if they can stand running along side us on the trail in the snow or heat, they will do just fine in the trailer. But then I'm not one to pamper lap dogs.
If you are going to put them in the shell and worry about them, get a boot installed between the shell and cab, Then some heat or A/C will blow back to them. I see a lot of hunting dogs, making the trip to and from hunting in portable kennels in the back of open pickups. I sometimes wonder how the retrievers do that after getting wet in December.
Post Fiend
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 6,521
Likes: 11
From: Greenwood, SC
I suppose it kinda depends on the dog too? My lab is happy all the time, as long as she is with me. If it were me I would have access through the back window available, might put a fan in the camper shell, I would not worry about heat in the winter unless it's below 30 degrees for an extended period.
Heck, back in the 70's, I used to ride in the bed of my dads truck in the shell when we went on trips.
Heck, back in the 70's, I used to ride in the bed of my dads truck in the shell when we went on trips.
Junior User
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 99
Likes: 0
I was in exactly the same position - two kids and a dog for long trips. I have an ARE topper and I installed a bank of 12V lighter sockets under the bedrails which allows me to mount two 12V electric fans in the bed of the truck for the dog during long summer road trips. I leave the pass through window open and the side windows open and plenty of airflow runs when the truck is going down the road. If we get stopped in traffic the fans cool the dog enough to prevent any worry about the heat, plus with a truck she can have a water bowl in the back as we travel, couldn't do that in the wife's Expedition before. As for the cold, 32 degrees is my dogs preferred temperature.
Elder User
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 700
Likes: 0
From: Northern Il/Cabin in Wi
I can't be much help. I used to have the dogs in the bed with a cap on anytime we went to cabin. Then one time it was 104 degrees and the wife convinced me to bring them up to the cab. They have ridden there ever since.
That's why I have seat covers and wish I could shrink rap the carpet, or just have vinyl floors. I can live with it and she is letting me order a 6.7 '12.
We don't have kids though so we have the room.
It your question. To me it depends on the dog. My shepard and border collie take the heat pretty well. My springier would have a problem with it. they all do well in moderate cold.
Good luck............
That's why I have seat covers and wish I could shrink rap the carpet, or just have vinyl floors. I can live with it and she is letting me order a 6.7 '12.
We don't have kids though so we have the room.
It your question. To me it depends on the dog. My shepard and border collie take the heat pretty well. My springier would have a problem with it. they all do well in moderate cold.
Good luck............
Super Moderator
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 24,308
Likes: 42
From: SW Virginia
I would be more concerned about heat than cold. That said, make sure you have slider side windows in the cap as well as a front slider so some of the cool cab air can transfer to the bed area. A boot between the cab's rear window and the cap's front window would help. Food, water, and some kind of bedding for them too.
My Shepherds actually prefer the cold and will stay out until you call them in. In the summer though, they'll go out, do their business, and come back to the door barking to be let in.
My Shepherds actually prefer the cold and will stay out until you call them in. In the summer though, they'll go out, do their business, and come back to the door barking to be let in.
Believe Nothing
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 7,514
Likes: 398
From: W. Central FL.
Trending Topics
Elder User
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 709
Likes: 0
From: Virginia
It all depends on the breed. As a whole, heat is a bigger concern for any breed though, in my opinion.. My retriever/husky mix prefers the cold, but doesn't entirely mind the heat (he just camps out in the shade). Even if it's 90*+ degrees out, I have to go get him and bring him in. He just prefers to be outdoors (unless he's sleeping in his crate).
FTE Stories
Ford Trucks for Ford Truck Enthusiasts
10 Things Every Truck Owner NEEDS (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
Rezvani's Latest Post-Apocalyptic Monster Is a Ford F-150 Raptor Underneath
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Most Expensive Ford Trucks Ever Sold on Bring a Trailer
Joe Kucinski
2027 Ford Super Duty Buyer's Guide (Every Model, Engine, & Package)
Brett Foote
Top 10 Ford Truck Tragedies
Joe Kucinski
AEV FXL Super Duty - the Super Duty Raptor Ford Doesn't Make
Brett Foote
Lobo Vs Lobo: Proof the F-150 Lobo Should Be Even Lower!
Michael S. Palmer
Ford's 2001 Explorer Sportsman Concept Looks For a New Home
Verdad Gallardo
10 Best Ford Truck Engines We Miss the Most!
Joe Kucinski
Senior User
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 181
Likes: 0
Just don't want to be in the dog house with the dogs!!!
Cargo Master
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 2,787
Likes: 658
The heat worries me also.
I have an idea, try putting on a winter coat. get in the back and see if you can handle it.
Just make sure if you do this to your pups be very careful on extened stops without windflow or circulation. Dogs die all the time from owners thinking they will be right back.
My motto is. I treat my dogs like family. I wouldn't do that to my children. Pets feel pain,get scared and get tthirsty like everything else.
Good luck in whatever you decide.
BTW, If I see a truck witk dogs lock in the back of a camper here in Texas and it's 100 degrees out or close to that, I will bust out that window...Would do it to a car or truck also, if there was no circulation for those animals to get air.
But thats just me.
Shane
I have an idea, try putting on a winter coat. get in the back and see if you can handle it.
Just make sure if you do this to your pups be very careful on extened stops without windflow or circulation. Dogs die all the time from owners thinking they will be right back.
My motto is. I treat my dogs like family. I wouldn't do that to my children. Pets feel pain,get scared and get tthirsty like everything else.
Good luck in whatever you decide.
BTW, If I see a truck witk dogs lock in the back of a camper here in Texas and it's 100 degrees out or close to that, I will bust out that window...Would do it to a car or truck also, if there was no circulation for those animals to get air.
But thats just me.
Shane
Thread Starter
|
Senior User
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 337
Likes: 0
From: California
agree if I saw a dog locked in a vehicle in the heat I would bust a window as well. I am just looking for getting from point A-B usually around an hour and rarely traffic that stops. I like the fan idea just in case and will look for a cab that has a passthrough so the air can vent from the front of the car to the back and will definitely have slides on the side of the cab. I will let you all know the decision very soon!
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post