Planning a campervan trip with your dog

In a car the dog sits in the back; in a campervan the temptation is to let it wander between the dinette and the bed because it feels more like home. That is exactly the mistake: under hard braking a medium sized dog becomes a projectile that hits you, the windscreen or the furniture. The living cabin is not designed to restrain a passenger, so protection has to come from a system built for the purpose.

• An approved harness clipped to a solid anchor, not to the cabin floor but to the structure of the travelling seats.
• Alternatively, a rigid crate secured so it can neither slide nor tip, placed low and near the vehicle axis.
• Never the dog on the overcab bed or the dinette while driving, even for short stretches: most crashes happen close to home.
• The water bowl emptied on the move and refilled at stops, so it does not spill and soak the bedding.
• A non slip mat where the dog puts its paws, so it does not skid on every bend and stays calmer.

A campervan parked in the sun behaves like a car, but with a sly difference: it looks bigger and airier, so people trust it more. The insulation that is a virtue in winter traps heat in summer, and the interior can climb twenty degrees in half an hour. Leaving the dog inside while you visit a village or do the shopping is not an option to weigh up, it is something to rule out from the start in the warm months.

The dog did not choose the campervan and does not find it comfortable by default: engine noise, vibration and tight spaces all have to be learned. A little preparation in the days before departure makes the difference between a relaxed companion and one that shakes for the whole holiday.

1. 1

   Let the dog board with the engine off, several times

   In the days beforehand let it explore the cabin switched off, with its own bed and a few treats. A space it has already sniffed and where it has received good things starts with a huge advantage over one discovered on departure day.

2. 2

   Test the restraint on a short drive

   A fifteen minute loop shows whether the harness is the right size and whether the dog accepts being clipped in. Better to find a problem near home than two hundred kilometres away with the whole load on board.

3. 3

   Create a stable, recognisable dog zone

   A fixed corner with bed, water bowl and an object that smells of home gives a point of reference. The dog stresses less if, in a vehicle whose view changes every day, there is at least one spot that stays its own.

4. 4

   Load extra water and food for the unexpected

   Carry enough water and the usual ration for a few more days than planned. Switching brand suddenly because the local shop lacks the usual one is the most common way to upset digestion on the road.

5. 5

   Prepare a reachable first aid kit

   Parasite control, any ongoing medicines, gauze, a copy of the health records and the contact of a clinic along the route. On the road there is no time to hunt for things, and the kit must sit somewhere everyone on board knows.

6. 6

   Identify dog friendly stops before moving

   Mark campsites and rest areas that accept dogs and those that ban them in advance. Arriving in the evening at a site that turns animals away, tired and out of options, is the classic first trip trap.

The beauty of a campervan is that you decide the stops, and with a dog on board that freedom should be used. A break every two or three hours to drink, stretch and relieve itself keeps the dog settled and cuts the risk of car sickness. At the campsite, meanwhile, a few good neighbour rules make the pitch liveable for everyone.

1. Schedule a stop every two or three hours, choosing shaded areas away from traffic where the dog can walk on the lead.
2. Never leave the dog tied outside the van unattended: heat, theft and escape are real risks on an unfamiliar pitch.
3. Respect other campers' space by keeping the dog on your pitch and always picking up after it.
4. Check where dogs may go off lead and where they are banned, which on large sites are often kept apart.
5. Each evening check paws and coat for ticks and grass seeds, far more common in the meadows and woods where you stop.