If you are anything like us, your life is a better place with furry friends by your side. We may live life on the road, but we weren’t going to let that stop us from having our pups. They enjoy nomadic life just as much as we do! Every day of the year, we travel with two adorable canine companions–and we love it! This is everything you need to know about navigating van life with a dog (or two).
We adopted both of our dogs while we were on the road. That means the first 3 years of our van life journey was without any pets. Introducing Mateo (and then Pablo) into our lives was the best decision we’ve ever made. From experience we can say that van life or bus life with pets is the way to go!
Life on the Road With Canine Companions: Everything You Need to Know
Bus life, van life–it all changes when you are living the dog life. When we designed our shuttle bus conversion, we didn’t just make it for us. We made it for our dogs too! These are some of the most relevant things to focus on when traveling with dogs in a shuttle bus or van.
Keeping Dogs Safe: Van Life/Bus Life Considerations
Safety is the biggest concern when traveling with dogs on the road. While you can’t account for everything, there are several common considerations that can keep your pets safe and help you to navigate any challenges that may come up on the road.
Pet Safety Tips:
Locate the nearest emergency vet when you make camp – We 100% recommend this from experience. A few years ago, Mateo had to be rushed to an emergency vet from a backcountry campsite. We were happy we already knew which town to head to for the nearest emergency vet!
Have secure storage for items that may be dangerous for pets – medications, toxic foods, garbage (anything that can be dangerous if ingested) should be stored away in dog proof containers or out of reach.
Make your bus or van easy for pets to navigate – have places for them lay down or a crate so they have their own “safe space”. You want your bus or van to feel like home and so do they!
Keep your pets on a leash when they leave the van – Good leash manners are always important but even more so on the road. Tie outs are also a great option when unsupervised around camp. Camping in the backcountry is unpredictable. It’s often not your dog that is the issue – it’s wildlife, stray dogs, other campers, snakes, etc that can really harm you pup.
Make sure your pets’ collars have updated information – We like custom tags like these with the dog’s names and our phone numbers on them.
Invest in pet insurance – We use and love Healthy Paws Pet Insurance. Travel inherently exposes your dog to more unpredictable and possibly dangerous situations. It’s a good idea to plan for the unexpected so you don’t get stuck in a bad financial situation if something does go wrong.
Have a plan to keep them cool – Have a plan for keeping your pet with you, or make a plan for keeping them at a safe temperature in the van if you plan to leave them while you run out. Pablo and Mateo are a big reason why we invested in air conditioning and eventually got our Zero Breeze Mark 2. This helps give us peace of mind when we have to leave the bus for short periods of time in hot weather. The Zero Breeze Mark 2 is essentially a personal cooling unit for our pups! And Mateo and Pablo LOVE it!
Keep pet vaccinations up to date – Always have proof of vaccinations printed out and stored away in a safe but accessible place. If you ever need to stay in a campground they will usually ask you for this paperwork. We also keep their health records in a file so we can pull them up if they need to go to an unfamiliar vet.
Work on training and have solid basic commands – This is simple but invaluable! We hired a trainer to make sure both of our dogs were the best they could be with their basic commands. The stakes are a lot higher when you’re traveling. We like to make sure our guys have the training to handle unpredictable scenarios. Some commands we like to reinforce with our dogs:
- “Stay” in the entryway of the bus doors to make sure they don’t run out before we exit
- A 100% recall
- “Quiet” to stop barking when someone passes by our bus in a parking lot
- “Place” for them to lay down in their beds
Knowing Your Dog’s Needs
Dogs may be the same when it comes to being downright adorable, but that doesn’t mean they are the same in every way. Every pet has a unique temperament, and that makes it very important to understand their specific needs as individuals.
Ask Yourself:
- How often does my dog need to go to the bathroom?
- How much food do we need to keep on hand, and how can we get more?
- How much water does my dog need in a day?
- How many walks does my dog need to get enough exercise?
- How can I keep my dog happy, comfortable, and entertained?
Both Pablo and Mateo are small dogs. This means we don’t need to carry a lot of food and they don’t have intense exercise needs. However this is not the case with all dogs.
In an effort to give them their own space to eat, we built a doggy drawer into the lower cabinet of our bus. Pablo and Mateo’s food and water dishes are now permanently mounted on drawer slides. They also have a toy bin that sits under our couch and a dedicated drawer for their food bin and leashes.
If you’re bringing your furry friend on the road with you, your bus or van should feel like home to them too!
Planning for the heat – Summertime stress
Summertime can be stressful for nomadic pet parents. Keeping pets cool in your van or bus is something we often get asked about. Is van life with a dog in the summer even safe?
What really changed the game for us is our Zero Breeze Mark 2. While we enjoy the Zero Breeze ourselves, it is really for Mateo and Pablo. They know they can lay in front of it to keep cool. They absolutely LOVE the Zero Breeze and we feel much more comfortable leaving them alone in the bus for short periods of time in the summer. Knowing they’re cool and safe at home gives us true peace of mind.
You can get $50 off your purchase of a Zero Breeze Mark 2 with our code ‘OWTR’ at checkout!
Another product that we haven’t personally tried but have heard good things about is the Waggle Pet Monitor. This is a temperature, humidity, and power loss monitor that sends alerts right to your phone. The monitor makes it easy to keep a close eye on your pets while they’re alone in your vehicle.
Wiping Paws and Keeping Dogs Clean
Living in a small shared space can get a little cramped, but pets bring one other big concern—filth. Unless you want your bus or van to turn into a smelly mess, it is important to keep your pets clean. We personally hang a small rag by the door of our bus just for wiping paws. This means it’s always accessible and helps tremendously to keep our bus floors, couch, and bed clean.
Wiping down paws and taking time to regularly bathe your dog can keep the inside of your van or bus nice and fresh. Pet wipes can be great for keeping dogs clean between baths and helping to navigate muddy paws. We use them daily!
Staying Aware of Local Laws
The best part of living on the road is being able to start your day in one state and end it somewhere new. However, it is important to remember that laws can change between states. As they say, ignorance of the law does not excuse breaking it.
Every state has its own laws regarding what is and is not acceptable when it comes to pets. Knowing local state dog laws is essential. Some campsites may not allow pets at all. Many trails have leash requirements. National Parks often only allow dogs on certain trails. Be sure you know the laws and respect any rules that may be in place.
Leave no trace – doggy style
Something that often gets overlooked is the impact pets have on the environment. We always make an effort to pick up dog poop as we’re camping. We also do a final cleanup for any waste we may have missed before we leave a campsite.
It is good etiquette to remove all your trash when you leave the backcountry – pet waste included. As travelers, we’re always trying to respect the places we visit. Cleaning up after yourself and your pets is an easy way to do that!
Consider Adopting while on the road
Don’t already have a furry friend but are considering adding to your family? We encourage adopting a rescue dog or cat while living van life and bus life.
We rescued Mateo from Halo Animal Rescue in Phoenix and Pablo came from the MASH inmate work program also in Phoenix. At the time that we adopted, both of these rescues were receptive to adopting to people living alternative lifestyles such as van life or bus life.
3 years of our nomadic journey was pet free before adopting Mateo. Life on the road became infinitely better with the addition of our two pups and we wondered why we didn’t adopt sooner! If you’re considering adopting, we 100% recommend it. You can check local shelters as you travel!
Struggling with the adjustment to van life?
If you’re currently on the road with your pup and struggling, ask for help! There is no shame in hiring a trainer to work on specific issues that arise while navigating van life with a dog. We did it and wondered why we didn’t do it sooner! It’s made our lives, and our pup’s lives so much better!
The behavioral problems associated with life on the road are often specific. Rescue dogs specifically can have past trauma that brings out different behavior issues over time. Our number one goal is to have the happiest pups possible. Working with a trainer has helped both Pablo and Mateo to be more comfortable, confident, and happy while traveling.
Enjoy Life on the Road With Your Furry Friends!
We love traveling, and we love spending time with each other–but there is no doubt about it, we love it all even more with our dogs. Van life with a dog does require a few extra considerations, but if you can do it while keeping your pets healthy and safe, it is absolutely worth it.
Our Way to Roam would not be the same without our pups. Want proof? Check out this sticker, shirt, and mug!