Dog Leash Up/Anchor Point In Trailer While Camping/Sleeping: What do you do?

[CampyTime]

Hi All,
I could have sworn I posted this question, but alas, can't find it here. If I did post it, its not coming up on my IPhone as "subscribed," so my age and CRS must be kicking in
I have a Scamp 13 and often sleep on the sofa so my full grown kids can share the dinette bed. In so doing, I have to shut the outside door and lose the benefit of the potential air and breeze provided by the screen door as I'm always concerned my rodent/varmint sniffing dog will bolt through the screen upon sight of a squirrel, rabbit or other associated fauna.
I have a leash which I could mount with a D ring under the dinette bed, necessitating drilling holes in the FG bench. I thought about mounting it on the lower FG, converter side, then she'd be even further away from the screen door, and if desired, I think she could sleep either under the dinette bed or right on the kitchen/livingroom floor Whatever you want to call it...
I have a soft sided crate from the years with my pop up, and we used to put her in that for the night, but even the Scamp dinette bed is smaller than the beds I used to have with the tent ends in my previous camper. In short, it would take up too much room for 2 sleeping adults. She's 55 pounds and I love her to death, but she's kind of a galoot.
Any ideas or things you've done would be much appreciated.

Wendy

[Cedar]

Hi Wendy

Sounds like you need something like a screen door...

[Carol H]

Wendy I feel for you. I am raising a pup for a local service dog organization and he is with me for 2 years.. was 12 lbs when i got him this spring and weighed in last week at 55lbs and he is only 7 months so some growing to go still.....

I have used in the trailer a couple of different sized collapsable soft sided crates as he has grown this summer, just purchased another much larger one that now pretty well takes up the kitchen floor space. I am not permitted to let him sleep anywhere other than in a crate so I may need to buy a bigger trailer before next summer ;-)

Adding a marine type D ring someplace to leash him up is not a bad idea but I would be concerned with him pulling hard and cracking the fiberglass. If you go that route I would recommend putting a fairly large wooden board in at the point you anchor him, in order to really spread the load out.

Another option is depending on how assertive you think he might me at getting out the screen door - is to cut a couple of thin wood boards (or even a light foam board) for the bottom half of each section of the screen door. That way he can't see out and you can at least get some air from the top half of the screen door. Use velcro to attach as needed - put the none hook side on the door itself to avoid getting caught on it yourself when the cover isn't in place. When not in use they could be stored between the screen door and the tall closest.

[CampyTime]

Hi Carol,

Thanks for writing about the doggie dilemma. I simply would not be able to sleep with her free and loose in the trailer cuz I know shed bolt if she even heard or smelled a critter. She's part beagle and lab.

If I put a board behind the d ring what might you suggest? Say a 6" long piece of 1 by 4, or something thicker? And because it's on a vertical plane, I guess the bolts themselves would have to hold up the wood through tightening them down? I honestly don't want to permanently glue or glass anything in as too much work and sadly she won't be around forever and I could just use the d ring for bungee cording things later.

Cheers,
Wendy


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[CampyTime]

God bless you Carol in this most important work. My brother was a victim of violence and has a brain injury. We always wanted him to have a service dog but it never came to be. This is life giving happiness for the person who is lucky enough to get the dog. Again, God bless you in your loving work!


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[TomK]

Hi Wendy, I would use a cargo tie down ring like this:

http://www.amazon.com/Lashing-Enclos...argo+tie+downs

You can pick them up at Home Depot, Lowes or most hardware stores. It would require drilling 2 holes in the floor (measure twice rule applies here), but it would be much sturdier than mounting it in the thin fiberglass IMO. I use this type of ring in our utility trailer. It's very strong. Place it where it is easy to hook your dog up, but not where you'll be apt to trip over it. Dinette floor? After you drill the holes, I suggest dabbing some paint in the holes to prevent moisture entering the wood. A Q-tip might work for that. If Fido can't reach that screen door, you can get max air flow by using the full length of screen. Maybe put a dog bed in there for him at night?

A big Amen to your comments about Carol's work!

Tom

[Cedar]

Hi Wendy

How about making a "den" spot underneath the bed?
I could not sleep with a dog tied.

Kisses to your hound!

Love,

Bully and wolfdog

[CampyTime]

She does start out sleeping under the dinette on a special bed Cedar, but seems to end up with me...on the sofa!

This doesn't solve my problems cuz she's still loose, which means my scamp door has to be closed so she doesn't bolt for critters she hears or sees. I wanna stop suffering as I'm so hot in the sofa without the screen open and I'm too much of a softie. She has to get tied up at night and I have to toughen up!

Tom I know if the cargo rings as I have them in my utility trailer too! Cheers I just can see myself screwing that job up big time. Plus it scares me more than drilling the FG. Was just about to cut a piece of plywood to spread load. 1 by 4 won't cut it.

I was hoping that if she knew she was tied up even with the screen in place she'd be a good girl and not start too much shenanigans. . She is a galoot though.


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[Jon in AZ]

Here's what I'd do. The vertical part of the dinette riser has a frame member behind it. You can see it if you look under the trailer behind the wheels. I'd attach a D-ring there (probably under the kitchen overhang near the bottom so the floor would add rigidity). The ring would fold flush and be out of the way when not in use. Just make sure to treat the edges of the holes for rust and use washers to spread the stress. I might add a rubber washer between the metal washer and the frame as well. You could seal it with some rubberized undercoating.

[TomK]

No one knows your dog better than you do. If you think the fiberglass will hold her, try that. I would back it up with a substantial piece of wood though. If the lead is too short for her to join you on the couch, she'll soon figure that out, but all the training in the world seems to go out the window when "prey" walks by. Good luck, and let us know what you come up with.

Tom

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by CampyTime

Hi Carol,

If I put a board behind the d ring what might you suggest? Say a 6" long piece of 1 by 4, or something thicker? And because it's on a vertical plane, I guess the bolts themselves would have to hold up the wood through tightening them down? I honestly don't want to permanently glue or glass anything in as too much work and sadly she won't be around forever and I could just use the d ring for bungee cording things later.

Cheers,
Wendy


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Wendy the wider the area the board covers behind the fiberglass the better as you want to spread the load right out. As far as thickness goes I would think that a 1/2" would probable do it. Don't think you would have to glass it in - just the bolts to hold the D ring in place. I don't know your dogs power or drive so your the best one to determine if there is a chance that even with that they may pull far to hard on it resulting in damage.

Oh what we do for our pets!

[Sharon D]

You don't say what kind of vehicle you are towing with, but if you crate your dog in the car for driving, you could also crate her there for sleeping. It isn't ideal, but it is better than trying to tie her down inside your trailer when it is already so tight for space.

A metal crate just outside your trailer might also work, although she might feel the need to be on guard all night.

[CampyTime]

I have a chevy S10 truck with cap, but I don't crate her for driving. I don't think I'd want her to sleep outside all night. Tied up with a decent length of leash so she's only restricted from reaching the screen door would be ideal. I don't mean to have her so tight that she couldn't get up and turn around.

I'm taking in all these ideas so thank you so much and keep them coming! Saw is ready to go if I decide to go the plywood and d ring route.


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[CampyTime]

So Jon, I've been reading your idea too and if I understand correctly I'm putting bolts through the wood from board that makes the dining area higher than the rest of the trailer right? How do I get behind that board to put the washer and nut on? Is that visible from under the trailer? Also all is currently carpeted so i guess I would have to cut a little patch out?


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[CampyTime]

BTW, Katrina is my CampyTime photo.


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[Jon in AZ]

I don't think there is any wood under the carpeted riser, just the metal frame. You can see the frame member easily by looking under the trailer behind the wheels. It serves as an attachment point for the lower center floor on one side and the raised dinette floor on the other. You'd be attaching the D-ring directly to the metal frame. Strong.

You should be able to drill right through the carpet and metal frame from the inside. A very small slit in the carpet and masking tape would prevent the drill bit from causing a run in the carpet. Clean up the holes & apply rustproofing from underneath. Then put the D-ring bolts through from the inside, and finish up from underneath. Use right-length bolts (stainless??). They shouldn't stick out past the end of the nuts. A little loctite on the threads would be a good idea. Finish with a dab or squirt of undercoating.

Personally I would not attach it to the FG bench. A large dog could conceivably rip the whole bench loose.

[CampyTime]

Now I understand what you mean Jon because I slid under the trailer this afternoon.

I have a DeWalt cordless drill and pilot point drill bits I bought. Do I need a special bit for this? Last few questions...is it ok to put stainless bolt through the zinc d ring right? Don't think they make d rings in SS? Rubber coating you mention. Spray that right over nut and bolt underneath? Can I get that in a spray can? Wally World or auto supply shop? Does Rustoleum make it?

Finally I would imagine after drilling I should spray paint the hole with rustproofing paint no? This is a fabulous idea and I love it.


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[TomK]

If you mount a cargo tie down ring like I linked to earlier, you don't need to remove any carpet. Mark one hole on the carpet, drill it, place a bolt through the mounting hole and the wood. Then using the tie down ring for a guide, drill the other hole and install the other bolt. No need to remove any carpet, the hardware will pull the ring down tight. Have one of your kids climb under the trailer with a wrench to install the nuts. When you buy the hardware, buy bolts with rounded heads to keep from scraping your ankles moving around in the trailer. The whole job could be done in less time than it took me to type this.

Tom

[Jon in AZ]

I think a regular bit should work, as long as it's not too worn. The metal doesn't look very thick. Definite yes on rustproofing the holes. Not sure if stainless/zinc is a problem. Undercoating is available as a spray or liquid from Walmart or an auto supply store. Liquid would be better, but may only come in large sizes. Make sure the area is clean & dry- don't want to trap gunk or moisture under the sealer.

Now that you've seen it, this will make more sense. I would put the ring near the bottom of the riser, so when the dog pulls on it, the frame will compress against the lower floor. Near the top it would tend to pull the frame away from the dinette floor. Not good. Near the ends would also be stronger than in the middle, like near the kitchen cabinets. Maybe I'm over engineering this, but I have a 14 month, 45 pound mutt, and I know what happens when someone shouts "Squirrel!" Good luck!

[Cedar]

I would modify the "den" under the bed with a baby gate or install a crate-type door.

Good luck Wendy!