Speaking of dogs

[DoctahDeane]

Hi everyone and Happy Holidays. Let's hope for a "back on the road, full bore" 2021. My trailer is tucked into the garage and ready to roll. I spent 2020 getting it all done and now trying to retrofit some sort of bed for my smallish older dog. Inside is pretty standard and wide open with feet under cabinets - all standard. The overall width is a bit narrow because of the overall exterior construction. Dog would not be happy in the car or outside in a crate. So if anyone has any creative solutions, it would be great to hear about them. Thinking that something constructed out of PVC piping that could sit on top of the mattress with room for feet underneath might work. Glad I did not get that Saint Bernard.

[troubleScottie]

Assuming you do not want the dog to sleep on the bed, your suggestion is about the only thing to do.

Remember, you need more than a foot -- more like 18" for your feet and bedding. If you sleep on your side, you might need slightly less. And the width of the frame will have to be wide enough to sleep under ( full size width??). There might be issues with a wide span and the dogs weight. Big difference with a 20 lb dog and a 50-75 lb dog. And if you are adding in a plastic/wire/metal crate, add in another 10-40 lbs.

There are dog beds made from PVC. They generally have short legs -- 3 to 6". You could extend the legs to get more room underneath. The major concern would be they have nothing to stop the dog from moving around. They might provide some design ideas.


Alternatively, is to use a soft crate -- canvas walls and mesh. Very light, come in different sizes, they do not take up much room when collapsed (more likely to fit in and out of the TD), easy to collapse or erect, often the outer shell acts as a drop cloth for getting the dog in and out. You could put on the bedding or raise it onto the aforementioned PVC frame. There might be issues with getting a dog with dirty paws in and out of the TD and in and out of the crate depending on the position of the crate and door.

A third solution is to add a bunk across the width of the trailer. Add netting to keep the dog in. This would use no floor space -- no legs in the middle, etc. Also could be used for storage when the dog is not present. A child bunk. Plywood (1/2", maybe 3/4") reinforced with 1x1 wood box on the bottom and plywood legs at the walls would be a doable retrofit. It might be a little difficult to get in.

[tony.latham]

Take a look at Ryu's (ryuandwings) sliding kid-bunk platform.

http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=50&t=59086&start=195

He's an innovative builder.

Tony

[exminnesotaboy]

Our first tear was a 4x8 and space was cozy with 2 adults. When a little dog came into our life, my wife got creative and built a “doggy popout”. He loves it and knows it’s “his place” when he gets In the tear. We primarily use it in nicer weather, but also have used plastic over the popout and over the exposed teardrop door in rainy weather and it has not leaked at all. All in all, it has worked extremely well.

The pics below are from the updated design on our second tear(5x10). If you think you may be interested in this design, post up any questions.

[Tom&Shelly]

Our first tear was a 4x8 and space was cozy with 2 adults. When a little dog came into our life, my wife got creative and built a “doggy popout”. He loves it and knows it’s “his place” when he gets In the tear. We primarily use it in nicer weather, but also have used plastic over the popout and over the exposed teardrop door in rainy weather and it has not leaked at all. All in all, it has worked extremely well.

Very interesting! We're thinking of dropping our cat off at my Mom's, across the country, and exploring the Northeast one of these days. Something like this might work for the 3-4 day trip from New Mexico to New York.

Thanks for the idea!

Tom

[DoctahDeane]

that's cool! great idea