We often get asked what it’s like to travel in a van with a dog, and whether vanlife is suitable for dogs. Cali has been our fluffy adventurer for over 6 months now, and we were lucky she relaxed into our routine and found her place in our van so quickly!

If you’ve debated transitioning to life on the road, you may be wondering, is vanlife good for dogs?

Vanlife can be a great lifestyle for dogs, provided they are still trained, exercised, stimulated, and allowed plenty of time to run around happily outdoors. Vanlife with a dog comes with the challenges of living in a small space, but if you like spending lots of time outdoors, it might be perfect for you!

Dogs living on the road with their owners need the same attention as those living in more traditional homes; they still need to be walked, played with, trained and allowed time to just be dogs. There are so many considerations to think about before going ahead and living on the road with a dog, so it’s important not to rush the process - Aidan and I waited for over 2 years before finally deciding it was the right time to adopt or rescue a dog.

Moving into a small space like a van or bus often requires a lot of preparation and thought, and bringing a dog into the equation in your home on wheels is no different!

Vanlife with a dog is a lot of fun, but there are challenging times such as muddy paws, injuries, and dog fur going everywhere! I guess for us, the joy Cali brings us and the love we give her outweigh the smell of wet dog and the need to sweep 500 times a day…

Vanlife with a dog is unique, fun, tiring, energizing, and uplifting all in one! It’s best to avoid bringing a dog into your van if you want to keep things clean and tidy 24/7. Dogs inevitably bring a bit of mess, so if you’re picturing an ‘Instagram-perfect’ van whilst also owning a dog - think again!

Having a dog when you live full-time in a van can also bring added security. None of us wants to think our van, bus, truck camper, or motorhome could be stolen, but unfortunately, vehicle thefts happen, and campervans are being targeted more and more.

There are many things you can do to help stop campervan break-ins such as keeping all doors and windows locked when you’re out with your dog, and ensuring all valuables are kept well out of sight.

If someone decides to try a handle when you and your dog are inside your van, however, you’ll likely feel far safer with your furry companion at your side to protect you and help deter the thief!

Finding a routine with your new furry addition may take time, and that’s okay! Especially when rescuing or adopting dogs, it can take a considerable time for them to feel comfortable and safe in a new place, particularly one that’s smaller than what they’re used to! We’ve put together a few tips we think are worth considering if you’re thinking about living the vanlife with your dog.

1. Avoid Leaving Your Dog Alone For Too Long

I guess this goes without saying, but far too often, dogs are left alone in houses, cars, and vans for far too long! Leaving a dog in a campervan for hours on end isn’t wise as it could make the dog stressed, and they’ll probably take it out on the lovely cushions you took hours stitching by hand!

It’s rare we ever leave Cali alone, and if we do, we make sure our bus is parked securely, that it isn’t too hot or cold, and that there’s plenty of water in her bowl too.

2. Keep Your Van Cool In Summer

Another seemingly obvious point, but vehicles can get surprisingly warm, and quickly when the sun comes out! Heatstroke in dogs is something to be taken seriously, and if a dog is left in a humid, hot environment for too long, heatstroke is, unfortunately, something that can happen.

You can take a look at the signs and symptoms of heatstroke in dogs and cats here.

Keeping your van cool in the summer and on any sunny day is key for the health and well-being of your dog. Opening roof vents, windows, and doors are all great ways to cool down your van, but other measures may need to be put in place when travelling to hot countries such as a cool mat, or dog cool jacket.

3. Make Sure Your Dog Has Their Own Space

Cali absolutely adores her bed, and she will often jump off from being sandwiched in between Aidan and me during movie night, and take herself to her bed for a nap. Having her own space allows Cali to have a specific area to head to when she wants to be alone, chew her bone, or simply take a nap.

4. Take Breaks During Journeys

Dogs, just like humans need rest breaks during long road trips, and even though you’ll likely get to where you need to go faster without stopping, it’s not fair on you or your dog.

Taking breaks during long journeys will benefit your dog as they can go to the toilet and stretch their leg while you make a fresh brew.

5. Make Time For Socialisation

Many vandwellers don’t tend to spend much time around other people, and this can mean your dog gets used to just being around you and no one else.

This is fantastic for loyalty but can also cause problems when you do visit friends and family as the dog may become nervous or aggressive.

Cali isn’t the most sociable dog, but we still have friends and family come in our bus, and we also stop to talk to fellow dog walkers, partly so Cali can get some socialisation.

6. Get Outside Everyday!

Not only is getting outside every day important for your physical and mental health, but it’s essential for your dog too! Even on soggy, rainy, windy days, your furball needs exercise.

Training is also a crucial part of our lives with Cali, as we want to be comfortable and confident with her off the lead and know she will listen when we give her an instruction.

Knowing how to train a dog can be tricky - especially if you haven’t owned one before. The below video demonstrates some useful, basic training exercises to implement with your dog.

Your pup will likely WANT to learn, so use a reward you know they love - maybe it’s a certain type of treat or a tennis ball, whatever it is, they will be more inclined to listen and respond to instruction if they know they will get their favourite thing when they do the exercise right!

Just remember to take things slow and try not to get frustrated. Cali can lose focus if there are lots of birds or other dogs around, but we find starting with a simple exercise such as a ‘sit and wait’ will calm her down massively, until we can progress to something more challenging.

We don’t tend to buy new things very often, preferring to instead use sites like Facebook Marketplace, Gumtree, and Freecycle to find the things we need. In a dream world, this method would work each time we need something, but unfortunately, sometimes we have to buy new things!

When we brought Cali on board, there were a few things we were recommended to buy, and some we quickly realised we needed. We’ve compiled a list of the 6 best products for vanlife with a dog that we’ve found to make things a whole lot easier!

TOWEAR Pet Floating Water Bowl

A kind friend was generous enough to give us her spare TOWEAR Pet Floating Water Bowl and we have been recommending it to everyone who travels with a dog ever since! Although we are more stationary now on our land in Portugal, we still use our van to drive around, and I no longer wanted the fuss of emptying Cali’s bowl every time we drove. This TOWEAR water bowl solved this problem instantly.

I hate having to throw water out of Cali’s bowl just because we are driving somewhere new, it’s both a waste and a nuisance, but this ingenious water bowl solves that problem for me. The floating plate and hole control the level of water whilst allowing some water to still be accessible, but without spilling everywhere - a game-changer for us as water everywhere in a campervan is NOT a good idea!

I like that this is so affordable but is still made from high-quality PP materials as it gives me the peace of mind I need that Cali is safe, and so is the water in her bowl! It’s also super easy to use, I just have to pop the black outer ring off, remove the grey inner section, and fill the bowl up to 750ml before clipping it all back together again - it’s that easy and saves a lot of hassle - trust us!

Although this water bowl is perfect for preventing overflows, we found it slid everywhere a lot during drives. We, therefore, moved it and it now has a home on our floormat when we are travelling where it has a decent grip and doesn’t slide around everywhere! It may be worth securing some Velcro underneath the bowl too for extra stability.

HezzLuv Tick Remover Tool Set

Ticks are gross. I’m just going to go ahead and say it. But as most of our time is spent outside, this means we have to face nasty little critters like ticks sometimes, and when they come crawling, we want to be prepared. That’s why I had to include this HezzLuv Tick Remover Tool Set as it has everything we need to keep ourselves and Cali safe if ticks decide to latch onto one of us!

This kit contains 3 twisters which make removing ticks incredibly easy and painless for Cali, a tick tweezer, stainless-steel tweezers, a magnifier, and a comb, all for under £10. Being prepared for ticks is something we hadn’t given much thought to until we adopted Cali, and since then we’ve had to face a few on her in Portugal and a couple on us too!

The twisters are honestly the best thing I have ever tried for tick removal. In one motion the tick is essentially untwisted from its embedded spot and can be removed in seconds. I didn’t realise the importance of getting rid of the whole tick during removal as if any of the bug is left inside the body, it could lead to inflammation and even infection.

Mikki Bamboo Soft Pin Slicker Brush

Cali is a fluffy, furry gal, and that means she malts…a lot. Although a bit of dog hair in the van is to be expected, if we don’t brush Cali, our floor would be a soft, carpet of Cali fluff! That’s where this Mikki Slicker Brush comes in. It’s easy to use, takes out so much of the loose fur from Cali, and she absolutely loves being brushed with this thing!

There are three different sizes available which is great, as bigger dogs may be better off with a larger brush so you can get the job done quicker. This brush does fill up pretty fast, but I find it easiest to just use an old comb and brush out the trapped fur once the brush is full.

This Mikki Bamboo brush might not be the best for short-haired dogs, or those with matted fur, but for long-haired doggos, we find it’s perfect. I like that it’s an eco-friendly option, as we like to live as kindly to the planet as we can! Since this brush is primarily made from bamboo, it’s strong, renewable, and sustainable - ticking three important boxes in my eyes!

We don’t use this on Cali every day - I don’t think she’d have much fur left if we did! But when her fur is in need of a tidy-up, it only takes 5 minutes to brush her thoroughly. I like to also take this time to do a tick check, as you never know where the little critters might try and hide.

Bunty Elevated Sided Dog Bed

As we spend a lot of our time in warmer climates, one of the worries we had was about how to keep Cali cooler during warm days. We couldn’t find the exact outdoor bed we bought for Cali, but this Bunty Elevated Dog Bed is practically identical and works in the exact same way as our one.

Being waterproof and durable, this dog bed is ideal for Cali to sleep outside in the shade and not have to be bothered by countless bugs on the floor, or even by lying somewhere she shouldn’t, like a nest. This bed packs down nice and small so we can pack it away in a heartbeat and get set to hit the road. I love that there are three different bed sizes available from Bunty, and we bought a medium-sized bed that measures 70x70x28cm and fits Cali perfectly.

Although we typically only use this bed during the summer months, it could also be useful to keep your furry companion off the cold floor during the winter season. It’s sturdy, strong, has managed months of endless use, and is still standing. If you’ve been debating about an outdoor bed for your pup for a while, we would recommend this style for its simplicity, durability, and easy storage.

FunkyPaw Petaverse PP Dog Flying Disc

Anyone who has met our fluffy sprog will know that her main love in life is her frisbee. It’s often the first thing she grabs when we head outside in the morning and the last thing she plays with before heading back into the van at the end of the day. This FunkyPaw Petaverse PP Dog Flying Disc is ideal for keeping her occupied and improving her endurance as it soars pretty far and fast through the air. It’s 20cm and durable, so I know it will last a decent amount of time, before needing to be replaced.

I love that this frisbee is made in the UK, as we like to buy products from smaller, local businesses, wherever possible to lower our carbon footprint and reduce our impact on the environment. Available in a few different colours, this frisbee is a great alternative to tennis balls and can result in lots of fun for your furry companion.

It’s made from non-toxic PP, so I can rest easy knowing it’s safe for Cali to play with. The bright colours make it easier to find the frisbee when Cali loses it, and the plastic material makes the frisbee easy to handle and throw around. It’s also easily washable by rinsing under some running water, and results in daily fun for us and Cali.

We get asked questions on Instagram about what it’s like to live full-time on the road, and also what it’s like to share such a small space with a dog. Here are some of our most often-asked questions about vanlife with a dog.

Is There Enough Space in Your Van For a Dog?

Yes! If we didn’t believe there was enough space for Cali in our hippy bus, we would never have chosen to adopt her! She has her own bed and blanket which have a designated place in the van so Cali can go to her ‘spot’ whenever wants.

Can You Leave a Dog in a Campervan?

Of course, but don’t be a noob and leave ANY animal in a campervan if you are not parked securely or the weather is warm and the van could get hot. Leaving dogs in hot vehicles is dangerous, and could result in the worst happening, so don’t be irresponsible and put your dog at risk.

Living in a van with a dog generally requires a lot of common sense, and if you’re someone who has been considering the addition of a furry friend for a while now, maybe it’s time to visit a shelter or rescue centre and make a dog in need feel loved.

How Long Did It Take For Cali To Settle In The Van?

For those who don’t know Cali’s story, we adopted her when she was 15 months old and moved her straight into our van. As we spend most of our time outside, particularly now we have off-grid land in Portugal, we weren’t worried about how Cali would settle, as she would have plenty of space to find her feet.

We were lucky it didn’t take long for Cali to get comfortable in the bus, and after her successful first dog walk and sleep, we knew she’d be fine.

If you are transitioning from a house into a van with your dog, it can be useful to introduce your pup to your van a while before you finally move in. Gaining familiarity with the space can make your dog feel more at home and settled when you hit the road full-time!

Is Cali Happy Wherever You Park?

As long as we are all together, Cali is happy! We do try and park in areas where we can take her for a walk in the morning and she can have some big sprints, chasing her frisbee. We didn’t have Cali when we travelled around Scotland for 5 months in 2021, but since she’s joined our pack, we’ve taken her to the Lake District, up to the Cairngorms, over to France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Holland, and down to Spain and Portugal.

Does Your Van Smell Like Dog?

This one made us laugh…I don’t think our van smells like a dog! We’re lucky because Cali doesn’t tend to go diving in fox or cow poop and we have towels to clean her up if she does get muddy.

If you’re worried about your campervan smelling of dog, ventilation and keeping your companion clean and dry should help a lot.

Vanlife is a great lifestyle for dogs, provided you are somebody who enjoys spending time outside and will be able to give the dog the attention they deserve. We genuinely find it odd when we receive judgment for living this life with Cali. It’s confusing because she is visibly SO happy, spends lots of time outside daily, and gets to stand right by our sides wherever we go.

If you’re thinking of bringing a furry friend on board, just be sure you will have the time, space, and energy needed to care for a four-legged friend. If you do, you can look forward to plenty of smiles, laughs, and a whole lot of love if you do.

We’re excited to return to our land in Portugal soon and see Cali’s reaction - we’ll share more updates soon so be sure to follow us on Instagram and buy me a coffee for regular updates each week.

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