Training Pets for RV Living: 7 Tips for a Seamless Adjustment
We're child-free, but still consider ourselves a family of four. So, when we made the decision to sell our house and live nomadically, one of our top priorities was making sure that our dog Tanner and cat Lily were able to handle the changes as comfortably as possible. We began their adjustment process early on, before taking delivery of the RV. From that point until now, here are a few tips we learned to seamlessly transition them from house to RV.
1. Take their individual personalities into consideration Under normal circumstances, Tanner is the anxious one and Lily goes with the flow. However, in times of transition, Tanner handles himself much better. This is because Tanner's anxiety stems mainly from guarding what he believes is his: his house, his humans, and his overall comfort zone. When life throws him a curveball, he tends to look to us for answers, and when we show him everything is OK, he calms down. Therefore, we didn't have to make too many special accommodations for him. Instead, we took him along on our journey so that he could learn what was coming. He came with us to a few RV showrooms early on, so he could understand what travel trailers were, get used to the stairs, and scout out these new, strange living spaces. We also took him into our trailer on a regular basis, throughout our process of outfitting it and getting it ready for full-time living. He got to see the trailer in its bare aluminum form, half-complete with flooring, and 100% moved in with all our belongings. We kept yummy treats on hand to reward him for embracing RV life. Now he expects a treat literally every time he steps into his new home, but we can live with this if it means he's comfortable!
As you can see, we didn't have any issues with Tanner settling right in, at every stage of our moving process.
Lily on the other hand is snug as a bug, as long as she has her designated spaces. The transition itself is tough for her. We also have an added obstacle of managing her health. She has a chronic illness that causes digestive upset and urinary tract infections. Thankfully we've gotten her diet and lifestyle under control to maintain her quality of life, but with that comes the stress of wondering what will happen when her lifestyle is upheaved. We need to be extra careful to allow her time to adjust to the changes. 2. Start their adjustment process early. We started months before our move. We created a litter cubby that would be used in the rig, but we had her start using it in the house. That way she'd know that it's her space and her litter area, and she wouldn't feel claustrophobic in the more enclosed litter space.
We also began taking her for lots of car rides. She tends to get car sick, but we noticed that the more she's in vehicles, the better she does. We bought her a bed that attaches to the center console of our truck. This keeps her secure on car rides and also lets her be near us. Right away, this made a huge difference. We also packed her a go-bag so we have all the essentials right at our fingertips in case she gets sick. We keep puppy pads, cleaning supplies, and even barf bags handy! 3. Make sure pets don't associate the car with stressful experiences. For example, if they only go in the car to the vet, then they'll associate the car with the vet. Because of her history of illness, Lily is no stranger to the vet, so we needed to deliberately counter her car-vet association by taking her fun places. Where do you take a cat for fun, though? Thankfully, Lily has always been an adventure cat, and she loves the outdoors. So, we take her on hikes! She isn't a great walker on leash, but she has a backpack that she loves, so I strap her onto my back and off we go! Then we make little stops along the way to let her out on leash to sniff around.
While we were tackling the car ride situation, we were also maintaining comfortable spaces at the house for Lily. We were constantly getting rid of furniture and other items, which can be extremely stressful for a pet to witness. 4. Use comfort items to give them a sense of familiarity as all the changes are happening. We kept Lily's area as untouched as possible, until we absolutely had to start moving her stuff out. We also bought her a couple of small items that would fit in the RV. Lily loves to snuggle and burrow, so we bought her a basket and a pet sleeping bag that she first used in the house, and then we moved them into the RV. If your pet likes snuggly items such as these or blankets/cushions, let them use the items ahead of time, in the old house, so it starts to smell like home. That way, they will have pleasant associations when they see the items in the RV.
We debated letting Lily see inside the RV before it was set up for her, and ultimately we did decide to take her inside once mid-renovation. I would not recommend this for a cat of this personality-type, because I could see that she was stressed out about the noises and the bareness of the trailer. I took her out after a few minutes and then never brought her back in again until her comfort items were already in the rig. Fortunately this ended up not being a huge setback. As soon as she realized the trailer had her items from home, she adjusted nicely.
Not only are comfort items important, but so are comfort creatures! 5. Be a nurturing presence for your pet and stay with them while they scope out their new digs. If your pets are buddies, let the more well-adjusted pet guide your other pet through the adjustment process. Lily is an extremely personable and affectionate cat, and so we only brought her into the RV when we knew we could stay out there with her for a long time. We also enlisted Tanner's help. Because Tanner already knew the lay of the land, his calm demeanor helped show Lily that there was nothing to worry about. Their very first night together in the RV, this was where they decided to hang out. (Note that they are not typically cuddlers, but they do appreciate each other's existence whether they admit it or not. Sounds like actual siblings)!
When we did start leaving the pets alone in the rig, we started off leaving them both together, so they'd be able to keep each other company. We also would only leave for short periods of time. Eventually, we were able to leave them alone without the other, and for gradually longer periods of time.
6. Let them explore at their own pace. As I mentioned, we took Tanner to look at RVs. This was the best way we could let him explore ahead of the big transition, and he took full advantage. Every trailer we went in, Tanner scoped out every nook and cranny, all the way down to the shower! He assured himself that nothing creepy was lurking in a corner, and this helped him feel more at ease. By the time we got our RV, he knew what to expect.
As for Lily, we simply let her have her run of the rig. At first, she found herself in some interesting spots...
...but now, she's content laying in the sunshine, in her basket, or sitting in front of the furnace vents when the heat is on. She looooves warmth!
7. Try not to let your stress increase their stress. We humans have an advantage in that we're aware of everything that's going on. We're making the conscious choice to uproot our lives, and our pets are forced into the decision along with us. This process is stressful, even when you know what's happening. We'll talk about our stress more in the next blog post, but the bottom line is, whether it's for yourself or your pets, be patient. Don't rush the adjustment process because that will just increase stress even more. Be a team and look out for one another, because even though we might adapt at different paces, we are all experiencing the same change. Empathy goes a long way, as does taking time to breathe and snuggle, to let each other know that everything will be OK.