Hi I have a question,

how common is it for truckers to have their dog with them on the road? I know it gets lonely, and having a companion with you. How do you handle it when the dog has to use the bathroom? Do you train the dogs to hold it? How does the dog eat? I assume you don't just have a bowl in the back while you drive.
Also do most companys care about having dogs with you?

just wondering.........

A lot of drivers take pets with them. Most companies allow dogs up to 60lb on board though most require a pet deposit. If the animal is housebroken you won't have many problems, just stop every few hours, stretch your legs and lets the pooch water the tires.

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The road goes on forever and its all marked -Under construction, fines double

we have our dog with us on the road. we rescued her from the human society. She is a good dog. she has her water bowl and food bowl that sits right by the passanger seat. They do make water bowls that wont spill. We stop every few hours for her to go to the bathroom, she has normal times to do the other "business" lol. She never messes in the truck. She is extremely well behaved and part of our family.
white dove

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Lovin Life on the road with my babe.

I have a crazy question, why does it seem that 60lbs. is the magic number for dogs? I can kind of understand in a co. truck, but then again if I am comftorable with my 100 lb. lab/st bernard cross, who cares? I know NO-ONE is getting into that truck, period.lol. And a mess is a mess if you know what I mean.

Here is a picture of my faithful riding companion

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For Anthony 12-21-1973 to 9-29-2006
Baby, I was always amazed by you. Till we meet again. I love you always and forever.

Nice looking dog. Is he/she a pure golden? Looks to be around 65lbs. give or take. Are you an O/O or an L/O? Obviously you could do what you wanted in your own truck. Unless the evil insurance man got involved. lol

He is a purebred Golden Retriever, and you are right on the money with his weight, it is between 60 and 65 lbs, depending on his appetite. Thank God he is as small as he is (for a Golden anyhow). He was given to us by the breeder since he has no tail, either he was born without it, or mom bit it off, we don't know.

I am a company driver, for a company of 5 trucks and my job is the best driving job ever. I am home every few days, I get paid great (hub miles) and I get to bring my dog.

Not taking him is not an option. He was my husbands baby, and my husband passed away a year ago. My dog is what I have left, so he goes where I go.

I am very fortunate to be able to take him, and I take very good care of my truck. It gets scrubbed down every chance I get to keep it clean.

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For Anthony 12-21-1973 to 9-29-2006
Baby, I was always amazed by you. Till we meet again. I love you always and forever.

Its nice to see someone who feels the same way about their dog that I feel about mine

Like I was saying on another post... I wouldnt think of leaving her! She is way too attached to me, I've had her since she was 9 weeks old. A good 50 percent of the reason I am going into this profession is that I can take her. She is a pit, sweet as a sweetpea, and has short hair so she's pretty clean, plus I bath her a couple times a month (she even sleeps with me).

Plus, I just think its alot safer for a women to have a dog with her when she is driving solo.

I am curious tho... how do they know how much your dog actually weights? Do they just take your word for it?

I take my littlest dog with me on some trips. She weighs in around the 15-20 pound mark, so she is small enough to travel in the truck with me. She's well housetrained, so there are never any problems with that, and we make frequent enough stops for her to take care of any functions. I always start her day with a bathroom call, lasting about 15 minutes as the truck is warming up. I never let her jump out of the truck in the morning, since she has not been moving around and I don't want her landing on unstretched muscles. I provide a container of water all night, but during the day I limit the water to times when we are stopped, instead of trying to have water open in the truck. At the end of the day, another longer walk is called for, allowing her to decompress from a day on the road, and sniff whatever she needs to sniff. Last call is always made sometime after dinner, and allows for the last bathroom call before bedtime.

Feeding is easy, I provide dog food, and snacks throughout the day. The little packets of ham, turkey, beef, etc sold at the grocery store go for about 55 cents per pack (Carl Buddig brand) and make cheaper and healthier snacks for the dog than what you can buy commercially. If you want to feed an inexpensive meal in the evenings, Wendy's 99 cent chicken fingers, or a plain McChicken sandwich off the dollar menu makes a cheapie. Limit the fast foods though, since they are prepared for himan digestive systems, not animal. The salt and other seasonings are not suited for their systems.

Except for two customers, no one has objected to her being walked on their property. I recommend a flexi leash, about 16 foot and a good collar.

Small dogs may like to lie on your lap, but take care that they don't interfers with your ability to control your vehicle. Your first responsibility is still the safety of the truck and the load, so if your dog provides interference, then leave them at home.

so in your guys experiance, what type of dogs do you recommend for the road? I would like a medium size dog the I could house train, that would be protective of my truck, but still tame enough to have around my kid with out worries. Any sugestions?