Hello all,

I'll be doing some extended travelling and camping out of my SUV over the next 6-8 weeks. I will have my two working GSD's with me. To preface my question, let me say that it is now winter here with PLENTY of snow and COLD nights here in the mountains. I'll be toasty-roasty sleeping in the back of my truck in my 0 degree sleeping bag with expedition weight fleece undies on <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> .

However, I'm concerned how the dogs might fare sleeping in their crates next to me in the back of my truck? We're talking nightly lows of 0-15 degrees F, with windchills well below that.

Obviously, in an outdoor kennel a dog has hay or some other insulator to burrow into for warmth. Would a thick fleece crate pad provide sufficient warmth/insulation? How about with a few blankets?

I'm open to any/all suggestions.

Best regards.

You can pack the crates with straw, and depending on the type of crate, there are insulation coats you can buy.

Just insulate them as best you can with a blanket over the crate and then stuff it with some straw. I'd say no problem if you are in a covered cab in the truck.

An old trick that my pops always suggested was to give each dog a big fat glob of lard with the meal before bed. Helps keep them warm overnight.

Thanks for the suggestions, VC. Only problem is that I'm talking about the back of my Expedition. It stinks enough of dogs as it is , so I'm trying to think of other "warming/insulation" options like fleece, blankets, etc.

Or maybe I'd be better off just placing the crates outside of the vehicle and letting the dogs curl up with me/each other inside the vehicle to generate/take advantage of body heat, just like in a tent.

Where does one buy lard anyway?

Ever hear of the term "Three Dog Night" ? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

I would put the crates outside and keep the dogs in the truck. With all that body heat, you might be surprised at the inside temp in the truck.

In any case, unless the dogs are exposed to the wind, the wind-chill temp is irrelevant. Wind chill is only a measure of how fast heat is removed from an object. It's a 'feels like' temperature. This is, a -10 degree F night with a 15 mph wind gives you a wind chill of -32F. The question is, "How cold can your engine block get?" The correct answer is -10F. However, you can expect to get frostbite on your bare skin in about 30 minutes. That is roughly the same time as in still air at -32F.

Wind Chill Explaination and Calculator

Lard -- rendered pig fat -- is usually found in the meats section of most supermarkets. Good cooks use it for pie crusts. Grandma used to make her own.

As for the dog smell -- eventually you get used to it and no longer notice it. A good shampooing with a carpet cleaner and vacuuming willl get most of the smell. In my pickup, I dowse the seats with Febreeze after doing the shampoo thing. I've found that using sheets to cover the upholstery helps control the dog odor. The sheets are much easier to clean than the seats.

Try the lard at home first. It can upset some dogs, and you definitely don't want to be battling THAT smell in your SUV.

I have seen lard by the vegetable shortening or in the Mexican section of the grocery store.

I used to have my dogs loose in the van with me when I went camping. They enjoyed getting under their own covers with blankets under them also. Get a good ice scraper for the INSIDE of your windows. The breath from you and the dogs will frost them up pretty fast.

Thanks for the suggestions everyone.

Thanks for the windchill info Charlie, though I'm somewhat familiar with it already. The doggy smell doesn't bother me too much. I just didn't want to add anything to it with the smell of dirty hay, etc.

After thinking about it, I really think sleeping with the dogs is the best idea. It will help keep ALL of us warm <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> . And as far as condensation inside the windows, well I had planned on cracking each window an inch or so to allow for evaporation (it's not like it will make it any colder inside th car.)

Thanks again everyone!

I've done some real cold camping during SAR missions and hunting etc etc. I have a Dodge Durango so I know where you are coming from. I have been in sub zero weather. Here are things I have used for myself and my dog. Run your heater for 15 minutes or so every couple hours when you wake up due to the cold or get a ceramic heater that runs off of your trucks accessory plug in. If you choose to go with no heat source take rocks from around your campfire and put a few around the edge of each dogs crate with plenty of blankets..I use old towels and give each dog about 4 or 5 and put one over them when I crate them and if its cold enough they keep it on I also hang a towel over the front door of the crate to help the dogs body heat stay in. On my trips in an SUV with the towels and a few warm rocks the temp inside and crate never went below 40 degrees and the dogs didn't suffer a bit. Woke up roaring to go. I imagine a hot water bottle or those instant heat packs that heat up for 8-10 hours would work well also. Derek