# Lightweight Portable Pen for Dogs?



## luvsgoldens (Apr 17, 2011)

we RV with our 2 large golden retrievers. I really hate putting them on a tie-out type run since they always manage to get tangled up with one another. Has anyone used those fold up exercise pens to use as a means of confining your dog in the RV park/campground? We pull a 30' TT and don't want anything too heavy or hard to pack. Suggestions?


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## artmart (Sep 21, 2010)

We had a Chihuahua and used one to three eight panel 2'x2' portable pens. I would stack them in the back of the truck bed and bring out what we needed depending on how large of an enclosure we wanted to make. This provided the little guy with lots of running room. But he was mostly an indoor dog and we used this rarely.

Unfortunately, I think you'd need larger exercise pens (4' x 2') and these would be heavier and larger to transport, plus you have TWO large dogs compared to our one little Chihuahua. But wandering around campgrounds we stay at we've seen owners that use them for there large dogs.


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## Nebo (Mar 23, 2011)

We have two English mastiffs...and we do use the folding section pens. They can be set up in any abstract and also added to if drsired, they also can be staked down. Now you would think two 200+ lb dogs would just trompel over/through them but the dogs are perfectly content inside the pen....although one time the park ranger stopped by thinking we were raising livestock. hope this was helpful n happy camping.


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## PhilnJill (Aug 3, 2011)

a recent camping trip my wife and had to keep untangling our 2 Labs so I started thinking of a way to pen them that is not cumbersome to transport or setup. after a while I came up with an idea and that is to use a 100ft x 4ft roll of wire fencing with some fence stakes. cheap, fairly light and easy to setup and transport. 

in theory it is a great idea but dont know how it will work out in reality.


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## csinns (Mar 1, 2010)

The long roll of wire may prove to be cumbersome to roll up and handle , I would like to hear how it works for you  . I would suggest making 4ft square or 6ft x 4ft wire panels that you can simply clip together with cable ties. it means cutting the ties when its time to move on but they are very cheap to buy. you could also incorporate a door in one panel.


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## JoeS (Jun 1, 2011)

My friends use the dog shock collars and they seem to work pretty well. You really only have to use the collar a couple of times and then after that you really dont need to shock them anymore.


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## PhilnJill (Aug 3, 2011)

csinns, I thought about and making sections as you mentioned or just cut the roll into sections to make it more manageable..


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## ctfortner (Nov 16, 2007)

We use a collar on our small dog that sprays citronella. Its the best thing we ever bought, humane and you wouldnt believe how well it works. Its activated by him barking and once it sprays once, he wont bark for a couple of days. Apparently dogs hate the smell of it, and I never knew that. 

Now what we do to make it easier is make it spray once just so it has the smell, then put it on him. He inst tempted to bark because he smells it and knows whats up 

Its refillable with a aerosol type can, like refilling a lighter. Its not this brand, but same concept

Premier Gentle Spray Bark Control System - Citronella Spray Bark Collar from PETCO.com


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## JoeS (Jun 1, 2011)

When you mention that spray the first thing that came to my mind was "Billy the exterminator" show where he uses that flower for killing insects but its not the same.


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## 04fxsts (Aug 14, 2011)

My wife and I haven't been camping yet, just got the camper and still getting things set up, but this is something we must work out also. Our dogs, both rescue dogs 90lbs and 45 lbs have a fenced in yard at home so aside from walks on a leash have never been tied up. We will be pulling the camper with a truck with an 8' bed I am thinking of some panels with a wood frame and wire. I am still in the planning stage so don't know exactly how it will work out. Jim.


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## TravelRVing (Jun 16, 2011)

Citronella collar? Never heard of it til now. Will definitely look into it!


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## dhutchinson (Sep 5, 2011)

We have always raised Labs and when my two babies were with us, I used the orange netting that is used by construction or highway workers. We carried 4-6 6' posts and a roll of the netting. Set the posts in the ground, put netting around it and they were set. The netting can be found in 3' and 4' widths and I believe we purchased a 50' roll. I know I could carry the netting and the posts with no problem.


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## 04fxsts (Aug 14, 2011)

dhutchinson said:


> We have always raised Labs and when my two babies were with us, I used the orange netting that is used by construction or highway workers. We carried 4-6 6' posts and a roll of the netting. Set the posts in the ground, put netting around it and they were set. The netting can be found in 3' and 4' widths and I believe we purchased a 50' roll. I know I could carry the netting and the posts with no problem.


 
I found the same thing only called "snow fence" and it is black. We are thinking about taking our two boys next weekend so I must get busy. I will make frames with the SF attached that I can throw in the back of the truck. Jim.


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## Gus (Mar 30, 2011)

Get a Petsafe Wireless fence!!!!! 

All the exclamation marks are because I found it to work so well I couldn't believe more people aren't talking about them for campers.

But... you do need electricity. Which is usually not a problem for RV's

You can get them between $150 and $250 - money well spent when you consider the restricted run areas of pens, the tangles of tie-ups, and the pain in the butt of put-up/take-down of other confinement schemes. And the happiness of semi-free roam for your dogs.

ps. Notice there are no sales or promotional links here - this is a real testimonial!

The systems use shock collars that "ping" the dog when it reaches a set boundary, and shock them if they go past it.

Shock level can be set to "really bad" which my conscience wouldn't let me use, to a mild shock similar to those "joke pens" from the gag store - which is the setting that worked great for my two medium size labs. And as a previous poster mentioned - after the first shock - they usually scoot back into safe territory when they hear the Ping (beep) warning.

Plus - the system lets you "dial-in" the size of the confinement area - down to as small as a 15 foot circle, or as large as a 180 feet circle.

AND the system is only slightly larger than a gallon milk jug.

*Gus*
"Of course I trust my political representatives ... just not with my liberties or my wallet" :Camping with Gus


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## luckylynn (Sep 11, 2011)

luvsgoldens said:


> we RV with our 2 large golden retrievers. I really hate putting them on a tie-out type run since they always manage to get tangled up with one another. Has anyone used those fold up exercise pens to use as a means of confining your dog in the RV park/campground? We pull a 30' TT and don't want anything too heavy or hard to pack. Suggestions?


In our family we all use Xpens and or crates when out camping or at dog shows. When camping DD will set her crate outside the Xpen so her dogs can go in their crate or pen. She has to connect the sides of the pen so it will attache to the crate that then forms a square.At dog shows they stay in their crate if they are not in the show ring The other DD's just keep their dogs in their crates( the crates are extra large,the dogs or medium size) except when they are out hiking,which is most of the day.Then at night all of the dogs stay in the tents with their people. DH and I have Chihuahuas they have a special made Xpen that he designed and built just for them.They stay in it when we are outside and in the camper when we are inside or gone. Exercise pens are great they fold easy and when folded do not take up a lot of room,the same goes for wire crates.

I feel sure that by now you have solved your problem. What did you end up doing? i will say it took all of us several camping trips to come up with the right answer for each family and dog.

Happy Camping


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