floor sleeperOne thing to think about before living in a van with your dog is that you aren’t going to be able to leave them in there for 8 hours like you might at a house. At times, like in really cold or super hot weather you won’t be able to leave them for even an hour. Scherzo is left alone about an hour a day, and never more than 2 1/2 hours. Luckily for most people leaving their dogs behind is a regrettable habit, and once you are freed from work by a house-free life you will be able to spend all day with your dog.

One thing I did well with Scherzo is teach her to spend time away from us, without doing it before she was ready or causing her any stress. Since there was no pressing need (like work) to leave her it took more than a year to get to the point that I felt good about it. Some people were so surprised that we never left her alone, my reply was simple “I like spending time with my dog.” I like taking her everywhere, but sometimes I do need to leave her in the van, like when she’s too tired to keep going.

The other day when we came back from the coffee shop I opened the door to the van, looked around and didn’t see Scherzo anywhere. For a second I was worried, then I noticed her, lying on the floor of the driver seat, her head under the gas pedal. Of a bed, two chairs, and her huge den, she chose that spot. It wasn’t too hot, but it was probably coolest down there. When I opened the door she didn’t want to move, and flopped back down and finished her nap. It was pretty cute.

For new van dwellers, don’t forget to make sure your dog is comfortable in the van before you leave her there for long periods of time. Start out with short periods of time and move to longer ones. One thing I did was just sit in the car with her, then sit very quietly, eventually its as if you aren’t there. This way you can get a feel for what your dog will be doing while you are gone. Do they get upset by passing dogs or people, do they immediatly pass out (Scherzo does), do they chew everything in sight?