Best OTR dogs

why would the dog have to be able to handle those temps??
you gonna tie him to a tree for a week??

 

One that stays home

 

Exactly!
A cab of a truck is no place for a dog.

 

I’m pretty sure next week you will find some unfortunate homeless dogs in North Dakota and Minnesota who will disagree with that statement if anybody bothered to ask them.

 

Most dogs love trucks. I would have one but I run so hard in such a tight schedule I wouldn’t be able to walk the dog enough or play with him to keep him happy.

I would get any dog that’s small to medium size that isn’t known for high energy. Unfortunately that doesn’t leave very many types. You could also go with an older senior dog and they will adapt great. If you can walk the dog twice a day (like while getting loaded, 10hr break etc.) you will be ok with a medium energy dog.

 

Certainly understand the want of some form of companionship.

I have been at companies that allow pets. Truth is they can be problematic.
Some of the things I have been told by ones who do have pets. These are the most common.

Refused to allow entry and loading at shippers with pets.

The animal is absolutely not allowed out of the vehicle for any reason while on shippers property.

 

Mt dog rode with me for years in the truck. It was great fun for both of us.

 

My dog was a border-collie & beagle mix. Think of a beagle colored border collie that was only 20-25 pounds. About 1/2 of a normal BC or 2x a normal Beagle.

It's more important the dog's personality match you and the job. As long as the dog wants to be with you, and you can look out for your dog's needs most of the rest is less important. I like medium to small size dogs. They are big enough to run then jump into and out of the truck. No lifting needed. A "couch potato" is pretty happy sitting the passenger seat or lying on the bunk most of the day.

A shelter pet is probably a good choice if both of you get along. I wouldn't pick a breed of dog as those are usually expensive, overly/poorly bred, and will have health problems eventually. I would advise you to always attach a leash to the dog before opening the truck doors. You don't want to have to chase a dog around city streets or truck stops, or find your dog run over. New drivers at truck stops seem to get paid based on max speed in the parking lot and number of simultaneous distractions while driving.

Curly haired dogs generally don't shed much. I brought a hand-held household vacuum to collect the hair shed from my dog. You want one with a belt-driven beater bar. Most beater-bar vacuums are driven by air, not a belt and they aren't as useful as a screendoor on a submarine. Also cheap rubber dishwashing gloves work very well in sweeping up hair from seats and the bunk.