Pheasant and quail are fine for a trailer but a trailer is a pain in the rear for grouse.

I have an 8 hole box on my truck during the season. I have a love hate relationship with it. Getting it on and off is a ton of work. It is awesome when myself and a hunting buddy both bring our dogs. Its actually pretty great for just my 4. I use holes for food and water and straw.

A topper is fine but it is a bunch of shuffling with 4 dogs.

If I had only 2 dogs I would get a 2 or 3 hole dog box that fits in the bed. If money was not an object I would get an Ainley or a Deerskin.

http://www.ainleykennels.com/CratesTriple/Images/DSCF2319.JPG

https://deerskindogtrailers.com/slide-ins

 

I have had all three options as well and totally agree with Merimac.

 

I mounted a two hole dog box on a utility trailer. It was a chore lifting Basset Hounds in and out of a pickup.

 

You didn't say if you had an SUV or Pickup

I built a trailer that tracks exactly the same as my Jeep Cherokee Sport, and uses the same spare. Set up for 4 dogs and gear. Works perfectly. Prairie, fields or two tracks.
Has tie out loops built in. Water. Gear bins, lights, 900watt generator, etc.

It provides the flexibility of toting up to 4 guys in the Jeep out west for a week.

I use Vari Kennels in the back of the Jeep when it's just 2 guys here in MI.

So, two dogs, SUV with crates, 4 or more, trailer.

Lots of people age out of trailers, so they pop up regularly for sale.

 

I have a 1500 Silverado, 3 of us go West every year with dogs and it gets tight traveling out there, but I see your point with trailers.

 

4 dogs in the back of a pickup truck is easy. You need a topper with "Windoors". You can line up 3 facing the side doors and 1 facing the tailgate. Oh yeah, you have to have a platform above the wheel wells. Works great. Truck vaults or something similar are the best, no way would I have a truck without one.

 

My friend Greg does the same thing. I have a couple of dogs that need a larger crate and so I can't get this to work in my situation.
Its a good solution with the right crates.

 

I use crates in the back of the truck.Its a pain but the front ones are aircraft aluminium and easy to move around..I've always thought it would be nice to have a one level for dog box with two doors and then a roll down type divider door halfway back to create 4 kennels.would be great for trucks with toppers!

 

So I guess all the pick up built ins make the truck a dog hauler only?

 

Come running season and hunting season there is no reason to do anything else with a truck, right?

 

Depends on the dog box. Some of the built ins are pretty reasonable in weight and a couple of dudes can get them in and to with out a bunch of trouble. My 8 hole box I can put all kinds of stuff below it and it has a good roof rack. Different strokes for different folks.

 

Pheasant and quail are fine for a trailer but a trailer is a pain in the rear for grouse.

I have an 8 hole box on my truck during the season. I have a love hate relationship with it. Getting it on and off is a ton of work. It is awesome when myself and a hunting buddy both bring our dogs. Its actually pretty great for just my 4. I use holes for food and water and straw.

A topper is fine but it is a bunch of shuffling with 4 dogs.

If I had only 2 dogs I would get a 2 or 3 hole dog box that fits in the bed. If money was not an object I would get an Ainley or a Deerskin.

http://www.ainleykennels.com/CratesTriple/Images/DSCF2319.JPG

https://deerskindogtrailers.com/slide-ins

Thank you for the insight, might go with a dog box for now.

 

I have a 1500 Silverado as well. It is too wide for the grouse woods, and is easily stuck. That's why I also have a Jeep Cherokee Sport, a Subaru Forester XT, and a Bronco ll. For western trips we usually use a Suburban 2500. Carries 4 in comfort and 6 dogs with the trailer.

I've thought many times about buying a Cap ($2,000.00+) and building in a deck and drawer system. It always tells me I don't need a 50 grand dog only vehicle that I don't want to scratch on the two tracks.

Lots of different reasons to set up a truck different ways for sure. If I was in the training business, I'd probably go a different way.
YMMV of course.

 

. It always tells me I don't need a 50 grand dog only vehicle that I don't want to scratch on the two tracks.

That's the reason I purchased 2003 suburban z71 with a 4 inch lift.It doesn't get stuck like my pickup.Better weight over the rear I guess.I don't worry about brush like a new expensive ride.Only downfall is size and it keeps me from exploring some.But the trails I know I fit in are no problem.last year I had to go quite a distance in reverse a few times.lol.lots of mud and water holes and ruts with no trouble.A buddy guides in Montana and he said the suburbans go where trucks get stuck.He said they lose a lot of daylight getting the trucks moving over and over.But he did mention that once you put a couple elk in the bed the ride back out is easy!

 

For 2 dogs, IMO kennels in the back under a topper is the best way. With the larger cabs on trucks now, I can fit a three dog kennel in the back section of my cab.

 

Back in the day in ND, Suburbans were the best..

It could be so cold, and the dogs might be wet, that we kept them in there with us...

We usually had two dogs to a vehicle...

 

View attachment 315896 View attachment 315896

Back in the day in ND, Suburbans were the best..

It could be so cold, and the dogs might be wet, that we kept them in there with us...

We usually had two dogs to a vehicle... View attachment 315896

That's the reason I went suburban.Comfort for me and them

 

Sorry for the multiple photos...

 

The old squarebody..

 

View attachment 315901
The old squarebody..

Mid 80's truck?

 

There are slide in multi hole boxes, I have a 3 hole with top storage. I am 6-3 and the top storage is hard to reach but I can slide the box in and out with no help in 60 seconds. I use(d) this when I was working and I would be assigned different trucks from work.
I have a cap with sliding, screened Windoors on each side. Built a 2 drawer vault and any number of foldable wire crates. There are many sizes, width is really the key dimension. I found some 20 inches wide, tall enough and long enough for 2 setters in each (I usually only double in one crate. You can reach in the Windoor and get to all dog doors. For cold weather I cover and use binder clips to hold in place, with wool blankets. A better idea would be those quilted U Haul blakets, or, if the budget allows, buy fabricated insulated kennel covers. Blankets are cheaper. I hanng heavy towels oover the door to complete the cover. There is always warmth eminating from the box when I let them out in the AM. It's hokey, but it works and the cost was very low.
I found this to be the best setup for me.

If I had 2 more dogs I would get a sit on the bed rails dog box. This will provide all the room needed underneath for storage and separate boxes, one for each dog. IF YOU do this make certain the width of the box fits on TOP of the bedrails fits well and the bottom plate IS NOT cantilevered inside the bed. I watched a brand new box, designed and built this way, collapse on the truck and fall into the bed. The cantilevered plate bent and the welds broke in a few spots. The owner was lucky he was a trial where 8 of us could get it out of the bed, jury rig it for travel back to the fabricator.+

 

Suburbans and many SUV's are wonderful trucks, I really think the Suburban was the nicest truck we built, but for hauling dogs, hunting dogs, I would choose a PU first and always (now.) Skunks, wet muddy dogs and especially shedding. I clean out the bed of my PU regularly and it is full of stink, dog hair and sand. The dog hair flows out of the kennels and all of these bird dogs shed, get dirty and sooner or later will get skunked. A GM Crew Cab pickup is the exact same seating, seat location and seat room as a Surburban unless you have the 2nd row buckets, but leg room is still common..

 

We used a custom aluminum trailer we built for years. Like since I started hunting. When you're loading dogs, it's great. When you're eating lunch, it's great. When you're taking photos at the end of the day with your birds spread out on it, it's great. Every other minute of the day? It sucks... When the hunting party started dying off or crapping out due to age, I got rid of the trailer and never looked back. I'd have to be running 4 or more dogs to even think about it, and then I'd probably just force a second truck into the mix instead.

 

That red one was a mid 80’s.. we bought it in ND thinking it had 125k on the clock.. We found out later it was 225k..

When it failed all quadrants we bought a ‘90 that served us well. I gave that one to my SIL in CO who just recently sold it...

This was early 2000’s..

We used them only for hunting so dog smells just added to the ambiance... they always started too...

 

This is my dog box

The second photo is similar to what Bobby was talking about for a gun vault. I use this both when I use a topper and or my dog box. Its a dream set up. Plenty of weight on the back of the PU.

 

This!

South Georgia truck.You could get fat and lazy chasing pointers with this.Lol. Who needs a horse!

 

Suburbans and many SUV's are wonderful trucks, I really think the Suburban was the nicest truck we built, but for hauling dogs, hunting dogs, I would choose a PU first and always (now.) Skunks, wet muddy dogs and especially shedding. I clean out the bed of my PU regularly and it is full of stink, dog hair and sand. The dog hair flows out of the kennels and all of these bird dogs shed, get dirty and sooner or later will get skunked. A GM Crew Cab pickup is the exact same seating, seat location and seat room as a Surburban unless you have the 2nd row buckets, but leg room is still common..

The skunk issue would be my only downfall.I,put a piece of sheet vinyl in the back and flash it up the sides.I do like having them inside the suburban and one main reason is when it's hot they are cool.No need to stop and check on dogs in the back of my pu to insure they are well.Traffic jams in hot weather worry me and a few times in summer I have had to pile them in the cab on my belongings because we weren't moving.Last year was unseasonably warm weather hunting and they definitely enjoyed the a.c. as did I.LOL

 

 

Thats my rig above. I don't have bird dogs but instead 9 beagles. I will travel to run cottontail or hare just about anywhere. This set up works great for me. T trailer will hold 6 hounds comfortably as will the box in the truck. I can lrave hounds in the trailer and take different hounds each day. The box on the trailer has spring loaded doors so the dogs can come out of the box to relieve themselves or get water.