Nothing is quite as fun as packing up and heading out of
town for a weekend or a longer trip. A change of scenery
from time to time is important to recharge your battery.
This is true for your dog as well. Most dogs love to travel
and to be exposed to new places just like you do. But there
are a few things that you need to do to make the trip a
positive experience for everyone.
TIP ONE
Make sure that you take with you items that your dog is
fond of on the trip. Being ripped away from their routine
and surroundings can be traumatic for your dog. If your pet
has a favorite toy or blanket, be sure to take it along
with you in the car. For more comforts of home, you can
also bring their food and water dishes from home to use
when you arrive at your destination. Also pack a good
supply of paper towels and blankets for cleaning up dog
hair, dirty paws and the like.
TIP TWO
Keep small plastic baggies of food and treats with you as
you travel with your dog. The main supply of their food for
vacation can be kept in the main luggage. Even if you do
not think that your dog will need to eat while traveling
because it will be a short amount of time before you reach
your destination, you still need to have some food on hand
in case something happens and your are detained longer on
the road then planned. Keep these baggies of food in a
couple of different bags that are being carried on the
trip. This will help you from misplacing the dog food when
you really need it.
TIP THREE
If your dog does not currently travel often, keep in mind
that it could be a traumatic experience him to travel with
you. To lessen this possibility, take some time well before
your trip to take your dog in the car for short trips to
acclimate him to the experience. My poodle Buffy, who
wasn't accustomed to riding in the car except to the vet,
without fail would throw up as soon as she rode in the car.
That is until I began taking her with me to the park when I
walked. She soon associated riding in the car with
something she enjoyed instead of something unpleasant.
Buffy's nausea when riding in the car was soon replaced
with excitement.
TIP FOUR
Keep a clean water supply with you as you travel with your
pet. You can keep a couple of bottles of water with you
just for this. There are pop up bowls that you can use as a
drink container for your pet when you are on the road.
TIP FIVE
Make frequent stops during the drive - at least once per
hour to hour and a half. Dogs can get car sick just like
humans and if you dog gets nervous out of his routine, he
may need more potty breaks than normal. From my experience,
my dogs have been so excited to travel, that they wanted to
get out of the car and explore often.
TIP SIX
One of the most important things to do when traveling with
a dog is to make sure they have identification on them. The
identification should clearly state their name, your name,
address and phone number. This will be a lifesaver if you
should become separated from your pet. This happened to a
friend of mine who was traveling from Florida to Texas in a
convertible with a friend and her Golden Retriever, Goldie.
At some point while driving down the freeway Goldie fell
out of the convertible onto the road. It was a miracle that
she was reunited with Goldie about five hours later when
she received a call on her mobile phone from the person who
found Goldie limping along the highway. If my friend had
not had a current identification tag on Goldie, she would
have lost her best friend forever.
Traveling with your dog can be a fun experience for you
both. Once you have taken one trip with your dog, hopefully
you will want to take him on every trip. Your dog will love
exploring new places and spending time with you. By
following the tips above you can make sure that your trip
with your dog is fun and free for you both.
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