Thinking about traveling with your dog? These tips can help you and your pup while out on the road.
Playing with the dog at home, taking it for walks, and generally mucking about with it can be a lot of fun. But the moment you have to take your pooch anywhere, you need to have a plan for the new environments you might find yourselves in. Bringing dogs along for a road trip or vacation is fun, but being prepared is important for a successful adventure.
Fortunately, this post is here to help. We run through some of the things you need to know about traveling with dogs and offer some tips to help make your journey more enjoyable.
So, without further ado, let’s jump into the details.
Always Keep A Windscreen Shade In Your Car
Whenever you attempt to do anything difficult - whether transporting dogs or not - it pays to be prepared. That’s why we recommend keeping a windscreen shade in your car at all times.
Dogs do not like extreme heat in the summer. They find it difficult to cool down just sweating off their tongue.
Putting sunshade in the car keeps it cool if you take a break on long journeys. Even as warm as a 70 degree day parked in the sun can heat up past a dogs heat tolerance in just a few minutes. Blocking the sun from coming through the windows can buy you a few more minutes, but it’s always best to play it safe and avoid leaving them more than just a few minutes on a warm sunny day.
Tire Your Dog Out Before Your Car Journey
We say this a lot, but a tired dog is a good dog. Tiring your dog out before you make a car journey always makes for a less stressful experience.
Tiring out your dog is usually pretty simple. Just take them for an early morning walk or run and get it out of their system. A couple of hours around the park ought to do it. Then, once you put them in the car, they’ll be ready to rest or even fall asleep.
Keep Them Entertained
Keeping dogs entertained while traveling is probably the biggest issue you’ll face. But it’s easier than you might think.
Many owners, for instance, just give their pooch a chew toy to play with during the journey. They also find that it helps to keep the radio playing as this is a good replacement for general chit-chat.
You can also give them kong full of treats to keep their minds occupied. When dogs are eating, they’re not barking!
Plan For Plenty Of Toilet Breaks
Dogs don’t like having to hold it in. If they need to go to the bathroom, they would prefer to get it out of the way quickly.
Owners, therefore, need to plan regular toilet breaks along the way. Remember to take bags with you and stop off at places with bins. Check the map before you travel and see where you can stop along the way. Our dog Barry starts moving around and whining if he needs to go potty. If your pup seems agitated and you can’t find an easy solution, they may just need to potty. Plus, it’s a good excuse to stretch the legs. What you don’t want is for your dog to go to the toilet while you’re driving. That would be a smelly disaster!
Bring Your Kennel With You
Long journeys often require you to stop off at places overnight. But not everywhere you stay will allow you to bring dogs with you. That’s why it helps to have a backup plan in place.
One solution is to bring flat-pack raised dog kennels. You can put these in the back of your vehicle and then simply unfold them at night. People who camp or caravan with dogs use them all the time. They provide plenty of space while lifting dogs off the ground, out of the way of insects.
Remember, you won’t always be able to keep tabs on your dog’s movements at night. So having some sort of portable housing for them can help ease your mind.
Bring Plenty Of Water With You
Dogs can’t just grab a bottle of water and swig it the way we can. So before you set off on a long car journey, you’ll need to pack plenty of water and a bowl.
Take at least two liters of fresh water with you so that you always have a little to spare, just in case you get lost.
You can buy a bottle with a bowl attachment connected to it if you want to avoid wasting water and unnecessary spillage.
Make Sure Your Dog Is Secure In The Car
Dogs, just like people, need to be secure while traveling inside moving vehicles. When they’re not, it creates all kinds of problems. Heavy braking could cause your pooch to fly forwards dangerously, potentially injuring themselves and other passengers.
One solution here is to put your dog inside a travel box and then secure this in your car. But that doesn’t help your pooch if you get into an accident. They will still fly forwards into the grating.
The best solution is to use a dog-specific seat-belt. This way, you can protect them just as much as a person and prevent them from jerking around violently in the event of a collision.
Look For Ways To Keep Your Dog Cool
Dogs prefer temperatures between 15 and 20 C. Any hotter than that and they struggle to maintain their internal temperature.
As a dog owner, therefore, you need to look for ways to keep your pooch cool. If your vehicle has air conditioning, then that essentially solves the problem. Just make sure it’s working properly before you set off.
If you’re still struggling to keep temperatures down (especially when you stop for breaks), you can actually buy cool mats for dogs. These use special types of refrigerants to keep their surfaces cold, stopping warm air from becoming trapped.
Get A trunk Gate
Some dogs prefer to sit behind the back seats - and there’s nothing wrong with that. But if they do, you’ll need to get a gate to prevent them from hopping through to the front seats - something that could put you off while driving.
Don’t Allow Your Dog To Ride With Its Head Out Of The Window
Dogs love the feeling of the wind on their face. So, before long, most of them work out how to put their heads out of the window while you drive.
This activity, however, can get dangerous, especially if you come close to oncoming traffic. It also puts both you and other drivers off driving, which could be dangerous.
If you haven’t tried our FREE training course Focused Fido you can enroll here. The course is for all ages and it is great to start them as puppies. Learn the behaviors “Look” and “Touch”.
Please contact us if you have any questions on these tips, [email protected] or by visiting www.newmansdogtraining.com.
Also, follow us on Instagram and Facebook @newmansdogtraining. You can also follow us and our dog Barry on our training and outdoor adventures on Instagram @adventuredogbarry.
