Driving Miss Daisy - Traveling With Your Dog

Are you planning a summer getaway?  Is your best four-legged friend serving as your co-pilot, cohort, and travel companion?  If you’ve made the decision for your dog to join you on your vacation, be sure to look at traveling from your dog’s perspective so you can set her up for success on your trip.  The last thing you’d want is to get to your destination and have an incident out of “Marley & Me” occur when you’re so far from home.  It kind of puts a damper on VACATION!!  So plan ahead…

Long Car Rides:
Some dogs LOVE the car and will enthusiastically travel anywhere with you, while others do not.  Especially if her only real time in the car is back and forth to the vet or if she’s had a bad experience in the car (like throwing up), your dog may have a harder time traveling long distances than you might realize.  To make it easier for your friend…

• Get her acclimated to the car prior to your trip by taking her for short jaunts several weeks before. Start by just sitting in the car in your driveway and gradually start adding in trips where you go small distances.  Build distance a little at a time.
• When possible, do not feed your dog for at least 2-3 hours prior to a car ride.  If you are traveling a great distance and need to feed your dog during the car ride, provide a break so she can digest and do not feed her in a moving vehicle.
• Provide your dog with a comfy spot in the car where she can curl up and sleep, or maybe look out the window if she chooses – preferably in the back seat or back of your SUV.  It’s not a good idea to let your small dog sit in your lap while driving, or to allow your dog to sit in the front seat due to safety reasons (due to the distraction it brings and because of airbag deployment in the event of an accident).  Also, do not allow your dog to stick her head out the window, as this can cause eye injury.
• Take a break every few hours to get out of the car.  These potty breaks and quick walks to stretch her legs will make a long car ride seem less tedious to her.
• If your dog gets anxious in the car, you can provide some relief through homeopathic remedies such as lavender essential oil spray and oral supplements of ginger, valerian and chamomile.  (While there are conventional medications that can also be taken, many result in undesirable side effects). These natural healers will help relax her and ease tummy upset.  For more tips about dealing with travel anxiety and carsickness, there’s a good article on PreventativeVet.com.  
• NEVER leave your dog in the car unattended – especially in hot weather, even a few minutes can mean a life or death situation for your dog.  If you stop for meals, either pick somewhere where she can sit outside with you while you eat or stick to drive-thrus.  If you must leave the car, designate someone to stay behind with the dog.

Where to Stay -
​Hotels, Campgrounds, A Friend/Relative's House:
Obviously, some hotels are pet-friendly and others are not.  It goes without saying that you should do your research ahead-of-time to ensure your hotel will allow your dog (many have an extra charge).  The same is true for campgrounds, and your friend/relative’s house (if you still want to be friends or happily related to them after your trip, it’s important to respect their wishes).

• Bring a crate so you can keep your dog safely confined if you should leave the hotel room or your friend/relative’s house.  That way, she cannot destroy property that doesn’t belong to you.  Even if she IS generally good and nondestructive being free inside your home, being in an unfamiliar place changes things and can cause some anxiety.  So you’ll also want to bring some toys and things that remind your dog of home (maybe her dog bed or favorite blanket) to make her feel more comfortable.
• If your dog will be spending time with a dog she’s never met before, be sure to take proper steps to set up the introduction in a calm and pressure-free way to ensure there will be peace on the canine front during your time away.  For tips on how to do this, see my article "Introducing Fido to Rufus".
• At a campground, beware of additional safety concerns:
  • poison ivy (which can transfer oils from your dog’s coat to you)
  • snakes (an unsuspecting dog may be no contest to a hidden rattler)
  • garbage (people don’t only throw away food scraps but also leaking kerosene bottles and other things that could be harmful for your dog to ingest)
  • fire/grills (it doesn’t take much for a dog to want to pursue the marshmallow on the end of the stick during your s’mores making or better yet - the chicken on the barbeque!)
  • coyotes/bears and other wildlife (so don’t leave your dog unattended outside at night, even if it’s just for a potty break. Wild animals that live near campgrounds are getting more and more daring as they realize the humans that inhabit those grounds have food. While most coyotes and bears won’t go near a large dog, a small dog like a Dachshund or Yorkie may be seen as easy prey to a hungry coyote pack.)

​Beach Time:
Many beaches do not allow dogs during their peak season, but if you are lucky enough to find one that does, this is how you can make a beach day a fun day for all involved.

• Bring an umbrella to shade your dog from the sun’s hot rays.  Even if your dog is spending time in the water, dogs’ body temperatures rise more quickly than ours do, so they can still be susceptible to heat stroke.
• Provide fresh cool water - Don’t let her drink much salt water.  Not only can it lead to dehydration on a hot day, but it can also cause gastric upset such as vomiting and diarrhea.
• Respect leash laws – use a long line for everyone’s safety.  Your dog can still romp in the water and have a fun time running with you or the kids up and down the beach if she’s on a long lead.  But at least she can’t uninvitingly beg neighboring beachgoers for food or steal their beach towels.
• Be cautious of tide pull in the ocean.  Even if your dog loves swimming and is generally good at it, a strong undertow can quickly catch dogs off-guard, and sometimes their legs are not long enough to touch the bottom to stabilize themselves.  All the more reason to keep your dog on a long line, so she can’t float away!
• When water stays deep in the ear canal, it can fester and cause ear infections.  Be sure to dry out your dog’s ears with a tissue or gauze after swimming, especially if she has floppy or folded ears.  Keeping your dog’s ears free of water and debris can keep you from a trip to the vet!

Don't forget to pack these in your doggy travel bag:

• Waste baggies to clean up after your dog – nobody likes stepping in a big pile of you-know-what on the beach, and you don’t want to be caught with a public incident if your dog goes in the middle of a sidewalk in a tourist town and you don’t have anything to clean it up with.
• Crate – for in the car, hotel room, or whenever you need to give your dog a break from all the excitement
• Toys – both chew toys (like bones or bully sticks), so your dog can take out her anxiety or excitement appropriately, as well as interactive toys (like balls or tug toys) so she can play with you to get her energy out – and make fun memories for all!
• Leashes and collars/harnesses – you may choose to bring several leashes of varying lengths and a couple of collars/harnesses so you are prepared for whatever situation arises – and then you have a spare in case one gets left behind or lost in the shuffle
• Food and Water Bowls – and maybe even a collapsible water bowl or thermos that can provide water on the go
• Bottled Water – tap water from various sources, or water from streams and lakes, may carry microbes that your dog is not used to, which can cause tummy upset.  It’s better to provide your pup with the luxury of bottled water to make her vacation a 5-star trip.
• Any necessary medication and first-aid supplies – it might save you a trip to an out-of-town vet if you have some bandages and Benedryl handy, though you should always be prepared with the contact info for an emergency vet in the area where you are traveling, just in case.
• Travel documents – including your dog’s microchip information and a photo (in the event she gets lost) and Rabies certificate/vaccination history

Lastly, please remember that a trip to a new and unfamiliar place can be overwhelming or highly stimulating for a dog.  Be sure your plans for activities are realistic of what your dog can handle or your vacation plans can become exhausting if you have to manage your dog’s unruliness or anxiety.

When you can take these things into consideration, I’m sure you and your four-legged bestie will have a GREAT time together on your vacation!  Don’t forget, I always like to hear about fun trips so don’t be shy about sharing some pictures and stories about your trip with me!  Have fun this summer!
​