Road-trip With Your Dog – Keeping Sane On Long Car Rides
So many of us love to travel with our dogs – which is great! But, if you’re planning on a long road-trip with your dog, there are a few more things to consider than if you were just going across town. Kids can get antsy in the car, and so can dogs. Replace the “are we there yet?” comment with whining, drooling, and possibly barking. If your dog is new to the car, definitely get them used to car rides before you embark on a long road trip. Short trips around the block or to a park to play (even better!) instead of just to the vet or groomer will help them realize car rides can be fun, exciting, and not just for shots. Gradually increase the length of time they are in the car until you feel they are comfortable and can handle a few hours without needing a potty break. Once you’ve gotten them acclimated to a car ride, here are some tips for your road-trip.
Safety First
- Have a copy of your dog’s medical and shot records on hand, in case of emergency vet trips.
- Get your current ID tags on their collar and keep them on at ALL times.
- Keep them properly restrained while you drive. Many studies show crating them during car rides is safest for them in an accident because they can’t run away and get lost. If you can’t bring yourself to that, there are plenty of doggie-style seat belts available on the market, harnesses, or at least use their leash to restrain them in a seat. It is more dangerous if a dog is distracting a driver because they are in their lap or jumping over seats. They should be able to turn around and lay down while still restrained.
- Keep your leash on during the car ride. Worst case scenario: you get in an accident and aren’t able to handle your dog. Emergency personnel need a way to control your dog because he will be scared or possibly injured, and a leash is their first line to help them.
Related: National Pet Travel Safety Day
On The Road…
- The best case scenario is that your dog is used to the car enough to do one of several things:
- Sleep
- Chew an appropriate toy (bone, antler, nylabone, bully stick, whatever)
- Watch the cars go out the window
- Don’t encourage too much activity (jumping around, pacing, etc) – it’s just not as safe.
- Don’t offer too much food before your trip because you don’t want the potential of them getting carsick (or worse – diarrhea).
- If you have more than one dog, have more than one place for them to rest
- This means multiple crates if you are crating
- At the very least, a dog bed for each dog to lay on (but still have the restrained as mentioned above)
- Utilize your back seat to keep them out of your lap while driving.
- Get a waterproof back-seat cover (just in case!)
- If they are prone to carsickness:
- Roll down the window to let them get some fresh air.
- There are some canine-anti-car-sickness products on the market now you can give them, but a ginger snap also does the trick in pinch ;-P
Stretch Those Legs!
- We all need potty breaks, and so does your dog. Every time you stop, make sure to give them an opportunity to go as well. Give them time to walk around as well and stretch their legs.
- Mature dogs can go about as long as you can, but a general rule is try to stop every 3 hours.
- Make your gas-station stops short and quick – you don’t know the area so stay safe. Also, if the weather is bad, get their business done and get back in the car.
- Some rest areas are starting to have “pet play areas” – most notably South Of The Border between North and South Carolina (for those of you in our neck of the woods). Utilize these if you find them 😀
- Unless it’s an emergency – always give your dog a potty break before you take yours (or switch off with another rider). They might not make it if you don’t ;-P
- Offer water during these breaks.
- Try to pull in a shady spot if you have to leave your dog in the car while you go in the facility. Blast your AC on high for a few minutes, crack the windows, run inside to take care of business, and get back ASAP. With these record high heat indexes so far this summer, it is super important to remember the inside of a car gets SUPER HOT SUPER QUICK!
Don’t forget to pack their bag!
- Two travel bowls (food and water)
- Bottled water (in case a fountain or faucet isn’t handy during pit stops)
- Food (so you don’t have to change during your trip and risk stomach upset)
- Treats
- Plenty of chews and toys
- First-aid kit
- Blanket
- Towel
- Bed
- Potty bags (PLEASE PICK UP AFTER YOUR DOG!)
- Extra leash
We hope this helps you get ready for a road-trip with your dog! Have fun!
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