Tales of a Doodle Daddy - Traveling Tips
The Top 5 Tips for Traveling with a Puppy
I have talked before about how owning a dog can impact your flexibility and independence, and how once you make the commitment to take a dog into your life you have to take her needs into account before you make any plans from that moment on (see my article on this here - Tales of a Doodle Daddy posts). This week, I want to talk a little bit about the logistics of actually traveling with your dog, because my wife and I have gotten a lot of practice in this area over the past 7 months, and it has definitely been one of those things that is a bigger challenge than I first anticipated.
1.)Start a “Doggie Bag”: You will thank yourself if you keep a number of your puppy’s necessary items in some kind of a bag or container that you can just pick up and take with you when you go somewhere. The bag that River Valley very generously provided for Maisy has been a great way to tote all of her belongings around and I keep it stocked with poop bags, food, a few toys, and her harness because those are the primary things I dread ever forgetting if we take her somewhere. It saves me the trouble of having to remember everything she needs and the trouble of gathering it all together in a rush.
2.)Socialize with Foreign Environments…Early: If I could go back in time and redo any part of Maisy’s puppy training, I would spend more time socializing her around cars and buildings. She is not shy about new places or people, but any time we take her somewhere, I still end up loading her manually into the back seat of my little Ford Focus (I thank God she’s the runt of her litter) and when we go inside a new building she tends to be very shy about it. She definitely does not like staircases or tile floors and will often lay down, spread her legs out like a bear rug and refuse to move, which is pretty adorable unless you are the lucky guy who has to pick her up and move her.
If I have time to work with her, I can usually coax her into cooperation with a Kong full of treats but it takes time that I don’t always have and, hindsight being 20/20, that’s something we probably should have spent more time on while she was a young pup since we take her with us to so many places.
3.)Buy a Puppy Seatbelt: I used to laugh at the people who buy seatbelts and life vests and all kinds of crazy contraptions that tout dog safety…but then I became one of those people. I grew up on a farm and have ridden in pickup beds and tractor buckets on multiple occasions so I never gave much credence to things like that but what I’ve found is that you feel differently about it once you have a dog of your own. People are crazy out there on the roads, and if you can help make your pet safer for $30, why wouldn’t you? The other added benefit is that it keeps your pup from wandering around and distracting you while you’re trying to drive.
4.)Keep Cleaning Supplies Handy At All Times: My wife mocked me for toting around extra garbage bags and a roll of paper towels in the car…until the first time Maisy threw up on a road trip. (note from breeder: puppies' ears do not fully develop until around 8 months old and that means their balance is off and they are very susceptible to getting car sick). I also keep a plastic tarp in the trunk in case I need to get her to the vet and I suspect that I might be seeing her lunch resurface on the way. If you’re still not convinced, I guarantee that it’ll only take one time cleaning dog vomit out of your upholstery with a wad of wet Subway napkins to change your mind.
5.)Dog Beds Are Lighter than Crates: When Maisy was really little, we spent a lot of time crate training her, and I don’t regret that decision – it was invaluable in getting her to “survive” when we aren’t around and the crate doubled as a great place for her to sleep. But she got bigger and we had to upgrade her to a crate that you could drive a Sherman tank into, which adds a few steps to the whole process of getting from place to place.
So, with fingers crossed, we ended up buying her a dog bed at around 7 months old and so far she loves it and has not tried too hard to tear it into a million tiny pieces. It’s not an ideal solution for every dog while still in that puppy stage, but it has proved to be a much more manageable solution for us. Instead of toting around a few slabs of plastic and a bag of nuts and bolts, I can just throw her bed in the trunk of my car and be on our way. We set up a play gate to keep her from wandering at night and it has worked like a charm.
___________________________________________________________
Breeder additional comments -
Puppies ears do not fully develop until about 8 months old, so they are susceptible to car sickness.
Do not feed before going for a car ride.
If your puppy has "bad" car experiences the first few months, where they get sick every time, they will become anxious about car rides even older. Work on short, smooth car rides and give a half tab of dramamine about a half hour before going. The more the puppy associates car rides with getting sick, the more likely future rides will have car sickness.
If you have a dog that gets car sick - start with a few minute smooth ride, a quarter mile and back, EVERY day. Always praise them and make it non-stressful. After a few weeks, add to this time. If you put in the work, the habit and anxiety associated with bad car rides will go away and they will start enjoying it. If they are instantly throwing up, don't go without doing the dramamine first and do it at least a half hour before so it has time to start working.
I have talked before about how owning a dog can impact your flexibility and independence, and how once you make the commitment to take a dog into your life you have to take her needs into account before you make any plans from that moment on (see my article on this here - Tales of a Doodle Daddy posts). This week, I want to talk a little bit about the logistics of actually traveling with your dog, because my wife and I have gotten a lot of practice in this area over the past 7 months, and it has definitely been one of those things that is a bigger challenge than I first anticipated.
1.)Start a “Doggie Bag”: You will thank yourself if you keep a number of your puppy’s necessary items in some kind of a bag or container that you can just pick up and take with you when you go somewhere. The bag that River Valley very generously provided for Maisy has been a great way to tote all of her belongings around and I keep it stocked with poop bags, food, a few toys, and her harness because those are the primary things I dread ever forgetting if we take her somewhere. It saves me the trouble of having to remember everything she needs and the trouble of gathering it all together in a rush.
2.)Socialize with Foreign Environments…Early: If I could go back in time and redo any part of Maisy’s puppy training, I would spend more time socializing her around cars and buildings. She is not shy about new places or people, but any time we take her somewhere, I still end up loading her manually into the back seat of my little Ford Focus (I thank God she’s the runt of her litter) and when we go inside a new building she tends to be very shy about it. She definitely does not like staircases or tile floors and will often lay down, spread her legs out like a bear rug and refuse to move, which is pretty adorable unless you are the lucky guy who has to pick her up and move her.
If I have time to work with her, I can usually coax her into cooperation with a Kong full of treats but it takes time that I don’t always have and, hindsight being 20/20, that’s something we probably should have spent more time on while she was a young pup since we take her with us to so many places.
3.)Buy a Puppy Seatbelt: I used to laugh at the people who buy seatbelts and life vests and all kinds of crazy contraptions that tout dog safety…but then I became one of those people. I grew up on a farm and have ridden in pickup beds and tractor buckets on multiple occasions so I never gave much credence to things like that but what I’ve found is that you feel differently about it once you have a dog of your own. People are crazy out there on the roads, and if you can help make your pet safer for $30, why wouldn’t you? The other added benefit is that it keeps your pup from wandering around and distracting you while you’re trying to drive.
4.)Keep Cleaning Supplies Handy At All Times: My wife mocked me for toting around extra garbage bags and a roll of paper towels in the car…until the first time Maisy threw up on a road trip. (note from breeder: puppies' ears do not fully develop until around 8 months old and that means their balance is off and they are very susceptible to getting car sick). I also keep a plastic tarp in the trunk in case I need to get her to the vet and I suspect that I might be seeing her lunch resurface on the way. If you’re still not convinced, I guarantee that it’ll only take one time cleaning dog vomit out of your upholstery with a wad of wet Subway napkins to change your mind.
5.)Dog Beds Are Lighter than Crates: When Maisy was really little, we spent a lot of time crate training her, and I don’t regret that decision – it was invaluable in getting her to “survive” when we aren’t around and the crate doubled as a great place for her to sleep. But she got bigger and we had to upgrade her to a crate that you could drive a Sherman tank into, which adds a few steps to the whole process of getting from place to place.
So, with fingers crossed, we ended up buying her a dog bed at around 7 months old and so far she loves it and has not tried too hard to tear it into a million tiny pieces. It’s not an ideal solution for every dog while still in that puppy stage, but it has proved to be a much more manageable solution for us. Instead of toting around a few slabs of plastic and a bag of nuts and bolts, I can just throw her bed in the trunk of my car and be on our way. We set up a play gate to keep her from wandering at night and it has worked like a charm.
___________________________________________________________
Breeder additional comments -
Puppies ears do not fully develop until about 8 months old, so they are susceptible to car sickness.
Do not feed before going for a car ride.
If your puppy has "bad" car experiences the first few months, where they get sick every time, they will become anxious about car rides even older. Work on short, smooth car rides and give a half tab of dramamine about a half hour before going. The more the puppy associates car rides with getting sick, the more likely future rides will have car sickness.
If you have a dog that gets car sick - start with a few minute smooth ride, a quarter mile and back, EVERY day. Always praise them and make it non-stressful. After a few weeks, add to this time. If you put in the work, the habit and anxiety associated with bad car rides will go away and they will start enjoying it. If they are instantly throwing up, don't go without doing the dramamine first and do it at least a half hour before so it has time to start working.