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Quick and Easy Tips for Traveling with Your Dog

Traveling far away from home with your furry friend? Keep these tips for traveling with your dog in mind to have the greatest traveling experience with your pet ever.

By Penny NewtonPublished 6 years ago 7 min read
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Traveling across the country or across the world is certainly one of the best experiences you can do in life. You're capable of visiting locations you've never been to, eating cuisines your tastebuds aren't familiar with, and just living away from home for a couple of days or weeks is the best feeling... until you realize how much you miss your pup. But wait, why not travel with your dog?! The two of you can check out so many destinations, you won't have to leave him behind with a dog sitter anymore.

As much as taking your dog on a road trip or flying is an amazing idea, it's certainly not easy to simply say and do. Traveling with your pet comes with so many responsibilities you have to be aware of to gain the greatest travelingexperience with your dog. In order to travel with your pet without any mistakes happening along the way, follow these tips for traveling with your dog! Make sure you keep every single tip in mind to make it an awesome adventure with your furry friend.

Keep your dog on a really secure leash whenever traveling either on a road trip or flying. Oh, and especially if your dog is a hyper one. Since you definitely wouldn't want your dog wondering off, or running because she saw something in the distance, avoid this by using your strongest leash from home or get your hands on one.

A great leash for traveling is this one by GOMA Industries and it's known to be a tough leash because it's made with the strongest material that doesn't tear easily when constantly being pulled on or chewing on it. In addition to the hefty leash, keep a name tag on your pet's collar in case your little one does actually end up wondering off without you.

Stop frequently for potty breaks and stretching.

When going on a road trip, as important as it is for you, it's also important for your pup to take quick potty breaks every now and then. If you're heading on a five to even ten hour road trip, it's crucial that you take a pit stop for your dog to be relieved of anything. No one, not even a dog, can hold themselves for a couple of hours on the road.

Among the tips for traveling with your dog, while taking your dog out to be relieved, exercise for a couple of minutes! Your dog certainly needs to stretch her legs after being cramped in a small area for hours. This will also revive energy back into your pet after curling up while sleeping on and off for hours.

Always keep your car well ventilated when road tripping.

If you're taking your car for a really long ride, always keep your vehicle well ventilated. This means turn on the AC, roll down the windows, and keep letting air flow through your car. This is important for your dog, and even you, since you're in a small area for hours. We all need air to feel comfortable and gain enough oxygen to breathe.

You should also allow your pup to stick his head out of the window every now and then. Not only will this give him better air to breathe, but his little curious mind would love to see what's happening outside of the car.

As a tip for pet travel, it's a must to use a pet carrier when traveling with your dog in an airplane. All airlines mention that your pets should be seated in pet carriers for comfortable traveling for you, your pet, and everyone else on board. And if your dog is small, you can place your dog in a pet carrier under your seat, which is what the majority of small pet owners do and it's one of the tips for traveling with your dog.

A great pet carrier if you don't own one is this one by SLEEKO. Comfortable, spacious, and allowing constant ventilation, this pet carrier is ideal for any small dog, because it's airline approved and it comes with many beneficial features. While your pet is sitting with you on board, there are mesh ventilations on the sides and top for your little one to get a good view of the place and gain proper oxygen when comfortably laying in there.

Make sure you pack EVERYTHING that your dog needs.

This is a major one from the tips for traveling with your dog, you must pack literally everything that your dog will need! You cannot leave anywhere from little to nothing of your dog's essentials. This means pack lots of food, water, medicine, a strong leash, grooming supplies, favorite toys, blankets, medical records and health certifications, poop baggies, and anything else you can think of. For both flying and road tripping, you must pack for your dog along with your own necessities.

Since your dog is an addition to who you're traveling with, you can't leave them out when it comes to packing. If they come across an emergency, you always have to be prepared for it, because you're far away from home.

Don't feed your dog before a long car ride.

When you're about to leave for a long car ride, try not to feed your dog right before heading out. There's a specific reason for doing this. If your little one suddenly gets car sick, the aftermath won't be pretty—especially if you fed your dog a lot before hitting the road. But there are certainly remedies to treat for motion sickness in dogs.

However, even if you shouldn't feed your dog right before leaving for the trip, but this doesn't mean don't give her any water. Water is super important, especially when going on a really long car ride. Always keep your furry friend hydrated in a well-ventilated atmosphere.

NEVER leave your dog in a parked car unattended.

You shouldn't do this in general, not only when road tripping. It's a well-known rule, and one of the tips for traveling with your dog—you should never ever leave your dog alone in a parked car unattended. This is very unhealthy for the dog, because inside of the car will soon lack oxygen and something terrible might happen to your little one.

Even if you're traveling around the hot or cold seasons, never leave your dog in a parked car that's been turned off. If you're stopping somewhere for a quick bite or picking something up for the road, take your dog out with the sturdy leash on her and tie the leash to a nearby pole if the place you're heading to isn't pet friendly. This is also one of the tips for a safe travel with your pet in the summer.

Allow your vet to microchip your pet.

Have you ever heard of microchipping your pet? Many pet owners actually consider doing this when traveling with their dog, and it's among the great tips for traveling with your dog. This also prevents actually losing your pup when traveling.

In order to microchip your pet, you must take her to the vet to do so. So, when your pet does get lost and is taken to a vet clinic or an animal shelter, they'll scan your pet for a microchip to reveal her actual ID number. Then that number will be called into the pet recovery service and they'll contact you of your missing dog.

Bring extra money for extra fees.

No matter how lovable and a good boy your dog is, he's pretty expensive to take him around to different places. It also depends on which airline you choose to travel with. Simply traveling one way on an airplane with your dog can cost you over $100, believe it or not.

So, be prepared to come across any extra fees just for bringing your pet along with you. Pack a bit more cash into your wallet, and never be surprised with extra payments. This is just one among the tips for traveling with your dog that you should know.

Last among the important tips for traveling with your dog is constantly placing DryFur pads in your dog's carrier. When you're flying in an airplane with your dog... there certainly isn't a doggy rest room around. Even if you know that your pet is strong enough to hold himself, accidents can definitely happen on the plane.

To avoid a messy situation in your pet's carrier, place DryFur pads under her in her pet carrier. This will absorb her accidents if she suddenly leaks. And always keep spare DryFur pads in your bag, because one is never enough.

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About the Creator

Penny Newton

Penny Newton: Dreams of honeymooning on the moon. Owns about 20 galaxy dresses and wishes to be probed by aliens one day.

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