car trips with a dog

[Jennasis]

We have an upcoming trip from NC to NY (about a 10 hour drive) and for the first time we are bringing our dog. She likes the car ("GOING bye bye") but I'm interested in tips from seasoned pet travelers. This will be her first looooong car ride. I planned to bring chew toys and treats and to stop frequently for potty and water. Any other advice?

 

[aaarcher86]

We have an upcoming trip from NC to NY (about a 10 hour drive) and for the first time we are bringing our dog. She likes the car ("GOING bye bye") but I'm interested in tips from seasoned pet travelers. This will be her first looooong car ride. I planned to bring chew toys and treats and to stop frequently for potty and water. Any other advice?

I can't really think of any. My dogs always end up passing out after the first hour or so and it's just smooth sailing after that lol.

 

[thedonduck]

We have an upcoming trip from NC to NY (about a 10 hour drive) and for the first time we are bringing our dog. She likes the car ("GOING bye bye") but I'm interested in tips from seasoned pet travelers. This will be her first looooong car ride. I planned to bring chew toys and treats and to stop frequently for potty and water. Any other advice?

Make sure she has a good place to lay down. We drove three labs down from WI to Fl (about 28 hrs of driving) and they did great. We folded the seats flat, filled in the gaps with luggage, etc. and then put down their beds. All three had enough room to stretch out and lay down. I seriously think that is why they did so well.

 

[2Kds2K9]

We have found that ours don't drink or eat while traveling. I guess too much excitement. Not too worried about the no eating as they will start again once we are settled in a hotel, however, we give them ice cubes for hydration. They look at that as a treat and love it.

There are a lot of hotels now that accept dogs. Just search on the web. LaQuinta allows dogs with no restrictions at all.

Safe travels!

 

[Jennasis]

Make sure she has a good place to lay down. We drove three labs down from WI to Fl (about 28 hrs of driving) and they did great. We folded the seats flat, filled in the gaps with luggage, etc. and then put down their beds. All three had enough room to stretch out and lay down. I seriously think that is why they did so well.

DH wants to spread her comforter over the backseat and stuff pillows behind the driver/passenger seats so she can spread out back there and not fall onto the floor. Lilly Belle is a 45lb. Bluetick Cool hound so not terribly large.

 

[Ginger Renae]

The safest way for her to make the trip is in a crate. If you should get into an accident, if she is loose in the car, it's just like a person not wearing a seat belt.

Several years ago, while driving on the freeway, we witnessed an accident on the freeway. We stopped in case the CHP wanted to interview us as witnesses. The officer came over to our car and noticed our dog secure in her crate in the back seat. He commented on how he wished everyone would crate their animals in case of an accident. He said he has seen so many animals killed or lost after an accident. If the animal is uninjured, they are often so panicked, they get out of the car and run away...often then hit by another car or lost forever.

 

[Jennasis]

The safest way for her to make the trip is in a crate. If you should get into an accident, if she is loose in the car, it's just like a person not wearing a seat belt.

Several years ago, while driving on the freeway, we witnessed an accident on the freeway. We stopped in case the CHP wanted to interview us as witnesses. The officer came over to our car and noticed our dog secure in her crate in the back seat. He commented on how he wished everyone would crate their animals in case of an accident. He said he has seen so many animals killed or lost after an accident. If the animal is uninjured, they are often so panicked, they get out of the car and run away...often then hit by another car or lost forever.

No room for the crate but I agree with you and the officer. I had considered one of those seatbelt harnesses.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Crated in the back of a pickup truck. Makes hosing out the mess a lot simpler

 

[Jennasis]

Crated in the back of a pickup truck. Makes hosing out the mess a lot simpler

Ha! Maybe I should just hitch up our horse trailer and haul her like that?

 

[MOpGrad2013]

Our 3 year old schnorgi has the harness and seatbelt latch. He can sit and curl up in the van's bucket seats. He sits across from DS2 so the dog does eat on our trips. Unfortunately it's people food because the boy is sharing with "good dog." I try to keep "their" snacks to peanut butter cookies, apples~no chocolate. Dog learned to drink out of a hamster bottle so the boy held a bottle for his dog.

Pretty much, travelling w our dog is just another toddler. Feed them, stop for potty break, find an open area to stretch legs and drive during nap.

It added about 45 minutes to our overall 12 hour trip.

I also bring the crate broken down so we have it in the hotel. Sometimes we have to leave him in the room & the staff has always approved short excursions with animal in crate. I leave the tv on low. I tell front desk or housekeeping so that in an emergency, they know the crate needs removed.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

We have an upcoming trip from NC to NY (about a 10 hour drive) and for the first time we are bringing our dog. She likes the car ("GOING bye bye") but I'm interested in tips from seasoned pet travelers. This will be her first looooong car ride. I planned to bring chew toys and treats and to stop frequently for potty and water. Any other advice?

Do some "dog training travel" prior to leaving.

Is your dog familiar with a leash and dog training commands, like wait, stay, & go potty?

Do some simple things like wait and stay. Believe me it helps when you have to stop. Basically train the dog that he/she has to get leash on prior to exiting the vehicle. Dog has to wait for your command to get back in the car.

Second, potty time. Take dog to strange places around your area, get leash on, take dog out to potty. Basically you want a quick routine of stop, everyone potties, and then back in to drive.

In essence just give your dog a few practice runs. Make sure she potties on leash. That is the most important thing.

We have driven our 2 dogs Texas to Missouri when we moved and that was just the girls and I.

We stayed in a motel, it was fine.

 

[JennaDeeDooDah]

When my husband and I travel from TX to KS, we will take our dog. We have found a few restaurants along I35 that have dining outside where you don't actually have to go through the restaurant. They are more than happy to let us dine out there while our dog joins us. Some places also have a dog run area. Maybe do some Google searches for things like this on the route you are going to take.

 

[Angelhalo]

Our dog isn't an out the window looker. She doesn't care about anything that is going on outside nor inside the car unless the humans are snacking, then she is intrigued! LOL! She pretty much gets in the car and goes to sleep. She is the best travelling dog in our circle of family and friends. She just zonks out. The only time she wakes up is when we stop somewhere. When we go from FL to NC we usually get out and walk her twice along the way at any gas station with grass nearby.

 

[ColoradoDisneyFreaks]

Do some "dog training travel" prior to leaving.

Is your dog familiar with a leash and dog training commands, like wait, stay, & go potty?

Do some simple things like wait and stay. Believe me it helps when you have to stop. Basically train the dog that he/she has to get leash on prior to exiting the vehicle. Dog has to wait for your command to get back in the car.

Second, potty time. Take dog to strange places around your area, get leash on, take dog out to potty. Basically you want a quick routine of stop, everyone potties, and then back in to drive.

In essence just give your dog a few practice runs. Make sure she potties on leash. That is the most important thing.

We have driven our 2 dogs Texas to Missouri when we moved and that was just the girls and I.

We stayed in a motel, it was fine.

Going on a leash is huge, we drove from Denver to Phoenix (14 hours) with a dog almost 1 year old who hadn't learned to go on a leash. Most nerve wracking drive of my life!

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

Going on a leash is huge, we drove from Denver to Phoenix (14 hours) with a dog almost 1 year old who hadn't learned to go on a leash. Most nerve wracking drive of my life!

Yeah when we moved here from Central TX it was a 27 hour drive with a stop over. Our Boxer peed once. That was it. Once we let him into DH's cousin's yard I thought he's never stop!

 

[ChitownFamily]

this may seem like an odd tip, but if your dog is microchipped, now is a great time to double check the phone numbers listed for the emergency contact.

Have a great time!

 

[Silly Little Pixie]

We drive to Tennessee every summer from our home in Southern California. Our Lab not only hates the car (she gets nauseated if we don't give her Benadryl) and she really dislikes peeing on a leash. If your dog is like that, just be prepared that she may "hold it" for a reallllly long time! It really worried me the first trip. My BIL is a veterinarian and he assured me that as long as I was giving her the opportunity to go, she would if she really had to. Our Lab LOVES our destination (lake house/woods/boat/friendly neighbor dogs) or we wouldn't take her.

Also, we don't give her breakfast any more before we drive. She just gets to eat a bigger dinner when we get to the hotel!

 

[Tarheel Tink]

Excellent advice and definitely update microchip info. Put on a collar THAT FITS and have a tag on it and if necessary use a fine sharpie to write your cell number on the back of the rabies tag. Have a copy of your shot records in case you need them and have your veterinarian's phone number on hand.

Here's a little factoid: if your dog gets loose and bolts after something try yelling something like "Mickey! Wanna go outside!?!" or "Minnie! Wanna go for a ride!?!". High, happy, up tone to voice. Trust me, it could work.

 

[Jennasis]

Lilly has a collar (martingale style) and tags (bot ID and rabies). She is never off leash...when I take her places in the car I always snap on her leash before I attempt to exit the vehicle. She has, unfortunately, terrible recall so we don't let her off leash. Luckily the family we are visiting have fenced yards. Stockade type fencing.

We've been considering chipping her. Might be time to do it, before the trip.

 

[Minerva Mouse]

When I traveled cross country with my two large dogs, I actually purchased a piece of plywood from Lowes (super cheep). I needed the trunk space, and was concerned that if we just layed the seets down, that the items in the trunk would slide around, and impact the dogs. So I measured the area of the back seat, to the front the seat, then custom cut the plywood to fit snugly in between, we put clothes and things on the floor to hold up the plywood, and the dogs had TONS of room, and no holes to fill in.

They make cheep things that get you similar results, but they are expensive and not near as sturdy.

I still have the plywood in the washer room, but I haven't had that car for almost two years, lol.