Road Trip With A Dog?

[kayeandjim00]

Ever done it? We are taking our dogs with us on a road trip this winter that will last about 16 hours. We plan to travel mostly at night so they hopefully won't be insanely bored. We will be traveling in a Sienna with the back seat out so they'll have lots of room. Anyone ever done this? People seem shocked we'd want to but I'd rather have them with me than kennel them when it's possible. So please tell me you've done it and it was wonderful PLEASE

 

[airhead]

My friend and i have taken many trips with our dobies and its been fine. They are all crated and love to ride. Also ,very good in hotels. Ahh,the life of a show dog!!!

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

I used to take Chloe on road trips all the time, when I was married to my ex. She used to go into the Hill Country with us, camping and she had a great time and did very well on the road,

I say go for it! Just remember to keep them on leash when you stop for potty breaks. Chloe was scared of the diesels and she'd try to bolt when she heard them.

 

[I Love Pluto]

This summer on our return home from Disney (driving), we met a trucker who has his buddy with him at all times on the road. The trucker buddy was a chihuaua. That tiny dog was one of the happiest and most well adjusted animals I have ever met.

 

[irisbud]

My dog Petey goes with me everywhere. He travels with us all of the time, is great in the car, in the hotel, and in his crate. I drove all the way from St. Louis to New Jersey, visited the Jersey Shore, spent a day in NYC, and went to Phillidelphia with him. He slept all the way there and back. We drove for eight hourse straight at one point before I woke him up to potty at a rest area. Have fun!

 

[lclark0621]

Only once & that was because we had to.

We were moving from NY to TX. It was a nightmare. We had our 2 dogs (german shepherd & siberian husky) with us.

Traveling with the dogs is just way to much stress on them. Our husky had a weak stomach the whole time. Our German Shepherd had way to much energy to be cooped up in a car for 3 days.

The only time we will do it again, is when we move again.

I much prefer knowing my dogs are save & well cared for at our kennel. When we come home, we pick them up. They are happy to see us & I know, while they may not have been the happiest in the kennel, they are very well cared for.

 

[Honu]

Our dog loves to go in the car and loves to go on trips. He gets so excited when I pull his bag out and start filling it with toys.

 

[JR6ooo4]

All depends on the pups. Is it less stress to be with you? Can they sleep in the car (while you are driving)? Q is like a baby, a few miles into the ride and she is alseep. Fred drools alot. Stinky dog breath drool. Overall, no different than kids.

Mikeeee

 

[kandeebunny]

I've done it once and will only do it once more when I move again. My puppy gets horribly car sick (apparently dogs are like people and get motion sickness too) we did the drive from FL to NH. It was awful. She whimpered for the first hour, threw up then slept. I would have to wake her to potty. It was 2 days of it and I felt so badly for her. I wanted to take her on vacation with us, but after that trip it wasn't worth the stress on her, so she went to the kennel (our local vet)

 

[mamajoan]

We drove from CA to ILL in two days with 2 Scottish Terriers..
They were great. I admit that Angus was semi drugged part of the way. Doc gave us some sedatives that we use when he is groomed. He slept almost the whole time. We took potty breaks and stayed over night in a La Quinta in Utah... which allows pets.. at no extra charge! Amazing!! Great place.. VERY CLEAN.
We have taken the Scotties on long trips before.. no meds. they do ok... this one was a move so everyone including the dogs were a bit anxious.

Good Luck.. 16 hours will be fine!

Take a blanket, water bowl and baggies for pitstops.

 

[dreamcometrue]

we take our 2 Goldens on trips with us all the time! We have an Expedition, so we fold the 3rd row seat down and the dogs stay back there with their blankets and kongs filled with treats. Those usually keep them busy for hours. We stop about every 2 hours. Please remember to treat them with flea protection (Frontline, etc.) before you stay at dog friendly hotels. One year we didn't since it was winter and I don't usually put any flea prevention on my dogs in the winter, and they ended up getting fleas at the hotel. So from now on, we always give them a dose of Frontline before we go!

Also, keep in mind that a lot of "doggie hotels" want you to keep your dog in a crate at night, so if your dog is not crate trained, it could be a problem!

 

[FreshTressa]

Our doggy loves the car and the whole trip.

The only problem we have is we can't leave him in the car to eat cuz it gets too hot so we have to wait till he is crated in the hotel or to eat fast food.

 

[kayeandjim00]

They do love car rides so I'm sure that's going to be ok. We plan to travel at night and the trip is about 16 hours so there's a good chance that they would be asleep a good 8-10 hours of the trip. It sounds like it depends on the dog. I know that our dogs (especially the basset) are very clingy and I think that they would be happier with us.

 

[salmoneous]

Depends upon the dog. My dogs are miserable on any car trip longer than 15 minutes. My partent's dog goes all over the country with them. He just want you to stop at a Krystal every couple hours to get him some car food.

 

[amid chaos]

Make sure your cell phone number is on their collars.

 

[airhead]

Scoop the poop!!!!! If we don't clean up after our dogs,hotels will stop allowing them to stay.

 

[HOGFAN]

ya kiddin? I can barely get out of the neighborhood before our dog starts freakin out. she loves to 'go for a ride' , except for the actual ride.

 

[kayeandjim00]

Thanks for all the tips. We'll be staying with my dad so no hotels but don't worry we ALWAYS clean up after our dogs. It's one of my pet peeves. Thanks for the suggestion about our cell phone numbers on their collars . I hadn't thought of that one. THey are always leashed but you never know.