Who takes their pet on the road trip to Disney?

[Desnik]

We will be leaving on the 14th!!
But this drive will be different. We will be driving down with our (then 10 week old) puppy. We will be driving from NY & stopping over night in SC. We will then drive straight to my DMIL house and she will watch our puppy while we are at WDW for the week.

So, has anyone else taken their pet on this long of a drive? How did it go?
Any tips? Do all rest stops have a place for him to go to the bathroom? How did you go about feeding your pet? Did you use those travel bowls?

Just an FYI, he's a 3lb ShihPoo & currently can "hold it" for 3 hours max. He is being crate trained and hasn't had any accidents. He goes on the wee wee pads outside, but I am hopeful he will be using the grass exclusively by the time we leave. (he currently goes in the grass occasionally) We have also taken him on lots of car rides and he does really well in the car. (the longest trip was 4 hours)

Thanks in advance for the help!

 

[meggiebeth]

Our dog is a Labrador (so a lot bigger than yours!) and has been on journeys of 8 or 9 hours with us from our home to Dundee in Scotland, where my grandma lives. He was a few months old when we first did this, though.

Every few hours we stop at a service station, give him a little walk around, offer him some water and let him pee if he needs too. He's so good about it and sleeps most of the journey. He has some of his toys (the soft, cuddly kind ) to be with in the back and we check on him quite often.

Your dog will be fine, I'm sure! Just stop frequently so he gets a stretch and the chance to pee! If he's lasted in the car well for four hours, a longer journey shouldn't be bad.

Meg~ Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[Desnik]

Thanks Meg!

 

[Storm632]

We have traveled with a dog many times from Minnesota...our dog is 70 pounds and she has been to Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Washington DC. Our first dog traveled to Disney with us. Some advise I was given is to bring either bottled water, or water from home for your puppy. I have heard that water can be different in areas of the country, and can cause stomach upset for dogs. You sure don't want a sick dog! I have used a tupper ware bowl for food, but that may be too big for your puppy!! Most rest areas have spots for dogs to potty, we found we stopped more often for the dog than our son. As a pet owner I remind people that when they choose a hotel, please make sure it is pet friendly. Also know your dogs tolerance to people and sounds, as they can get stressed and bark. When our dog was young and we stayed in hotels that you could leave them unattended, we started by staying away only minutes at a time, then increasing the time. We also would tap on the doors and walls to get him used to sounds outside the room. We also would keep the TV on (not on Animal Planet) to drown out sound as well. Right now you probably won't have to worry about leaving her, but now we can leave our dog with no management complaints for the day to sightsee, of course coming to let her out mid day. Just takes more planning....but hey...they are worth it!!