Cross Country Car Ride

[Robyn, Greg and Snickers]

Hi everyone, I am sorry we have been so absent, we have been preparing for our new family adventure, moving out to the Inland Northwest- Coeur D'Alene ID to be exact.  Our house in IL closes in mid December and we are then off on the ultimate car ride across the country.  And that is where my questions come in, how do the Doods react to being cooped up in a car for hours at a time, how often should we stop, should Snickers be given toys to play with any advice on traveling with a 50lb ball of fur that is used to two walks a day (averaging 2+mi)? 

I have so many questions and have not been able to find many resources, we are definitely going to take our time with the drive but I am just not sure how this all will go, Snicks loves to be in the car but this is a very long car ride. So any advice you have is most appreciated!

[Diana Erhart]

We just made a move from Austin, TX, to PIttsburgh, PA last winter.  Like you I was very worried about how our Charlie would do.  My husband did like others here have mentioned and turned the back seat of the SUV into Charlie's "place".  His bed was in the middle so he could see out between the front seats and he seemed to like that alot.  Charlie has an "iron bladder" and usually only has to go in the morning, dinner time and at night, so we didn't stop alot.  Whenever it was lunchtime or we needed gas we would get out of the car and let him sniff around for a bit as we both stretched our legs.  I had a few toys and a chew stick in his bed in the back seat for him and would give him water as needed.  Charlie does love to ride in the car so he ended up being very content.  I did have his vet give me some anti-anxiety medication before we left just in case the ride or the overnights in the hotels got to be too much for him.  But I didn't need to use it.  I made a list of all the dog friendly hotels along our route and then would call to make a reservation when we were about 2 hours away from wanting to stop (we didn't plan ahead that part just in case we hit bad weather or traffic.)  I also looked up all those dog friendly hotels on trip advisor to see how they were rated.  AAA has a book of all the dog friendly hotels in the country and their pet policies.  It came in pretty handy.  Also, I took a copy of Charlie's vet records with me just in case we had an emergency along the way.

ONE OTHER THING to note besides what everyone else has said thus far, Charlie did get sick and vomit once in the car after about the first 2 hours.  We figured out that he was getting way too warm in the back seat (even though it was January).  So we made sure that he had alot of air blowing out of the fans directed toward him.  After that, he was fine the rest of the trip.

(As a side note, I did need to use the anxiety medicine after we had been in our new home for about 3 or 4 weeks.  Charlie had what appeared to be a panic attack.  One pill was all it took to calm him down and he has been fine since then.)

[Linda, Webber and Seda]

Webber and I did a trip from NC to Washington State, California and back.  I drove 8 hours a day and stopped  once or twice a day for my potty break and gasoline.  All I can add to what has been said already is to have your vet records with you in case of an emergency.  I stayed at La Quinta Inn's, and an occasional Motel 6.  Neither of them charge a pet fee.  La Quinta was my favorite.  My Garmin GPS took me right to their door.  If you aren't in a big hurry, it can be lots of fun to travel with a doodle.  We had a great time.  Have fun, take pictures and blog your trip :-)

[Kaytlin and Cooper]

http://www.doodlekisses.com/profiles/blogs/coopers-adventure-east

here is a link to my blog about my road trip across the country last year. we did 18 hours the first leg and 27 hours the second leg. Cooper loved it. she was sooooo good, sleeping and looking put of the window. As long as she was with us she was happy!

[Amy, Cubbie & Ollie]

My DH and brother are going to make pretty much the same journey at the end of this month.  I will let you know how it goes.  Right now they are planning to stop in Fargo, ND and Bozeman, MT.  I have booked them in La Quinta Inns.  The hotels were reasonably priced and don't charge a pet fee.

[Lynda Kamrath]

We have done a lot of traveling with our doodles and they love to go in the car.  First of all, do you have a confined area where she can lay down but also walk around a little?  We have a Ford Freestyle that we really bought for the dogs.  It has the back of the car caged off so they cannot get into the front of the car.  We have a truck bed liner in the back area which is most convenient for cleaning after trips to the beach.  However, when we are on longer trips, we have a memory foam pad that is covered in sheepskin cloth that covers the entire back area and is better for laying on.  Our first doodle would never lay down, but would sit and watch out the window to see where we were going.  Our other two are usually asleep within a few miles and sleep most of the time on our car trips. 

Coeur D'Alene ID!  What a beautiful area!  I grew up near the border in Washington and we went to Coeur D'Alene frequently.  Washington was "dry" on Sundays starting at midnight and my father would run over to C D'As for a beer run. Nice memory, huh?

Some chew toys (and even just some chews) would be great for the trip (don't get stinky ones or you will regret it), and you really have to stop more frequently than you normally would.  We always take the boys for a walk before we have our meals, and we stop at nearly every rest stop along the way.  Our dogs were taught to "pee on command" so when you take them to the place you want them to use and tell them to go "pee pee" they will give you whatever they have, sometimes just a few dribbles, sometimes much more.  And water.  You need to bring along plenty of water and let them drink as much as they want every time you get out of the car. 

It is very doable - traveling with doodles.  And they attract so much attention from everyone along the way.  You will have a great trip.  Illinois to Coeur D'Alene in December - I hope you have nice weather for the trip.  Snow is fun to watch falling down, but not so much fun for driving.  Have a great trip, and just take your time.  What a great memory.  By the way, our smallest doodle is 50 pounds, the other is 90 pounds, and our first doodle was 105 pounds.  All great travelers.