Prepping a puppy to be a good traveler

[Kaitlin and Ludo]

Hi guys!

I just booked a weeklong beach vacation in Florida for my family and it is a pet-friendly place so Ludo is coming too.  Can anyone offer suggestions on things I can start doing now to help him be away from home (although he'll still be with me) for the first time?  We're going at the end of March, so we have some time to work on new skills.  He'll be about 8 months when we go.

One thing that I'm a little concerned of is that it is a 12 hour drive.  He does great in the car now, but his longest trip has been about 30 minutes so far... he always just lays down and sleeps.  Ludo LOVES sleeping and usually sleeps from about 7 pm until 7 am without needing to go outside so since we're driving overnight, that shouldn't be a problem.  However, on the way home, we'll be driving during the day so any tips on creating a painless trip for him would be great!  I'm going to try and find a couple places along the way to help him get a little exercise and wear him out so he'll stay tired on the drive home.  Also, would you say to crate him on that long of a trip or use his Sleepypod harness and let him sleep on the car's seat?

I have found some dog friendly beaches near our condo and plan to take him with us each day then put him in a crate in the condo once he's had his fill of fun. It also has great walking trails so he'll still get a daily walk.  Anything I need to consider there?

We're working hard on recall, basic manners and confidence-- can you think of any specific skills that he might need on a vacation that would be different than at home? 

Thanks so much for any advice!

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

You've given him such a great start with training that I think he'll do fine.  What you have planned sounds perfect, and I'm glad you're going to have his crate....that will make him feel at home.  I'd just suggest keeping him on a long line at the dog beaches...you'll likely see lots of dogs running loose but he's a puppy and I wouldn't have full confidence in his recall...especially in a strange place with other dogs.  Have fun...this should be a good experience for him.

[Kaitlin and Ludo]

Thanks, Jane.  It is probably kind of silly but I really look up to many of the member on DK as being superior dog owners (like serious celebrity status!) so your compliment of the way I've been working to him means so much to me!  I will definitely have a long line.  I have one now that is about 10 feet, but I think I'll get an even longer one so he has room to play fetch and explore and have an off-leash feel!  I'm so excited for this trip.  He loves the water that he's been introduced to so far and I really want him to get to try the ocean!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

You can purchase longe lines in various lengths. It is what my son did for his pup when we went to the beach.

[Kaitlin and Ludo]

Oh that looks great!  I have a long line but not that long!!  I'll add it to the shopping list!

[Wendy and Myla]

I found this discussion to be so helpful!

http://www.doodlekisses.com/forum/topics/taking-your-doodle-on-vaca...

[Kaitlin and Ludo]

Thanks so much!  That is so helpful!

[Judy, Meg & Polly Wolly Doodle]

Take a copy of his medical records with you.  Try to avoid dog areas at rest stops along the way, we have found them to be nasty and my oldest doodle doesn't even want to walk through them. Our longest trip with my girls has been 9 hours, Polly has a tendency to get car sick so we don't feed before we leave and she does all right.  Neither of my girls can find a right spot to go potty while on the road, we offer them the opportunity but they just want back in the car and when we land at our destination they finally settle in and do their business. We are always traveling in daylight hours, Polly stays laying down and napping the entire time, she is the one that gets car sick.  Meg likes to sit up and watch the road a lot and sleeps the rest of the time.  Mine are pretty laid back in the car.  I am betting yours will do fine.

[Kaitlin and Ludo]

Thanks for that tip.  I'll take his medical records and also find the nearest vet where we'll be staying!  Thanks, also for the tip about rest stops... Ludo really loves his own yard for potty breaks-- when we go on walks, he'll go in the yard before we leave and even if we walk for more than an hour, he rarely goes until we get home!  I imagine he'll not like the rest stop areas either.  Thanks for sharing your experience.  I'm crossing my fingers he'll be laid back like your girls!

[DonMarie and Picco]

I think it's a great experience to take them traveling as much as possible. It sounds like you are pretty well prepped and you'll figure out how to make adjustments along the way.  I've found that "Dog friendly" doesn't always live up to expectations and others that don't advertise it are very amenable.

I like to find the emergency vet and/or closest vet to wherever I'm staying. Always take his quilt and a toy or two.  The first thing I do when getting into hotel or wherever I'm staying is to set up his little area and Picco is instantly comfortable!   I always keep him on his big leash in strange places more for my own peace of mind, you never know what new distractions will arise and the last think I'd want on vacation is a lost or hurt dog. 

Have fun on your trip!

[Kaitlin and Ludo]

Thanks for those tips!!  I'll look for the emergency vet nearest to where we'll stay.  I've already actually been kind of hit by the "dog friendly" thing.  The area really advertises dogs on beaches and dog friendly restaurants, but apparently only residential dogs are allowed on the beach and must have a permit at that.  However, there is a beachside state park that he'll be able to walk in and get in the ocean that's just 4 minutes from where we're staying.  That's where I think I'll take him walking.  

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

Curious to know where you are headed in FL?  Always interested to know dog friendly places particularly ones with beaches that are pet friendly as there aren't too many.  We go to FL every year and AnnaBelle's first trip was at 10 months.  She did fine.  We didn't even have to crate her in the unit as she wasn't a chewer and she just curled up with Lucy and slept if we were gone.  We did it slowly.  Got them used to the place for a few days before we left them.  We also use long lines on the beach.  I'd use the sleepypod harness for travel.  We always stop every couple hours on the trip and stretch our legs and theirs.  Just be really careful when opening the doors and make sure you have a hold of the leash first ... they can get excited or even spooked in strange places.Another reason it is good to have a travel harness.  If he doesn't get car sick now chances are he will be ok.  But if there is a problem, don't feed a full meal before hitting the road.  Just give little pieces of kibble along the way to keep something in the tummy but not a full tummy.  Sometimes in the condo it helps to leave a TV or something on so they don't hear the neighbors and bark. One thing we do still take with us is the exercise pen.  Only because it makes one long piece if you don't slip it together.  We use it on the balcony.  The balcony is just not quite high enough for my comfort so I stretch that ex pen piece along the balcony for a little extra height.  There is a sidewalk right in front of our unit where dogs walk by and I could just see AnnaBelle leaping off the balcony.

[Kaitlin and Ludo]

We're heading to Seagrove Beach which is just a little bit east from Destin.  I feel a little misled since doing even more research because the area is really advertised as being pet friendly with people sharing their favorite places to take their dogs to the beach and pictures of dogs on the beach, etc.  It turns out that only residential dogs are allowed on the beach with a permit.  I'm told that the enforcement is spotty at best, but it is possible that a sheriff might ask you to leave the beach.  I'm not sure I'll take that risk.  However, dogs are allowed on-leash in state parks and we're just a couple minutes away from a state park with a small beach that he should be allowed on, per all my research.  I really want him to get to experience the ocean! I'll report back after we go on what we find!

Thanks for the tip about having hold of the leash.  I'll be extra conscious about that!  And thanks for the other tips about prepping the condo!  That's super helpdul