Travelling with my Doddle

[Jackie Haines]

Good morning! I have a question and need help/guidance... We are planning a trip and taking Sophie. What do I need to pack for her? How often do we need to stop for potty break? As we have only had her for 10 mos, the furthest we have travelled is 2 hrs... Now we are going 12 hrs! Thanks in advance

[Marni and Hanna]

We travel a lot with Hanna, and have found a few things to be very helpful (besides the obvious food and leashes):

1-Her own travel bed, (we have a roll-up one that has its own duffel bag) so whether you are staying in a hotel or a friends home, she always knows where her spot is, where an acceptable place ("safe zone") that she can go and lay down.   

A familiar towel or blanket seems to help too.

2-A small desk or window fan for "white noise" to run at night when in a hotel or unfamiliar place--helps her not to jump at every little noise)

3-1 or 2 of her very favorite toys (preferably not the loud squeaky ones if you are going to a hotel)

4-At 10 mos, probably some extra chew bones..(helped her chill out and de-stress a little) Now at 4.5 yrs old, she doesn't need any!

5-Lots of poop bags!  (They work great for emergency cleanups too, in case she does get car-sick)

 (We learned not to feed Hanna breakfast before taking off on a long trip, we just feed her when we get to our destination.)

6-Her own little duffel bag for bowls, food, treats, leashes, collars, balls, toys etc.-Then she knows "her bag/stuff" means she is going along!

Good Luck !  Let us know how it goes!!!

[Marni and Hanna]

One other thing I don't leave home without... I have a nylon belt that I wear around my waist with a carabiner on it that I hook the handle end of Hanna's 4 foot leash to as extra security--sometimes when Im travelling and my hands are full of my own luggage and bags, I run out of hands. It keeps her safely connected to me.  Now that she is older, and is used to it, she will heel at my side without me holding on to the leash (That took a couple of years to get to that point ; ), but it really helps!

[Linda, Charlie Brown and Beau]

My list is quite similar to Marni's.  I also take their grooming bag as I do brush head and tails daily and Charlie need's his eyes cleaned daily.  Beau seldom has eye boogers!  Enjoy your trip - looking forward to hearing how it goes for you and what you might do differently on the next trip.

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

I always harness mine in and they have blankets and towels on the back seat to lay on. I have never heard of a rescue worker shooting a dog and my Fire figher/ Paramedic husband, and daughter, have not either in all his 30 years in service. It's not like ambulance drivers and fire fighters carry guns!!!  If the dogs are tethered in, they can't be much of a threat to the rescue workers in the first place.  I also like them to be securely attached in the car so that they can not just take off in the event of an accident and doors and windows are open.  I have their records and a letter in the front of the binder to tell the rescue people on scene who to call for the dogs.  Other than that, if you forget something you can always get another when you get to your destination.  My two don't eat or drink much on long rides, so potty breaks are mostly for us. 

The motion sickness meds work very well, but better on an empty stomach. Ask your vet what they recommend. They sell a very expensive brand, but I opted to start with just over the counter meds like dramamine.  My Bella gets sick on just about every ride over 2 hours.  Good luck and my two love car rides and pretty happy to either lay down or sit up looking out the window watching the world go by.

[Julie, Eloise & Beasley]

I take much of what others here have mentioned.  I also always have mine harnessed in, and they're on towels/blankets in the back seat.  I want them secured in place and I also keep their leashes on them so that if, heaven forbid, an accident happens where they could get out, I feel like they might be easier for someone to grab with leashes on if they're spooked and running loose.  (Clearly I'm a worrier - I've just read too many stories of dogs getting loose in car accidents.)

My 3.5 yr old doodle was a carsick girl - she would get sick right around the 3 hr mark, so I learned to give her minimal breakfast for short trips - she then gets her full meal at the destination.  We went on a 15 hr car trip when she was 6 mos old, and I got the Rx motion sickness meds from my vet, not knowing any better then.  Like Sue said - they were crazy expensive (~$50 for 8, maybe?), so I would definitely try dramamine before I do that again.  If you're unsure whether she might get sick, I'd bring paper towels/cleanup bags and an extra towel to change out if she's laying on one - just in case!  Good luck!  

[Laurie, Wally & Charlotte]

We do a lot of long car rides with Wally and Charlotte and this is what we always bring: leashes, copy of rabies certificates, traveling water bowl, large container of water, extra blankets, harness and tether for Wally, carseat and harness for Charlotte, brush and comb, poop bags, dog beds, antibacterial wipes, flashlight, clip-on blinking lights, food bowls, food, hydrogen peroxide, balls, paper towels, and photos of them. We stop to let them out as often as we would if we were at home. We don't feed them within an hour of going into the car or within an hour of playtime. We try to avoid taking them out to do their business in areas where lots of other dogs have gone. Oh, and if we're staying in a hotel, we always ask to be at the end of a hallway and far away from the elevator bank. And, we turn on the television, if we need to leave them in the room. Sophie will be just fine, and it's a really good idea to get her used to traveling with you now that she's still young.

[Jackie Haines]

Thanks so much... Excellent advise on the hotel! I was beginning to worry about what we would have to do with her if we couldn't take her in someplace specific! As we have never traveled with a dog(s) before, this is all a whole new experience for all of us and I sure want it to be positive!

[Laurie, Wally & Charlotte]

We have found that the Kimpton Hotel chain is outstanding for guests with or without dogs. So, if you are not staying with friends or family, and there's a Kimpton property in your travel area, I recommend the company highly.

[Wendy and Myla]

We do a lot of travelling in our motorhome with Myla.  What we will never go without is her travel "blankie" which was discovered by accident.  We found that when we're driving, Myla did not like laying on the floor of the motorhome (even on her dog bed) and we figured out it must be the noise.  So what I did was get a blanket that I put on the seat of the kitchenette unit and let her lay on that while we travelled.  As soon as we got to our destination, I removed it (so we could eat etc.) and she would not go on the seat.  As soon as I put the blanket on the seat, she jumps up and lays down.  She loves that blanket!  It's like she knows that wherever it is, she is allowed to get on that blanket!  If we go to a hotel, I will put it down on top of her dog bed and she will immediately go there and lay down.  What is really funny, is that she will never jump on the bench of the motorhome if the blanket is not there!  I think that if you get a blanket and use it only for the car/truck/rv, she will know that when you get it out, it means travel time and that will be her security blanket!  As far as potty breaks, you will soon learn her signals.  Myla will jump off of the bench and nudge my arm and I know that she has to go for a break.  When we are on holidays, we also make sure that we feed her at exactly the same times daily and don't give her any "snacks" so that we pretty well know her schedule and can stop accordingly!  As it's your first trip, just really pay attention to her signals and then you will know for future trips!  We always bring Myla's toy box and she will go back and forth to it to get whichever toy she desires.  Usually, it's her squeaky ones that she gets lol.  Travelling is so much fun with Myla and I truly believe that if you take it all in stride and treat Sophie like it's a normal day for all of you, she will love it as much as you!  Have fun!!!!