Road Trip!

[Susan, Coby & Chloe]

We're undertaking something brand new this weekend: a 6 hour drive in the car with 7 mo. old Bosco to a visit his big (human) brother in LA and stay at a dog-friendly hotel.

I feel like I'm packing similar to when my kids were babies: food, water, wee-wee pads (tho he's been trained for months), poopie bags, collapsible soft crate, toys, extra leash.  I even applied Frontline the other day b/c I've heard of dogs coming back from never-been-to places with fleas. So what else is there?

In all 14+ years we had our other dog we never took a trip like this before with doggie in tow. Bosco's been pretty good about staying on the floor of the back seat for most local trips but this is a lonnnngg time to go in one position. Any suggestions on how to make the drive and stay easier would be most welcome.

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

We have taken 3 trips to Alabama (from Ohio, 8 hours) with our 2 girls who are now 2.5 y/o. I have to say they are great travelers. They are pretty much asleep before we get out of the driveway. I have to say I am one of those that would not take this trip without them strapped in with a harness/seat belt! It is just too easy for things to go wrong on the road. The one problem that we did encounter on the first trip we took where we spent the night at a hotel was that the girls barked at every sound of another door shutting or someone walking down the hallway talking .... that was all new to them. The next trip I requested a room at the end of the hallway to minimize that! It helped a great deal. So, it sounds like you are prepared and have put a lot of thought into it, so you should be fine. Not sure how much time Bosco has spent in a car, but our girls had gone pretty much everywhere with us and we pretty much knew they would do fine in the car. Good Luck .... hope this is the first of many road trips with Bosco. We love traveling with our girls! If you haven't done so already, check out Dogfriendly.com for pet friendly places both on the road and the location you are traveling

[Susan and Sasha]

Hi Susan...
I'm adding my suggestions a little late...we've been away...but maybe this will be helpful this time...or for your next roadtrip...
We travel often with Sasha...twice a month...both 12-13 hour trips...so...I have a little experiance under my belt...(smile)
Thankfully...Sasha does really well traveling in a car....
She really does well in a soft side crate for trips like this. I just bought a great soft side crate that she and I love. If you don't have one...let me know.
She can stand and look out of the window...and also lay down and rest and move around freely.
Put a few "safe" chew toys in the crate with her...
Make sure that you try to keep her "normal" schedule while you travel...if you can...
Get Bosco up at the normal time...eat...potty...then potty at the normal times...eat...potty...etc...
You don't really have to do anything "out of the ordinary"...but...I suppose each dog would be different.
I keep a "special" bag...where I keep all of Sasha's "stuff"
In it...I keep a Tupperward bowl already filled with her next meal...and also any other food that you might need (in zip lock bags)...medication...etc...
I also keep several bottels of fresh cold water for her...
This makes the stops for food and potty...very quick and easy..
Have a bag of Bosco's favorite treats....
Have a nice comfortable leash...and a good collar on Bosco...and make sure all of the proper TAGS and ID are on it...you have to be sure of that...just in case...
If you stay in a hotel...you want to make the experiance as "close to home" as possible.
Interestingly...a "sound machine seem"s to work wonders for many dogs...and something to cover the crate...
I'm sure you'll have a Wonderful time...and so will Bosco!!
I hope some of these suggestions will be helpful...
Sasha and I can't wait to hear All About Your Trip...

[Susan, Coby & Chloe]

Not too late S&S! Road trip is scheduled to commence tomorrow @ 6 a.m.; I just got back from PetSmart -new leash and harness in hand...now just have to figure out the danged harness thing. It looks much better than a clip I picked up earlier in the day at a local pet store - just something that would attach to Bosco's collar on one end and loop through the seat belt on the other.

We have a soft crate I used for when we made the two hour drive home from the breeder and earlier puppy car rides but it's still a little sloshy somehow and moves around a bit more than I'd like. But it's in the car also and where Mr. B will hopefully sleep in the nice hotel. But then there's the elevator ride to consider having to wait for on those all important potty breaks - I will certainly ask for a low floor; thought the stairs might provide a quicker get-away but....Bosco's never gone down more than two stairs at once!!!

Will certainly let you know how it goes.
Susan

[Susan and Sasha]

Hi...it's me again...
I have the solution for the crate moving around...
On your way tomorrow...just stop at a Pet Smart or that type of store.
They sell straps that will secure the crate to your seat belts...
They are kind of a seat belt extender.
They will know what you are talking about...(smile)
That should take care of the problem....
Have fun...

[Susan, Coby & Chloe]

Thank you ALL! We're back from Bosco's first big trip and thrilled to report all went well, couldn't have been better! Well...maybe if Bosco hadn't figured out how to escape from his soft crate we placed him in before going to dinner Sat. night (shhh...don't tell the hotel but we left him unattended during that time period). I put him in, zipped it up, listened at the door after we walked out to be sure there was no whimpering/barking....but upon our return, there was Mr. Bosco, happily laying OUTSIDE his crate, which was now on the opposite side of the floor from where we placed him in it! I've no idea how he managed to get the zipper off -- there were little holes in the netting but aside from that, I think we've got a master escape artist on our hands...but a very content and well-behaved one so can't complain.

We did indeed make a couple of stops en route in both directions, offered water and a place to relieve himself. He was absolutely terrific at the hotel. Not afraid of anything he encountered, including the big glass elevators he had to ride in. The hotel has a silly set-up in that the pool level, where the grassy area for walking is located, is not accessible by the tower elevators, making trips outdoors much more complicated. I'd either have to go to the lobby level and take a handicapped accessible elevator to the 4th floor, or walk him down a spiral staircase from the 5th floor, or else hold him to ride the elevator -- which I did once and when I got to the bottom to place him down on the floor another guest was visibly startled and exclaimed, "OH! He's real!". He thought I was holding a stuffed animal. For as good as Bosco behaved, he truly could have been. It was an ideal visit.

Too bad he can't come to Thailand when we go in January :-(