Road trip.....

[Jenna & Cider]

We are heading to VA Beach for a wedding this weekend and since we are staying with Family, we are bringing Cider.  I  haven't had a chance to delve into the discussion board to see if this has been discussed (busy at work/gearing up for trip), so I figured I'd just float this out there to see if anyone has a quick response.....Cider is pretty good in the car but this will be a 5-6 hour drive in the evening.  Can anyone share their experience taking a road trip with their doodle? Any tips from seasoned road trippers? He's 7 months now and the longest trip we've had was the 4 hour trip home after picking him up from the breeders....
Thanks!!!

[Janice Hammond]

Sadie our 5 year old doodle is a wonderful traveller.She just jumps in and relaxes..We stop for water and pee breaks .She just loves car rides,As a matter of fact she thinks she should be in the vehicle every time it moves.

Just keep the temperature cool and Cider will be fine.

Sadie's first car trip was 8 hours when she was 8 weeks old when the breeder brought her to us.

[Willow and J]

Willow was not too comfortable when she's back in the car after her meal, so we now do not feed her until we stop for the night. We also feed her early in the morning so that she has at least 1.5-2 hours before we start driving again. We did have to use dramamine for first several long distance trips - she used to start panting and drooling about 30 min. into the car ride - but she's fine now. I don't know if doodles are good with car rides in general, but Willow doesn't enjoy it much. She doesn't look out the window, and she moves her position quite a bit unless she is very very tired and falls asleep (she sleeps less when we travel in the car compared to when she's at home). But she tolerates okay. Good luck with the trip!

[Jenna & Cider]

Thank you all so much for your tips and advice!!! So many good ideas that I am definitely going to use! I appreciate it and will be sure to debrief how it went!

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

Our girls travel with us all the time and both pretty much are asleep by the time we are out of the driveway.  They pop up when we stop and go back to sleep as soon as we start up again.  I would recommend buying a seatbelt harness system to buckle Cider in.  You don't want him to be ejected should you get in an accident or to be able to get out of the car in the event you are unconscious because of an accident.  I also have instructions in the glovebox with what to do with the girls should we have to be taken to the hospital and can't speak for ourselves.  I instruct that they get any vet care that they need and that we will be responsible for the bills (we have Pet Insurance).  I also ask that they contact my parents to make arrangements for them to be picked up.  I also ask that if at all possible they not be taken to an animal control facility.  I also keep a box with towels, water, food, bowls, etc, in the event there are any upset tummies although we have never had a problem.

[Pat and Traveler]

Trav has gone on some long car trips with me, and he mostly just sleeps.  As others have mentioned--water, stretch-and-pee stops, don't leave him in the car if it's hot out--you'll do fine!  Have a great time! 

[Ellen, Brûlée, and Tira]

My DH and I are in our truck/5th wheel taking a multi-week trip from home ( Utah) to Jasper, Canada. It is the first long trip we've taken with our 2 doodles. They are wonderful little travelers! We are in West Glacier, Montana for another 4 days and then on the road again...

I agree with all the comments, and would add that I'd carry a couple of additional items...medical records and a clean-up kit (paper towels, a spray cleaner, and a plastic bag for disposing of any waste items). You, hopefully, wont need any of them, but they could come in handy!

Have fun on your trip!

[Elizabeth, Bailey & Bruin]

We are doing the same thing in October.  Good tips Linda and Camilla.  One thing I am going to do is see if my vet will give bailey something for nausea and anxiety just in case. She is a good passanger but we have only been in the car for an hour and our trip will be for 7 hours...

Can't wait to hear how he does...

[Camilla and Darwin]

We just traveled on the weekend, it was only 3 hours each way yet still longer than we usually travel with him. We just made sure to stop regularly. Which is my tip, bring water bottles and a travel bowl, stop regularly. And make the backseat comfortable for them. With Darwin, that means shoving blankets into the cracks between the back and front seats so he doesn't fall into the crack if we stop fast. :-)

[Linda, Webber and Seda]

I have traveled with both of mine, quite a bit.  I stop every 3 hours and give them water and let them out to stretch.  I try to avoid rest stops and stop a gas stations where there is a stretch of grass, or at shopping centers where there is shade and lawn.  I just don't know the medical status of some of the dogs that stop at the rest stops so would rather go to a less frequented area.  I always carry water; one will drink and the other won't.  They are tethered to a harness so they are safe and one of mine sleeps most of the trips and the other looks out the window.  I only feed them in the evening so they usually eat after I reach my destination.  I think it is great fun to travel with the doods.  I don't like to leave them in the car to use the restroom at a rest stop which is another reason a gas station is good...they can go into the restroom with you!  Have fun, I am sure Cider wil be fine.  The more he is in the car, the better traveler he will be.