1st Long trip with my doodle.... A few questions

[Christine & Shelby]

My Shelby and I will be taking a trip next month - we will be driving from Texas to Indiana (2 days of driving), staying 4 days in Indiana and then driving back to Texas. We previously took a trip to New Mexico for a wedding 1 day driving, 2 nights in a hotel, 1 day driving.

Shelby does great in the car.... And I know what to pack, to take breaks and get her some exercise on our breaks, etc.

My questions revolve around making her feel comfortable and safe in the home we'll be visiting. There are no other dogs in the home, but other family members have dogs.... Smaller dogs, so with proper introductions - I am sure we will be fine as Shelby is typically more comfortable with smaller dogs.

Things I plan to do to make this home we visit feel as normal as possible:
Bring her door bells
Bring her bed
Keep routine normal - feeding, walking, etc.
Same treats for when we leave the house
New tag to indicate Indiana address while we are there (or should I get a I'm traveling tag?)
Her favorite toys and chews.

What else should I be thinking about? I am fortunate that when we go to visit the other family members I will be able to take Shelby.... I am just concerned about making her comfortable if we need to leave her at home while we go out to eat or do something else not dog friendly. The previous trip Shelby was on her own while I was at the wedding.... And I worked hard to wear her out before I left for the night (dog park, PetSmart, walk, play,etc. she did great.

For those of you who have made long road trips and stayed I a new home.... I'd love to hear your thoughts and advice.

I've already planned where we will spend the night and have identified our dog friendly accommodations.

Thanks so much....

[BG and Gavin]

Here is a discussion that I started last year:  http://www.doodlekisses.com/forum/topics/taking-your-doodle-on-vaca... 

Whenever I take Gavin to an unfamiliar place I take him all around on leash and let him sniff about and make himself acquainted with the new are.  I also take him to the spot outside where I want him to potty and show him the outdoor boundaries as well as the indoor ones.  Have a great time!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Reminder - make sure that the phone numbers on Shelby's tag have the area code.

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

One thing that I always like to do when we are traveling with the girls is have a note typed up that I have in the vehicle and in my purse as well that explains in the event of an accident what I would like for the girls.  I tell them that if they are injured to please get them to the closest Vet.  That I have insurance and will take care of the costs.  I also include a phone number of who they should contact to come and get them in the event we are injured and unable to do so.  I also sort of beg that I would be forever grateful if someone could hold on to them until they can be picked up and not take them to animal control.  I would also suggest that no one ever leave their dog in a hotel room alone.  Just recently someone had a doodle get the hotel room door open and escape.  The doodle was never found.  Additionally, have you ever had someone be given a key to the room you are already in and come walking in (or attempt to) your room.  I've had it happen on more than one occasion.  If you leave the doodle, the deadbolt is not going to be latched, the people can get all the way in and the dog could get out.  IMO, it just isn't a good idea.  Also, we always ask for a hotel room at the far end of the hallway on the first floor if possible.  Easy to go out the side door to potty, but also keep people from walking by the room all night and making noise.  We just returned from our first long road trip with AnnaBelle.  Lucy has been on many, but this was AnnaBelle's first.  She stay in two hotels, a friends house with other dogs, and a rental condo for 30 days.  We just took pretty much everything we use on a daily basis and she did fine.  Only thing different was she went out to potty on a leash which she doesn't do at home.   We packed small overnight bags for the hotel so that we didn't have to unload everything for them.  We also did not take their beds into the hotel room.  I didn't want them on the floor because of bed bugs.  Sounds like you have done your planning and things will be great.

[Lori, Quincy & Frankie]

good suggestions !  

[Christine & Shelby]

Great suggestions.... Thank you!

[Gay Lord]

Good morning..we travel with our dogs all summer long in our motorhome. Dogs are so adaptable..but be sure not to leave them in a hotel/motel alone. There are amazing websites to use for traveling with pets. Gives you local restaurants and lodging. Bringfido.com is one I used.

[Elizabeth MacLeish & Barry Adams]

We have soothing music CDs that we use when we are gone for several hours. We always bring a copy of the vet papers which show vaccinations - just in case anything happens or a hotel asks for evidence of shots. Otherwise you seem to have it all covered. Happy traveling.

[Gail and Bailey]

I agree with the advice to never leave your dog alone in the motel room. (In our case it is because Bailey will bark at noises and I am sure we would be asked to leave!)    But even if your dog would be quiet and just sleep while you were gone.............I just am not comfortable leaving my dog in a place that I am not 100% sure is safe and secure and that nobody could steal her!  When we travel we never leave our dog alone anywhere....not in the car or motel room.   We take turns getting take-out food and eat in the car for lunch and bring dinner into the motel room.  Usually places will have breakfast included and we take turns going down to eat breakfast as well.    We feel very comfortable traveling with Bailey and she loves going places with us and loves to be in the car!    Hope you trip is fun and easy!

[Lynda Kamrath]

I think you have it covered.  I hope your car is comfortable and appropriately equipped for transporting dogs.  We have the back of our car set up for the dogs (I will try attaching a photo) and they travel all the time.  It is a 10-hour drive to Arizona and we go frequently.  We had my FIL's mobile home to stay in, but he has sold it.  We have also stayed in motels on other trips and you just need to find the dog friendly places.  Once at a wedding, we had a sitter come to the motel to stay with the dogs while we were out for family events.  Worked fine.  You just do not want to leave them alone in the room at all.  And, depending on the weather, you also do not want to leave them in your car.  It will be a great trip.  We have lost a dog on a trip to Arizona before and did not find him until right before we left to go home.  They had him and his tags, but with our number and info in California.  You might want to make sure his has proper identification and contact numbers on his collar.  GOT it!   This is our new Toyota Venza and we installed a plastic mat that is easy to clean for our trips to the beach and we also have a sleeping mat made from memory foam for longer trips.  The dogs are very comfy and safe (and so are we).

[Linda, Charlie Brown and Beau]

Just saw your post and it looks like you have thought of most everything and the others have given some great ideas and advice too.  I never thought about the bed bug things before, but we always get a king bed and the boys sleep on top the bed at the end.  They love it and we do not have to carry in two dog beds!  Have a wonderful road trip. Looking forward to an update upon your return as to how all turned out!  Enjoy each and every mile!