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!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

When we have a rescue dog in the car with us, we don't open a door until one of us has the leash firmly in hand.  If you are traveling with someone, I would  do this if Ludo isn't in a crate. If you are by yourself with him, I would make sure you had the leash either clipped to something or in your hand before opening the door - especially in traffic in a strange area.

[Kaitlin and Ludo]

Thanks Nancy! That is really helpful  I typically am holding his leash, but I will make sure to be extra vigilant about this!!

[Wendy and Myla]

Since you have so much time, I would start taking Ludo for longer car rides and get to know his routine.  What we do with Myla is tell her to "go pee" before we leave.  As soon as we pick up the car keys, she's excited and as soon as we're outside she knows that she has to pee before she's allowed in the car.  What we've found is that no matter what time of day we go for a ride, as soon as we start driving it must trigger her to have to go because we stop within half and hour and she will get out and go for a poop and then she's good to go - even if I just take her to the grocery store!  I have chosen which grocery store I go to because of the lawn area around it and the outside garbage cans!  When we go for long drives (especially in the motorhome) we try to stop often for all of us to get out and stretch but if Myla has to go sooner, she will whine very softly and put her nose under my arm and stare up at me.  Then we know we have to stop.  We have done a lot of travelling with Myla and she can go for very long periods without stopping (after the first initial stop lol).  We have found that if we're passing by lakes, she will also whine softly but just because she wants us to stop so she can go for a swim!  It sounds like you're doing everything right to make this a very memorable trip for both you and Ludo!!!

[Kaitlin and Ludo]

Thanks for the tip about adding longer car rides into our routine.  I'll have to plan a couple shorter road trips in that time... or even just drive around with him for longer than the 20 minutes he's used to.  Ludo also knows that car rides mean potty breaks.  He's usually good for a while after going potty and has a thing about only going in his yard for the most part, so that'll be the biggest challenge!  Ludo's signature "I have to go potty" is to get about an inch from my face and stare at me (if we're not in a place with the poochie bells, that is) and tap me on my shoulder.  It's precious, I have to say!  Where are your favorite places to stop and stretch and let Myla get some energy out?  Rest stops?

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Kaitlin, Take your bells with you and hang them wherever Ludo can use them.  As for stops, we look for parking lots with a grass strip.  If there are industrial  buildings that have grassy areas, we opt for those, assuming they are less 'used' but we also stop in shopping center parking lots, gas stations, schools etc.

[Wendy and Myla]

When we're on a long drive, we sort of plan areas to stop for Myla to have a good run and us a good walk - we live in BC Canada so there are lots of natural parks, rivers, lakes etc.  But if it's a stop where Myla has let us know she needs to go, we will stop wherever we can that has a bit of grass.