Let’s start with the basics. Our person says ” A well trained dog is a very good traveling dog.” Having your dog come when called or sit and stay when asked may save your dog’s life. Teaching the “Quiet!” command and addressing any separation anxiety will provide a much less stressful trip for everyone in the pack.
If you have skipped some training before now and want to travel with your four legged companion it doesn’t hurt to start now. We canines can learn at any age with love and patience….oh and practice…practice…practice.
In future posts we will cover training and behavior modification.
If you have no additional time to train your dog and are in a travel situation where you need to ask your animal (that barks abundantly) to use their quiet voice pounce on the following link to learn about a product which uses citronella for controlling barking.
PetSafe Gentle Spray Anti-Bark Collar
I will discuss anti-bark collars in future posts. At this time I will only share that the citronella collar is more humane than the shock collars which our person chooses not to use at all. There is lots more to bark about on this topic.
For best results use the collar when you are present to ensure it is working correctly and that your animal is recognizing the appropriate conditioning. Consider the product a tool in your toolbox while you continue to teach a “Quiet!” command.
So let’s talk about car rides in general. Most of the dogs our person has had the joy of having in her life have been great travelers and were always eager for the ride even if it was to the vet’s office.
The ride, new aromas, meeting other exited friends and ability to mark a new area were worth the trip to the vet however it can present some anxiety and motion sickness for some. So unless the vet you use comes to your home at some point your pup will need to ride in a car.
Now my brother Gabe and I offered our person an opportunity to learn some new skills in preparing pups for traveling. Many times puppies might grow out of car sickness and you can try that route since you may have to take your puppy somewhere immediately and do not have time to prime your pup for the trip.
I’ll gab more about how to prepare your puppies for road trips and how our person prepared us Rompsters for a trip across the US from California to Georgia in future posts.
Another thing that can prove useful for traveling with your four legged friends is Crate Training. There are so many instances when having a crate with you can be very useful. If you have a “bolter” you can crate them in your hotel room to avoid a lost dog search.
One day you may have to travel where a crate or carrier bags is required so you will have that one step of your trip covered since the best way to crate train takes a little time and patience.
Another reason to crate train is if you have car trouble. You can place the dog in his crate and tend to whatever you need to do. If you have small dogs practice crating them together for periods of time so if they have to be crated together in an emergency it won’t be new to them.
Some animals travel in the crate to their destination and it is highly recommend by many animal experts to travel with your pet in the crate which is securely placed in the automobile.
To date the placement in the crate is more about prevention of your animal distracting you or being a projected object during a close call or accident.
The expense of true safety testing is costly and I am unaware of any crate manufacturer that can claim they have completed any definitive testing regarding the safety of your pet. There is some research being done and with my person’s assistance either Destin or I will keep you posted.
My brothers and I do not ride in a crate in the car; yet we are not allowed to roam the car either. I’ll refrain from gabing about this subject now but will share a bit more on seatbelts and other restraint products later.
Our person has a crate for emergency reasons and for use in the hotel or any location if needed. When space is limited in the vehicle or when we are hiking she packs a soft sided pup tent type crate rather than a hard sided crate.
You can dig up more information on crates, carriers, bolsters, tents, gates and ramps in our Rompster Bonetique.
Our person says when your animal has been properly crate trained, the crate provides a safe resort for them. And should you experience an emergency and become stressed at least your four legged friend will have the comfort of their crate to lessen any stress they experience. We will barf up more details on crate training in future posts.
Another basic thing is to make sure we are all feeling dog gone GOOOOOOD and healthy for the trip. We visit our veterinarian for a general check before we take trips over one week in length or across several states.
She packs our proof of rabies, our most recent medical records, the name and contact information of our veterinarian, our photos and a copy of our micro chip code. She has them organized in a nice plastic file.
I will gab a bit more on what is required when traveling across state lines and into Canada and Mexico from the US. You can sniff it out soon.
Since air bags can pose a danger to children and small people the same risks exists for us dogs. When you and your pets are traveling by car note where the air bags are located.
Our human drives an older car and there are no air bags in the back seat where we hang out.
We pups have the entire back seat to ourselves. It feels like a world away from our person as we would be right next to her if she allowed it. She says it isn’t safe for us nor anyone in the car for us to roam about or snuggle in her lap when she is driving.
Our human uses seat belts to refrain us dogs from roaming about in any vehicle. We are able to change position and are comfortable yet we are not ever allowed to play with each other when the car is in motion.
Please note the majority of products on the market are for keeping pets refrained from moving about the vehicle and not rated for the safety of the pet. We will dig into this a bit deeper in a future post.
More tests are needed along with standards for testing the products used to restrain animals while traveling. We will keep you posted on our findings.
The product at the top of our list are the Sleepypod Clickit Utility Harness and Clickit Sport Harness.
Compared to other products on the market, Clark gives these harnesses his highest acoustic rating of 10 barks with adherence to the proper use stated by the manufacturer. We will share more about this company in a Destin Digs post.
The other manufacturer we have used in the past is the RuffRider based on testing information provided by the company.
If you jump over to the Rompster Bonetique you will find more information on the products mentioned above and others for restraining your pet from roaming in the car.
Two legged and four legged beings can benefit from stretching and exercising when traveling. We really enjoy helping our person stretch when traveling. If she were alone she would probably forget to stop and exercise. We are the best!!!! Her trip would be ruff without us.
She also has come to the conclusion we Rompsters are better snoozers when she stops frequently to allow us to exercise. Good thing she doesn’t feel the same way since she is driving. It seems to energize her.
So our person typically prepares in advance to make sure we will get exercise during our travels and at our destination. With technology you are able to do it while you are on the road too. She just likes to plan ahead for most trips.
She and I will do some research on the internet to find parks or dog parks in the areas we are traveling where dogs are allowed.
Some parks don’t allow dogs on leash and definitely not off leash. Sometimes “not dog friendly” is not on the website so she will find several sites in an area that she can choose from.
She visits state park websites and city websites and there are several books that have been published featuring parks and other places to visit with your pet.
When we stop for exercise our person will make sure we are leashed before we are allowed to get out of the car. If it is later in the day she will ensure we will be seen by using some reflection products. You can romp over to Gabe’s Garish Garb in our Bonetique to learn more.
She also takes precaution regarding the weather and location and is prepared for snow, salt, anti-freeze, heavy pesticides that may be present and poisonous plants and critters. I will blab more on the previous sentence in future posts.
Join Our Pack for more information on poison control while romping about with your pets.
Ok so our person really is bizarre sometimes as she does not leave our poop where we intended it. I know it especially bothers Destin since he investigates for quite some time to find just the right location and then confirms it is the best spot with at least three circles. Location! Location! Location!
Eureka! Deposit is made. Then what does she do? She removes it from the painstakingly chosen location and then carries it with us for a while and then drops it in some other location. It is insane! The only benefit to the whole scenario is the aromas from the places she leaves it are amazing. So we don’t really mind too much since it seems to have its own reward.
We heard her state that it is required in many places and she believes that picking up after her animals shows respect for other people and it creates the opportunity for animals to be welcomed at more places.
You can sniff out the flimsy things she uses in our Bonetique Poop Scoop category. Some times parks will offer their own version. Some fit like a glove.
After our walk she will offer us fresh water for better mail delivery on the next stop. Usually she does not offer us any food or treats once we are in the car for the day. She feeds us at least one to two hours before our road trip day begins and then again when we are at our intended destination for the evening. So after a little exercise and water she straps us back in, gives us a kiss and gets back to her spot in the front seat.
Ahhhh! Fresh air. We dogs love to smell the fresh air and hanging out the window is just so inviting. It is so pleasurable yet when we are in motion our person does not allow it. She tells us it is not punishment and when we stop we can sniff the air.
So the scoop is this action of hanging our heads out the window is not recommended by many veterinarians. Our person is convinced it is a risk that doesn’t need to be taken and when she makes up her mind well she has the controls not us so that’s that.
She literally has the controls. The master control is set so even if we press on the window control by accident, they will not move. The major concern is debris in the eyes and of course the risks of jumping out.
Our person did have a convertible once. She seldom took the top down when her dog was in the backseat (due to airbags in the front seat). We never met him and I am certain he would have loved it but the risk to him was too great even with a seat belt on and really cool goggles to protect his eyes from debris.
Want to get a pair of doggles ? Visit our Bonetique or you can fetch ’em now at this link. Doggles ILS X-Small Pink Frame and Pink Lens
Some dogs ride on motorcycles, skateboards, surfboards and do all types of activities with their human companion. The risk is up to the person. Our person is conservative yet does allow us on pontoons, kayaks and canoes on occasion as long as we are wearing our safety jackets.
The latest trend is the sidecar and that sounds fun!
More than one human companion is great to have when you are traveling with pets since leaving your pet alone in a vehicle can present health risks and theft of your beloved animals.
With another human the risk of heat exposure and theft is minimized. And the attention is greatly appreciated. This is not always possible so spend some time thinking about the trip and potential risks when you will be traveling alone with your animal companions.
It is not recommended by most animal welfare groups and organizations to ever leave your pet alone in a vehicle when temperatures are high even with the windows cracked since temperatures in the car on a hot day can quickly become fatal. Animals perspire differently than humans so don’t rely on your own reactions to high temperature.
Our person usually leaves us at home during the summer months on trips she would typically take us during other times of the year. If you are traveling during the hot summer months try to avoid being in the car during the heat of the day. Drive before the sun shows itself and put in as many hours as you can.
There is so much to consider regarding the safety of your pet. Use common sense. If possible take your pet(s) inside with you.
Note the temperature outside, note your surroundings, can you crack the windows for air without theft, what is the potential time you will be away, use sun reflectors and battery operating fans safe for use with animals inside the car. Romp over to our Rompster Bonetique before you learn more about these products.
Our person sometimes uses a stroller for taking all of us inside a building in an orderly way. We practiced being orderly. The stroller is a solution for us since we are small dogs. Please sniff out the strollers and other cooling products we dug up before you leave our site. You can jump over using the menu to the Keep ’em Cool category in our Bonetique.
Leaving the windows down completely or greatly cracked and opening the sun roof (if you have one) increases the potential for theft of your beloved animal yet may outweigh the risk of heat exposure. Even leaving the car running with the air conditioner on poses a concern on a very hot day since if the car should stop operating for some reason and your quick stop takes longer than expected this could increase the risks to your pet’s safety.
If you do see an animal in a car without any access to air on a warm day you can contact the police. They have the legal authority to break in the car.
PACK THE ESSENTIALS & MORE
The essentials our person packs when she is traveling with pets may be in excess for many. Her motto like that of a good boy scout is “Be Prepared!” She thinks it is a good motto for anyone at any time.
See the list below for some essentials and nice to have items for your trip. Our person has a case that stays in the car and then an overnight case that goes in with us every night if we are traveling to several different destinations along the way.
For food she either pre-packs what we need for each overnight destination or uses a smaller container and scoops the amount we will need from the larger food container in the car. Note: it is not recommended to leave food in cars where bears might be present.
You can always choose less items. We just thought you might enjoy a list of things to consider. It is our treat for you. It really depends on the trip you are planning. Typically our animal supplies out weigh anything she packs for herself.
All I personally care about is how many of my toys she packed, when I might get a treat and when I’ll get to sniff some new mail and especially reply to all the new letters.
Here is a link for The Rompsters Travel with Pet Essentials List that you can print out.
Again mostly about travel with dogs on this list. For the most part our sister Maggie will need the essentials on this list but in addition she will need a litter box, litter and scooper.
Be sure to Sit! Stay! and sniff out our Rompster Bonetique. You will find a selection of supplies for your trips.
CANINE FIRST AID KIT SUPPLIES
Another chance to use the motto “Be Prepared!”. These are some things you can pack in your first aid supply kit. Some of the items are on our products page. And check back in the future since we will be selling our own kit. In the meantime check out this First Aid Kit by Kurgo.
We Rompsters have another treat for you. We put together a list of supplies you could consider in preparing your own kit. You can dig it out by placing your paws here: First Aid Travel Kit Supplies.
Be sure to sign up for our newsletter so I can GAB with you again soon.
Until then, Romp In Joy!
Love,
Gino