Travelling with my dog.

donnalouise_2

Hi,
Need some advice.Taking my dog on holiday in June and will be travelling about 3 hours in the car.Apart from obviously stopping often does anyone have any more advice please.My dog loves the car normally but haven't travelled this far with him before.

ladydisco

I always take my dog for a good long walk before travelling in the car - she tends to sleep most of the way then....take plenty of water with you - it could be hot (hoping) in June and you never know if you'll have car probs along the way....x

pboae

A good walk before, and avoid driving at critical times in their routine (i.e. when they are expecting their dinner or a walk). That way they usually just sleep. I don't stop all that often either, we usually drive for about 2 hours before we stop, unless he is getting restless and huffing around in the back. If he is asleep I would rather just keep going until he wants a break.

I worry most about my dog over heating, if we got stuck in a jam for a couple of hours it would be really dangerous for him.*

So when we are travelling long distances I freeze empty pop bottles with water in. I also dampen a couple of towels and freeze them over night. Then I put chilled drinks and food in a bag, wrap it with the frozen towels and then put the whole lot into a cooler bag with the ice bottles.

It keeps our drinks and snack and his water cool for hours, and if he ges hot he can lie on the frozen towels to cool down. In an emergency you can wrap a dog in them, concentrating on their belly, ears, etc to bring their temperature down quickly.

I also make sure we don't pack the car up too full, he travels in the boot behind a dog guard, so I pile the back seat up the air doesn't circulate to the back so he gets really hot.

When we go to France I hire a roofbox so I can keep the back seats virtually clear. Then I can fold them down and he gets a good draught from the back windows.



*I have a long/rough coated St. Bernard though, so heat exhaustion is a big problem for him.

sandydog_2

One thing we've started doing is putting his dog bed from home in the boot of our estate car. He used to stand up all the way but with the bed he takes a good amount of rests, although still stands sometimes!

I would also recommend a dog guard.

Happy travelling!

I_love_Airedales

Hello, we took our dog to France last year by car and ferry. We put a thick piece of foam in the back with a single duvet on top. He eats mainly dry dog food so he had that in there with him along with fresh water. He does enjoy being in the car and if they are with you I think they settle pretty well anyway. We stayed for 2 weeks and did not have any problem finding accomodation with him. We went to Warwick for an overnight stay and we tried 4 different places before found somewhere that would let us take our dog.
My husband and I are retired and will only go away if we can take him with us and I do think that hotels and B&B's lose out on a large untapped market as they will not take dogs.
Hope you have a good time with your dog and things go smoothly, I am sure they will.
ILA

Littlered_3

We've taken our Westies on some long journeys so they can go on holiday. A good walk before, like others have said, is always a good idea. I have bought the window shades designed for children (my dogs sit on the back seats) to help keep them cooler if its warm. I also put one of their beds in the back, normally a couple of favourite soft toys and regular stops for water and toileting.

tiff

I've always been advised that a dog should be secure when travelling, either a harness or a pet carrier. My dog travels in the boot in his carrier because he is small enough but will probably use a harness on the back seat with the children when he is older. He is a 6 month puppy now and would probably chew it.

I wouldnt worry about stopping often either, most adult dogs can go that long without going to the toilet.

As long as you're prepared and have everything they need, there's not much to it. Just bear in mind like pboae said what would happen if you break down.