Top Tips For Traveling With Your Dog: Taking them along on any outing can add to the fun unless you neglect to take the proper steps. 
My husband has been talking about taking an RV trip down the East Coast for years now. He’s slightly obsessed with the idea of packing up the kids and the dogs and heading off on a Great Adventure. In theory, it sounds quite lovely. But in reality, I’m not so sure.
For starters, I get super antsy anytime I’m in a “mode of transportation” for more than 2-3 hours. Five hours is definitely my max, so we’d have to break the trip up quite a bit. Secondly, our dogs have never traveled with us longer than a 15-minute car ride to the dog park. So I have no idea how they’d fair on a weeks-long journey with all of us.
To bide my time, I’ve offered up the idea of taking the dogs camping this summer. Or, glamping – because he hates camping. This way, if the dogs hate it, we won’t be too far from home. And if they love it? Well then, I guess my husband is going to be planning our 2018 vacation immediately afterward.
All of this talk about traveling with our pets got me thinking, so I reached out to Travis Brorsen, one of the most sought after dog trainers in America today, again to see what he had to say about the topic. As you may remember, he shared his Summer Safety Tips For Dogs with us earlier this month. Below are his Top Tips For Traveling With Your Dog so that they can be safe no matter where they go this summer!
Top Tips For Traveling With Your Dog
1.) Pooches on Planes
If you happen to be flying this summer and taking your dog along for the ride, make sure to follow these travel tips before your flight:
- Try to travel in the morning
- No food or water four hours before departing
- Multiple potty breaks before getting to the airport
- Keep the dog on the floor or in a crate safely in the cabin and/or with a seat belt harness
2.) Dogs on Boats
If you will be heading out on the water, it’s important to treat your dog just like any other passenger on a boat. Make sure to keep these safety tips in mind:
- Use a life jacket for safety, even if your dog knows how to swim
- Make sure you get them to land to stretch their legs often
- Have plenty of water available at all times. Fresh water, not lake or ocean water!
3.) Canines in Cars
If you are simply taking a road trip, never ever leave your dog in a parked car. It doesn’t matter if it’s just for a few minutes or even parked in a shady area. The temperature in a car can exceed 160 degrees within minutes which is the equivalent of putting your dog in a microwave. When in doubt, leave your loveable pooch at home in the AC. Here is what you should do if you happen to see a dog in a hot car:
- Take down the car’s make, model and license-plate number.
- If you can, notify local business or call 311 in NYC
- Monitor the dog until help arrives
Remember, your dog is as much part of your family as anyone else and deserves the proper care and consideration. Taking them along on any outing can add to the fun unless you neglect to take the proper steps.
For more information and helpful tips visit www.greatestamericandogtrainers.com.
Have you ever traveled with your dog? Tell us about it!
Denine
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