Traveling with a dog can be stressful. Besides all the basica things you need to know such as how much it costs to fly a dog overseas, pet travel rules and regulations, you also need to know how to take care of your dog during the trip. No one likes that nagging feeling of leaving their dog at home. As you move further away from your home town, be it by car, plain, bus or train, your mind becomes plague with images of your pet rushing anxiously through your house/apartment, looking for you, not giving up for hours on end, for that’s how dogs are, irrationally loyal and impossibly friendly.
So you’ve read the previous paragraph, it forced moisture from your eyes (not too much, just a drizzle) and now you’ve decided to bring your four-legged buddy to that trip. The first thing you’ll want to do is make sure you own a pet crate. Yes, I know you hate those box-cells, but your dog really won’t be that insulted, it might even enjoy the safe confines of a limited space. Furthermore, it is not only safer for the dog due to the sudden car stops, but for the driver and the rest of the passengers as well. Did you know that as much as 30 000 car accidents a year are caused by pets?
Walking and Feeding your Dog Before the Trip
On that note, feeding your dog less than 4 or 5 before the journey, might not be a good idea. In addition to the mentioned droppings problem, dogs are way more prone to motion sickness than their owners. A dog’s balance center is significantly more developed and, therefore, sensitive, to unnatural means of motion. Add the fact that you’ve probably taken 10-fold the number of car rides then your dog, and you’ll get why vomit projectiles should be just avoided by letting their tummies work for those 6 hours before the trip.
If you’re traveling by car, however, be sure not to let your dog ride with his head outside the window. This can prove for a distraction, and, furthermore, your loving pet can get injured by flying objects.
Making Your Dog Happy
Make sure your pet has all the need dog accessories, like familiar, favorite toys to calm them, dog medicine, protein-rich food, a leash, all the papers (rabies vaccination record, for example) regarding your dog, especially if you’re traveling across the state border, or by plane. Check what airline companies welcome dogs aboard and prepare yourself to put it in a pet crate, as this is usually unavoidable in-flight.
Bring your own bottled (tap or otherwise) water. Dogs have extremely sensitive tummies and something they’re not used to can upset it severely! You don’t want feces covering your back sit, let me tell ya.
To bring out that little extra calm in your dog, rub a little lavender oil between your hands and give it an aromatherapy, gently rubbing the dog’s tissue at the beginning of the spine or at the base of the head.
Once you’ve reached your destination, make sure to take a walk almost immediately. This can prove for getting the ropes of the new surroundings, as dogs are usually insecure and feel threatened due to the basic animal instinct of being wary when feeling unwelcome. Let it gather all the smell, sound and sight data, so it can feel safe and without any form of anxiety.
Be sure to keep it on a leash, but always use flat collars, never choke, please.
So there, if you’re planning on letting off a little steam in the summer, make sure you provide the vacation for your entire family, including your pets. New surroundings can open them up a bit, and a little bit of running around a new place, can kill off any form of nervousness. Furthermore, when you come back home, your family can all hug it out while watching your dog going happily berserk around your front yard, as it realizes how much it dearly missed the safe confines of your own family home.
