While every dog owner dreams of endless road trips with Fido, the reality doesn't always match the movies. It's not as simple as putting your dog in the car and driving off into the sunset, and you don’t have the security of a backyard fence installation to keep them safe. However, you can take a few essential steps to ensure your dog's safety while traveling. We've compiled our top safety tips for traveling with dogs to help you enjoy a stress-free vacation.
Table of Contents
Dog Travel Tips
1. Understand Your Dog's Temperament
The most important thing is for any owner to be realistic about their dog's temperament. How confident are you that your pet can cope with travel and, more importantly, will behave? If the answer to those questions is no, it doesn’t mean you are housebound; you just have a little more work to do.
2. Start with Training
Not surprisingly, training your dog to travel should be at the top of your list. He/she should be comfortable on all your trips, including those longer ones.
You decide how your dog travels, whether you put him/her in a crate in the back of the car or attach a harness. Either way, your dog needs to be safely restrained at all times. Introduce this slowly. If he/she is crate trained at home already, it’s slightly easier to transfer this into a car.
3. Crate Training a Dog for Travel
Set up the crate at home and allow your dog to explore it. Let him/her sniff and go in if he/she chooses. Dogs are more likely to repeat a behavior if something good happens, so we need our dogs to learn that good things happen in the crate.
Once he/she is comfortable in and around the crate at home, transfer it to your car and do the same again. Once it's in the car, let him/her explore, sniff, and throw treats inside. If you need a more extended distraction, you can give him/her a chew toy.
4. Start with Short Journeys
Once he/she is confident in the crate in the car, start with slow journeys (five to ten minutes at most). When you return home, praise and reward him/her, your dog will learn to associate the destination as the “good thing!” Slowly increase the length of the journey, 15-20 minutes, 30 minutes, etc.
If your dog shows any signs of distress, stop the car when it is safe, let him/her out, and go for a short walk to calm him/her down. Return to the car when you are sure your dog is ready.
A similar approach applies if you are attaching your dog to a harness. You need him/her to get used to the harness and associate it with good things. So again, attach the harness at home and praise and reward your dog while wearing it. Once he/she has accepted the harness, move to the car.
5. Use a Harness in the Car
Attach your dog to the harness in the car and praise and reward him/her. Leave him/her attached for a minute or so and then release. Slowly build up the time spent in the harness in the car: one minute, two minutes, three minutes, and so forth.
Once you are sure he/she is confident in the harness, start with short journeys as above. Slowly increase the journey length. Again, if your dog shows any signs of distress, stop the car when it is safe, remove him/her from the vehicle, and take him/her for a short walk. Return to the journey when your dog is calm.
You should only take your pet on journeys when you are confident he/she can travel comfortably. As a driver, your eyes should be firmly on the road, along with your attention. You don’t need to be worrying that your dog is getting stressed or trying to gnaw his/her way out of the crate or harness!
To find a good harness for your dog, check this review from Mypetneedsthat.
6. Training Basic Commands
Before you set off on any trip, it would also be wise to train the basic commands: sit, stop, and leave:
- “Sit” will keep your dog out of trouble in restaurants
- “Stop” could help save his life around busy roads or parking lots
- “Leave” could be that saving grace that keeps you from spending the night in the ER
See also: Husky Trekking with Spruce Island Husky
Before you train any command, he/she needs to respond to his/her name and have good recall. To teach your dog his/her name, increase your pitch every time you say it. Your dog should pay attention to the change in tone and look at you. Praise him/her and give a treat (repeat regularly).
Recall
Here is where you need high-value or particularly stinky treats. Now that your dog knows his/her name, increase the pitch of your voice and shout your dog's name + “Come!”
With some high-value treats in your hand, he/she should come straight to you, praise and reward.
If he/she isn’t food-orientated, use a ball or toy he/she loves. Use the same principle. You need to be more exciting than anything else going on!
Keep commands simple. One or two words are more likely to give you the result you are looking for.
Sit
Sit with your dog in front of you and hold a treat by his/her nose. Move the treat backward so he/she has to tilt his/her head to follow it. His/her bottom should instinctively fall to the ground.
As soon as he/she sits, label the behavior and give him/her the treat. Repeat several times, labeling the behavior as it's done.
Stop
Stop with your dog off leash in a secure area, and call him/her to you. As he/she runs towards you, throw treats behind him/her. He/she will stop to eat them. As he/she stops, label the behavior. Repeat.
Moving forward, he/she should stop and look for treats as soon as you say the word!
Leave
This one often confuses people, but stick with us; it works. Hold a treat in a closed hand. Hold it by your dog's nose. He/she will likely try to get at it, but don’t let him/her.
Give the treat as soon as your pet moves his/her nose or head away. Repeat. Your pet is learning that ignoring the treat eventually gets it anyway. Label the behavior as you repeat, “Leave!”
If you struggle to train any of these commands, keep your dog on a leash whenever traveling.
7. Keep on Leash in New Places
There will be plenty of new scents and things to explore in any new place. It's not worth the risk unless you are confident in your dog's ability to listen to you and perform these commands. Otherwise, your dog could become a nuisance to others or, worse, get into danger.
Summary
When planning a trip, consider your route and plot out toilet stops. Your dog will need to go potty and have a drink of water. Remember your poo bags, too. Look for truck stops with open spaces so you can take him/her for a walk to stretch those legs!
Keep your dog under control at all times and be mindful of what’s around you as you are letting him/her out of the car; is he/she likely to see something and run after it?
There may be a little more to think about before you take your dog on that road trip, but keeping him/her safe will make your vacation a lot less stressful. Putting the work in before you head out will be worth it for all of you.
John is a full-time dog trainer specializing in animal behavior, he is a parent to two dogs, (Jamie and Jeff) who he travels Europe with and is an editor for All Things Dogs.
Planning a trip? Go Backpacking recommends:
- G Adventures for small group tours.
- Hostelworld for booking hostels.
