Traveling (by car) with dogs..QUESTIONS!!

[jadedOll]

Hey dOlls! **Hope im posting this in the right area** We're moving to Arkansas from Northern California (approx 1,900 mi.) We will be traveling with a couple trucks, trailers & a car. In our car we will have 2 very healthy older dogs (16 y/O Welsh Corgie that acts like a puppy & a 11 y/O Groenendael Belgiun Shepherd that thinks she's my child) she's right

..Making a 3 day trip out of it, with a couple stops to visit family. We've never traveled this far by car let alone with dogs!

Lately i've been taking them with me on errands.. Trying to get them more used to riding around. They are always excited to go & good in the car, except for the fact that my big girl wants the back windows down as much as they will go, 3-4 inches isn't enough..even when its COLD

lol I want my babies as comfortable as possible.. Just seeing the house become bare & boxes everywhere has them acting strange

This is going to be hard on them..until they get out of the city & see the 20 acres we have waiting for them

What are some pre-cautions & tips we can use?? For anyone that has advice I would greatly appreciate it!

 

[obscuria]

If you haven't already, start with getting both of them seat belt locks/harnesses. This will help make sure your dogs stay securely in the car especially if you plan on having the windows down.

With my dog at least, we always take breaks every 2-4 hours so he can use the bathroom and such.

Other than that, it's basic common sense things such as make sure they get plenty of water and don't leave them in the car on their own.

 

[jadedOll]

I had never heard of seatbelt locks/harnesses for dogs.. thanks! I'll look that up ( I sound SO clueless, but I really am to this lol) I just heard about pills you can get from your vet to help them relax, but i'm not sure how I feel about that with age considered.

 

[Simply Elegant]

Zack Braff was on Ellen talking about the pills his dog takes for when he flies and they are safe. You could ask your vet though just to confirm.

 

[obscuria]

The harnesses basically have little seat belt locks on them that you can clip into the seat belt buckle of your car. It prevents dogs from jumping out or falling out of the car.

I would probably only consider medication if your dogs were really uncomfortable with being in the car such as car sickness.

 

[LMD84]

when my mum and dad took our family dog with us in the car being prepared is key! they'd bring bottles of water and a doggie bowl so that when we stopped the dog could have a drink. some dog biscuits in case we were out longer than expected and the dog got hungery. they always put a blanket down where the dog would be to prtect the seat from hair and other doggy messes! one of our dogs was car sick so my mum always made sure she took loo roll and hand santiser to help out with the clean up if that happens.

and yes stopping every few hours so the dog can go to the loo and stretch it's legs is also a must

i hope it all goes well for you!

 

[jadedOll]

"Go to the loo" that is THE cutest thing i've heard in a long time lol

That's the thing, i'm so scared we are going to be out on the road an un prepared. I will stop by the vet sometime next week & discuss the pills, if he feels they are canidate for them I will gO ahead and have them just incase. It's a LONG ride to have miserable/sick doggies

I'm going to load up the back seat & floor with their pillows/old blankets. Need a pooper scooper for stops, bottled water, food, bones, toilet paper, pet stain remover & disinfectant..hand sanitizer!! yayy i'm feeling much more calm about having what we will need. Thank you ladies TONS!

 

[LMD84]

don't stress hun... i am sure you and your babies will be fine

and at the end of the day there will be plenty of places to stop if you need anything else or think of something you may have forgotten.

 

[BEA2LS]

don't stress, i take my dog on vacation with me every year (my whole family actually does). so it is at least a four hour drive and he always does alright.. they usually will get bored and go to sleep.

 

[hello_kitty]

I've driven/moved 1800 miles with two cats, so I hope I can provide some help, even if I had a different species to deal with!

First off, make sure they have collars/identification on at all times! Keep leashes very handy. Don't open doors/windows unless they are secure.

I kept my cats in their carriers the whole way except for breaks, but understandably that can be harder for dogs if they're large (carriers can take up a lot of room). They really had no interest in eating or going to the bathroom while in the car, which was a good thing! I'd let them out to stretch for a few moments when I stopped to get gas. Then at night at the motel they would get food, water, and use the litterbox. I'm sure dogs can be the same way... no desire to eat, drink, etc, especially when in a moving vehicle. So don't be alarmed if they don't want to eat or drink or use the bathroom. Animals deal with stress in different ways than humans do.

Try to pack some of their favorite toys if they have some, even if just to cuddle with. And like mentioned, plenty of food and water. Treats work, too. My cats would nibble on treats in the car occasionally. I brought lots of cheapy blankets with me to put all over the backseat... cuts down on the hair and gives a feeling of comfort and home in the car.

 

[jadedOll]

Yeah, I would be alarmed if they weren't eating cus they EAT, thanks for letting me know that's normal! lol I can not wait til this is all over *phew*

THANK YOU LADIES!! xoxO