With the arrival of summer we consider traveling with our furry friends. Traveling with them is one of the most fun things you can do and it helps very much to increase your bond. In that case, we must consider several important things before embarking on the adventure. We must be especially careful with the dangers of summer, how we are going to travel … etc. Next, we will give you some basic tips before traveling with your dog. If it is an airplane trip, we recommend not to take them unless it is strictly necessary, since they must still travel in the hold and it is stressful for them.
Here are our tips for traveling with your dog:
1. Have you gotten him used to traveling on a single day? Ideally, before undertaking a journey of several hours, your dog should have traveled some distance in the car with you and thereby get used to it. If you travel by car, it is safest to take them in a carrier or cage, depending on the size of the dog.
Here you can learn how your dog can adapt to the carrier. If you cannot carry him in these circumstances because you cannot use the trunk, special safety harnesses can be used that hook from the seat belt in the back. There are different models and sizes.
2. Think carefully about the destination and where you are going to stay. You have to know what you can and cannot do with your dog if you are making a getaway. If at any time of the day you have to leave it alone in the hotel, you need to know if this is possible and under what conditions and if you are going to do routes or go to beaches you have to be well informed about whether dogs are allowed in these places.
3. A veterinary checkup, vaccination and de-worming before leaving is well advised particularly in beach areas or livestock.
4. Find out about veterinary emergency resources near the area to be visited.
5. Calculate the food you will need to take and be careful to feed your dog before getting in the car if it tends to get dizzy.
6. Always take your dog’s veterinary record and passport with you, as well as an identification plate, especially in new places.
7. Take a first aid kit for your dog with basic materials in case of injuries, cuts, etc. If you want to learn the basics and what to take for canine first aid, click here.
8. Think carefully about where your dog will sleep, especially when you go camping, or if you are staying in rural area. It is important that your dog is able to sleep near you and in its bed or carrier if it is used to this..
9. Take bottles with portable water bowls and plenty of water. Whether you go to the beach or to the mountains, they get hotter than we do and therefore need to drink very often.
10. Plan activities that you will do with your dog: apart from the outings that you can do together, find time to play with it each day, do mental and smelling activities and remember, do not leave it alone in the car without supervision in summer.
HAVE FUN!
