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Before you travel with your pet the first thing to consider is whether the pet can or should travel. Every pet is an individual with specific preferences and characteristics. Not every pet is suited or ready for travel. You should know your pet well enough to know if they are comfortable riding in the car for more than just short trips to the veterinarian. Also your veterinarian is a good judge of your pet’s suitability for travel, especially if the vet has been seeing your pet for some length of time.
Factors that should rule out taking a pet on a trip are age (either too young or too old), health (including a pregnant animal), and an animal that is either prone to biting or excessive vocalization. Once again consideration for others should be the guide, as none of us would appreciate a dog in a neighboring room that barked or whined all night.
In my opinion the most basic rule of all is that a pet should have at the very least basic obedience training and skills before traveling. A well-mannered and obedient pet goes a long way at pet friendly facilities anywhere in the world. The basics that should be mastered are come, sit, stay, wait, and down. Of course your pet should be properly house broken and crate training is also a big plus.
To put it simply here is a list of what are the basic tips in preparing to have your pet travel with you:
1. Provide basic obedience training to ensure the reliability of your pet on the road
2. Have a clear bill of health from your veterinarian and take several copies of your pet’s vaccination records with you on the trip
3. Prepare your pet for a longer trip by having your pet travel with you around town when this is possible – and even consider shorter day trips on weekends before a major excursion that is a week or more
4. Make sure your pet is properly socialized with people and other animals that she may encounter in your travels ( walks and visits to a well-monitored local dog park can help here)
5. Have a crate or carrier that can be taken on the trip – if the pet is trained to use a crate they can be comfortable and have a measure of safety riding in the crate
6. Always have your pet on a reliable leash and collar, or harness, and leave it on during transportation since it gives you added control of your pet
7. Use a safe collar like a Martingale that will not choke your dog and avoid retractable leashes that can pop free if your dog lunges
8. On the collar be sure to have your pets license and rabies tags and also a good quality name tag with contact information in case your pet is separated from you
9. Take a small bag for your pet and pack it as thoughtfully as packing your own bags
10. Have a supply of your pets normal food that will last the duration of the trip
11. Always have a supply of water and a water bowl to keep your pet hydrated
12. Stop periodically to give your pet a chance to stretch her legs as well as take a potty break
13. Pack toys, treats, a brush, cleaning supplies, paper towels, and a supply of cleanup bags for your dog’s feces
Susie is a working therapy dog and has all of these things in her bag that we take on our visits, but it is a good idea to put together this kind of kit for any pet that is going to be going places with you.
In future articles in this series of pet travel tips we will be covering additional details of traveling by car and by air with your companion. If you have other great tips or suggestions, please leave them in the comments section so you can share them with other pet owners who want to travel with their animal companions.
August 31, 2023
