Car travel with dog

I just posted my favorite travel with a pet tips, and today I’d like to talk about specific car travel with dog tips because traveling with a cat is an entirely different animal ;-).

When you’re going to be venturing out on a road trip with your dog, three things are important:

1) Preparation.
2) The actual car time.
3) What happens when you get where you’re going.

If your dog is a grumpy traveler (or, worse, gets carsick!) talk with your vet before you hit the road. In fact, it’s always a good idea to check in with your vet about any travel plans that include the dog because there may be vaccinations to consider, preventative medications (like if you’ll be traveling to a tick-heavy camp grounds) or other concerns to address.

Another important part of pre-trip preparation is to make sure you have a proper harness for car travel with dog. This will keep your dog secure through the trip.

Finally, make sure you have a dog first aid kit and any special medications your dog might need. For instance, if your dog is allergic to ants, make sure to take along the antihistamines you give to prevent a reaction. Yes, most of what you’d need is available where you’re going, and will be available along the way, but do you really want to waste precious minutes searching for a drugstore when you could just reach into the first aid kit and find precisely what you need? I think not!

During the trip, you’ll find lots of great tips from my article on Travel with a Pet–make sure to pay special attention to the warnings about weather!

Then, finally, when it comes to getting settled in when you venture out for car travel with dog, it’s important to choose pet friendly hotels if you’ll be staying in a hotel. Also, as before you started the car trip with your dog, make sure to give your dog plenty of exercise when you get to the hotel. That’ll help get your vacation off to a good start.

Does your dog get car sick? Or do both of you enjoy car travel with dog? I’d love to hear about your experiences!