You love traveling. You love exploring new places and becoming familiar with other cultures and environments. Whether it’s a solo trip or a family trip, traveling helps rejuvenate the mind.
What can make your travel plans even better?
Traveling with a pet is one of the best ways to get the most out of your trip! Imagine exploring all those new and neat places with your pup. It’s one of the best experiences you can have to make memories with your furry best friend.
There are some tips for traveling with a dog you should know about, however, to make your travel plans go as smoothly as possible. Remember, traveling with your dog is much different than traveling alone. You’ll need to ensure its comfort throughout the entire trip.
Do you know how to travel with a pet?
So whether you are spending the holidays in Northumberland or planning a tropical getaway, the guide below has several helpful tips that apply to anywhere you travel with your dog. Continue reading to find out more!
1. Visit the Veterinarian Beforehand
Before you begin to plan your trip with your pup, make sure you take them to the vet first. Have a regular checkup done to ensure its health is excellent and can travel without trouble. The vet can prescribe something for its anxiety if needed.
You want to have all its vaccinations up to date as well. You should also consider asking the vet for a printout of its health records. If your destination requires paperwork for your dog to visit, then you’ll have everything you need ready to go.
Depending on where you’re traveling to, your dog might need special vaccinations to prevent them from picking up diseases not found where you currently live.
2. Take Necessary Safety Precautions
You want to take all the necessary safety precautions for your pup as well. Remember, you’re going to be traveling a far distance away from your home and your pup won’t know where it’s at. If it were to get lost, you’re going to want to have some safety measures in place.
For starters, giving your dog a tag on its collar is a big help. On the tag, you can display its name, your name, and your contact information. If it gets lost and a good samaritan finds them, they’ll know who to call.
Another safety measure to look into is having your dog microchipped. A microchip can let vet offices, rescues, and pounds know who your dog’s owner is. They can then contact you.
3. Provide Them With All Medications
Does your dog require any daily special medications?
If so, don’t forget to pack these items with you. Any medicines, prescriptions, and vitamins should be brought along in an essentials bag for your pup. There are a few other items you can consider placing in its essentials bag as well.
Every pup is different and will have its own unique essential items, but here are a few examples:
- favorite toys
- favorite blanket
- crate
- anything that smells like home
Once you pack the essentials bag, keep it with you at all times.
4. Get Them Accustomed to the Car and Crate
If your pup will be traveling via car, then you’ll want to get them accustomed to car rides. No matter if you’re traveling via car or plane, you should also begin crate training them. Spend some time working with your pup until you feel it’s ready to take long trips inside the crate or inside your vehicle.
Although this might take some extra time out of your day, it’s worth it in the long run. Your pup will feel more comfortable and less anxious if given some time to get used to it. You can consider looking into pet transportation as well.
Pet transportation services are something to look into because they can provide you with both air and ground transportation for your pup. The professionals are also trained and know how to keep your little one happy during the entire trip.
5. Check Your Destination for Dog Restrictions
Before bringing your dog along with you, contact your destination and inquire about dog restrictions. Unfortunately, not all travel destinations are dog-friendly. You should also ask about breed or size restrictions as well.
Know what to expect before you get there. Some places provide outdoor areas for pets to roam and other helpful things for pet parents.
What does your destination provide and not provide?
Find the answers to these questions ahead of time to save you some stress.
6. Be Flexible With Them When Needed
During your travels, you must keep in mind that your pup will be in unfamiliar territory. This can be quite stressful for your dog. If your dog must travel separate from you, then emotions of fear, anxiety, and confusion could set in.
Remember to be more flexible with your dog now more than ever. If there’s an accident or two, don’t get too upset. If behavior seems off, give it some time.
Once all the excitement or anxiety or traveling has passed by, you should see your dog light back up with life again!
Write Down These Tips for Traveling With a Dog
Whether you’re taking a vacation or moving to a new location, traveling with a dog doesn’t have to be stressful. Your pup can actually help make your trip even more wonderful than it already was. Use the advice listed in the guide above to get you started.
When you follow these tips for traveling with a dog, you and your dog should have a great time traveling together!
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