Traveling With Pets – Some General Guidelines

Whenever vacations are in the horizon, the question about bringing our pets along or not come up. There are times, of course, where the vacation or the trip might not be conducive to bringing our pets in tow, but what about those vacations that we get to plan ourselves?

The biggest mistake I think people make when including their dog in their vacation plans is exactly that - not really including their pet in on the vacation, and as a result not thinking about their pet’s needs. It goes without saying that if we cannot take care of our dog’s needs when traveling it is always best to leave him behind with someone that will.

Here are some of my recommendations to ensure that your dog’s needs are being met while on the road:

Plan the activities in your vacation with your pet in mind since, after all, he is coming along. For example, consider where you would leave your dog for a couple of hours if he cannot accompany you on some of the activities. If you are visiting friends, is he familiar with the surroundings? Are there other pets that he likes and gets along well with, or they just met? If the dogs are truly not trusted friends do not leave your dog unattended with the other dog or with any other pet for that matter. I know it is tempting to think that they will be “fine” and they might, but they might not.

If you’re staying in a hotel is your dog crate trained? By crate trained I mean that your dog can remain in his crate comfortably for as long as you need to leave them in the crate. Another consideration here is the size of the crate. Not because you’re traveling should you compromise on the size of the crate you are bringing along. Your dog should be able to turn around inside the crate, stretch all the way and even stand! Anything else from this and you are compromising your pup’s well-being.

Another option, of course, might be leaving your dog in the car. Once again, your dog’s safety and comfort should be your number 1 priority! People often underestimate that the temperature outside might translate to a very cold temperature for their dog in the car if his stay is prolonged. It is not the same to be walking and going in and out of the elements - as in the case of doing some shopping - than staying in cold weather without the possibility of moving. The same precautions should be considered for hot temperatures. My rule of thumb is that my dogs are NEVER left inside the car if the temperature is above 60 degrees. And they are not left in the car for more than 1 hr. without a coat if the temperature is 40 degrees or below.

Part of being on vacation implies more freedom with routine and schedules. Dogs thrive
on structure sprinkled with novelty here and there. For this reason, it is important that you keep your dog’s routine when it comes to feeding times, exercise and activity selection as close as possible to the routine when at home.

Before deciding to bring your dog along consider if they will be other dogs in the mix. Plan ahead! The crazy idea that dogs enjoyed interacting with unknown dogs is really blown out of proportion. It is possible, of course, that your dog enjoys meeting new friendly dogs. Either way, make sure your dog has alone time and that his meals are served privately. Paying attention to details like these could make the difference between having a fun visit or a dogfight in your midst.

How about your dog’s exercise needs? Again, not because your routine is non-existent should it mean that your dog should go with too little or too much physical as well as mental stimulation. Please be mindful that your dog’s physical condition due to lack of activity, experience in the particular activity that you choose to engage while vacationing, or just age can undermine him.

I just visited with a couple that shared in laughter that on a recent vacation their dog was unable to move the next day because they decided to take their dog mountain biking. They thought it was funny (or perhaps they were laughing out of guilt!) that their dog was so sore he could not even get up the following day.

Once again, considering the terrain where your dog will participate in outdoor activities is important. Is it too cold? Should your dog wear some protective gear? Is it so hot that your dog’s paws are compromised? By the way, dogs can only control their body temperature via their paws and panting so be mindful of this. If it is hot your dog should not wear protective “booties” – something I wish manufactures of these would mention in the how-to of their product.

If hiking with your dog is your thing make sure your dog has a very reliable recall (he comes when called). Being in brand new surrounding stimulates some dogs to the point of taking off in a matter that they normally do not do when hiking in known territory. On the same note, know what kind of wildlife, if any, or roads might present a danger to your dog should he decide to go off exploring.
Our rule of thumb is that if and when our dogs travel with us, we plan the vacation and activities with them in mind. Sure, at times it can put a bit of a damper on what we would like to do but after all it is our choice to bring them and one our dogs cannot make on their own. It might mean that we order take out and eat in the hotel room so that they are not left unattended. Or that we cut short the window shopping so that they do not remain too long in the car. They get leash walks and when appropriate off-leash romps. Their meals remain at the same time followed by their chewy; just like we do at home. We bring their beds along and a blanket from home should they decide they want to jump on the extra bed - a privileged allowed while on vacation.

As a result of our guidelines we have truly enjoyed some of these vacations the most because they are with us and they too get to share in what we do. It should go without saying that we are always responsible for our dog’s well-being so extending this notion when considering if we should travel with them or not is not only good old common sense, but also what our dogs deserve from us.

Grr, Move Over

The thing about vacations (besides being totally necessary and fun) is that when you get back to your “regular” life you cannot avoid being confronted with a slew of things that were put on hold while you basked in the sun, climbed the steep mountain, etc. I got back from my (almost) three week vacation – yes, I tell myself under my breath, everybody (clients and my dogs) survived… no one is that indispensable… as I try to combat jet lag, allergies and lots of work needing my attention.

I am sitting at my desk listening to the webinar that I enrolled in before going on vacation in a rush, since tomorrow I have the last installment of it and I want to be prepared. For this reason I thought to pull out the frozen marrow bones that my dogs love. This is the perfect opportunity for them to chew in delight while I work in silence and without interruptions such as: ball throwing or tugging with a toy.

As I am wrapping up the webinar, I hear from the living room a growl and I think it is Deuce protecting his marrow bone from Rioja. Seconds later, Rio comes into the office and lies down on the rug boneless.

What a turn of events I think. It is normally Rio who ends up with all the bones while Deuce leaves his half worked-on bone behind and unattended. In my household, it is Rioja who is keener on anything edible and Deuce being more of a “perhaps-kind-of-guy”: perhaps I’ll eat my food this morning perhaps not…

As I keep working at the computer Rio who is in my office, emits a meek whine followed by a second one but she remains laying on the carpet. I turn around to see if I can figure out with little effort why she is whining. Deuce, on the other hand, is laying all stretched out - muzzle close to the carpet in the living room and near him are three (not two but three) marrow bones; one old- two as of this afternoon.

I get up and walk outside my office coaxing Rio to follow me but she won't. Now that is a change in roles! I think. Rioja left cold without any bones and Deuce the king of all bones!

I go over to Deuce and picked one of the bones for Rio. She grabs it from my hand and goes back to laying down in my office.

As I walk towards the kitchen with the intention of making some tea for myself I am feeling good about having resolved this family “drama” with both dogs content at the results. I also think that I wished I had seen Deuce “in action” when he growled at Rio over the bones. This is so not like Deuce and there you have - it is also very much like Deuce in the right circumstances.

This is exactly the type of scenario I wish dog owners the world-over would pay much closer attention too, instead of being so ready in labeling their dog’s relationships as a ongoing struggle for resources with little to none variation.

This afternoon what happened between Deuce and Rioja is a clear testimony of the fluidity of canine interactions. It is NOT about one of them being the top dog, the alpha or whatever other label we can come up with. And the other always the beta, looser or again another label describing a fixed pattern of relationship and communication between dogs that co-habit.

In this instance, Deuce who is as a norm less interested in bones and not such an avid chewer decides he wants not only his bone but also Rioja’s.

And Rioja, who is very keen on chewing, surrenders without much incident the coveted bone to Deuce. In fact, that little single growl from Deuce was heard “so clearly” by her that she sheepishly came to my office and remained there until I coaxed her out by positioning myself between her and Deuce.

Now, there are exceptions to the more fluid panorama I am presenting above between family dogs (or other groupings of dogs) where one dog is constantly being harassed or bulling by another. In this sad situation one is constantly getting the short end of the stick (or bone or…) and living a hellish life of stress and anxiety as to when he might be harassed once again. I feel so sorry for dogs in this situation. If the human in the household is not aware of this dynamic there is often little chance for the dog being harassed to find his/her needs met.

The message here is also of relaxed-vigilance. Just pay close attention on a regular basis to how your dogs are interacting. Pay attention to see if both dogs, and more than two if that is the case, search the company of the other(s). Do they have equal opportunities for places of rest? Valuable resources such as toys, chewies and the like going in and out through doors, etc.? Can they resolve their conflicts like Deuce and Rio with no need for physical contact or injury? It is also true, but in my experience less often found, that the owner/pet parent is doing everything right but the chemistry or friendship between the dogs is just not right. I guess they too are “stuck” with their siblings…

What has worked in my household is to have very clear in my mind what kind of interactions I will permit from my dogs towards one another and even a client’s dog that are here for training. I have a concrete plan of action should they begin to aggress towards one another over resources and I have learn as well from past mistakes to manage the dogs and most importantly their environment so that they can both co-exist in (almost) perfect harmony.

Call me crazy but knowing that my dogs live in an environment that they can feel safe in is one of the highlights of my day.