Traveling with your fur-friends

Be sure to check out our Amazon Storefront to shop
all our favorite travel must-haves!

What is life without your best fur friend?  Do you love to travel but not sure how to travel with your dog? We love to travel and feel guilty doing it without our fur child. Most of the time we love to go on road trips to see family and friends. We have learned from experience that it is not always easy to travel with a dog. Therefore, here are some tips and tricks on how we travel with our pup. We will go into more detail on what we’ve found works for us (mostly through trial and error) including making them tired before you hop into the car, how to pack, traveling safety, and the best pit stops to make.

What’s more annoying when you are ready to hit the road, but your fur bestie is so hyper they can’t sit still for more than a few seconds? A hyper dog is not a fun dog in the car.

Tip #1 — get them tired!

We personally love to start our road trips at night since they are tired from the whole day. But we know not everyone or every circumstance lends itself to leaving at night time. If you can’t leave at night and leave during daylight, I would recommend playing a good round of fetch or a long morning walk to help tire them out. Another way to help dogs to relax in the car is CBD oil/treats. CBD oil has helped us make Meeko less anxious in the car for a long period of time. Lastly, keeping dogs busy in the car when they are not sleeping. Some ways to keep them busy are chew toys, Kongs with treats inside (these are our favorites!) or a puzzle to keep their attention.

tip #2 - packing and organization

Nothing is more stressful than packing yourself on top of others and forgetting something you really needed. I have learned that the hard way. I tend to pack my dog first and make a checklist so that I will not forget anything while we travel. You might think it’s not a big deal if you forget something since there are pet stores all around the world. But it’s just less stressful and allows more time for fun when you are prepared and don’t have to tie up loose ends while on the road. When packing for your pup I recommend getting their own backpack. This one is our favorite for any type of traveling. It has great dividers for organization, an easily accessible dog bowl section in the front, and a separate water bottle holder on the side. Next, I would organize their food portions into single serving baggies (zip lock or similar) so you or anyone with you can easily feed your pup without any additional measuring scoops or the like taking up unnecessary bag space. One small piece of advice, always pack one extra day of food just in case anything delays your return home or you lose a bag. Now food is important but you can’t forget a portable water bottle for on the go travel. This is our favorite one and it’s on Amazon which means you can get it quickly before your next adventure! Now you can check off two items on the list. Along with food you can’t forget about the treats! Now the next two aren’t necessary to pack, but we love to pack our pup’s favorite toys and a wardrobe. Meeko isn’t Meeko if he doesn’t have his ball and a bandana on. Lastly, poor planning yields poor results. It is important that you pack an emergency kit in case anything bad were to happen while you are traveling. Our emergency kit includes extra leash and collar, a bag of food, and hydrogen peroxide (Note: a small amount ingested based on their size will cause your pup to vomit anything harmful/poisonous they may have consumed). Finally, you have checked everything off the list. Isn’t that the best feeling ever?

tip #3 - car safety

Did you know, in a typical 30 mile-an-hour head-on crash, a 50-pound dog flies forward with an impact force of 1,500 pounds according to New York Times. Just imagine a Meeko (51lbs) flying forward if your pup was not secured properly. Safety is very important, for everyone in the car including your pup’s. We learned this the hard way. When Meeko was a puppy we loved him to sit in the front seat with us just because why not cuddle on a long road trip (he was about 20 lbs back then). We were on our way back from traveling to see family during Christmas. Meeko and I were in the front seat sleeping while my husband was driving on the interstate. It was rainy and cold outside. I just remember waking up and holding tight on to Meeko as we hydroplaned across 5 lanes. I remember feeling helpless as we slid from one lane to another praying that we would not hit anything or spin out in the middle of the interstate. We came to a painfully slow halt just inches away from hitting the wall barrier. We literally went from one barrier to the other with little to no control over the vehicle. We were very blessed that we were able to both slow the car down gradually to a complete stop and that there were no cars in the direct path of our out-of-control vehicle. This way an eye opening on why travel safety is so important. I would recommend that all your pets sit in the backseat with a seatbelt connected to their hardness. There are many ways of how you connect the seatbelt but we picked a seatbelt that inserts directly into the car’s receiving belt insert. Another safety tip is always leaving their collar on because if they were to get lost, someone could easily contact you when they are found. Some ask, “how did you get Meeko to go on a long road trip without getting car sick?” When Meeko was a puppy, we knew as a family that we were going to travel in the car with him a lot. Therefore, we let him go on short drives with him and worked him up to a 12hr+ car ride. Needless to say, not all dogs love the car rides and everyone’s experience can be different.

tip #4 - pit stops

Lastly, no one can go a whole road trip without pit stop right? Depending on car ride duration and how well your dog can hold his/her bladder will dictate how many stops you will need to take. Our dog is on a schedule and pretty much knows when he needs to pee and poop. It’s not healthy for your dog to hold his bladder so we consulted our vet to see how long he/she should hold their bladder based on their size. You may think well why don’t we just stop wherever you eat or get gas. These places usually aren’t the cleanest and have trash everywhere and sometimes are too close to the road or simply don’t have green spots. We have found rest stops and using the app BringFido to find pet friendly stops along the way. BringFido is a great way to find dog parks as well in case they need to burn off excess energy as well. Pit stops are a great way to make your road trip more fun and enjoyable. One very important note is that all stops are likely breeding grounds for contagious dog viruses and illnesses. Your pup should be caught up on all their vaccines and you need to be even more vigilant in monitoring what your dog gets into while at one of these stops.

Road tripping with your best friend is not always easy, but I hope you have learned some tips and tricks on how to make your road trip the best experience possible!