Taking Your Dog on a Road Trip
The open highway. A blaring stereo. Bags of junk food in the backseat. Nothing says summer like a road trip. But what happens when your four wheels include four-legs? What happens when Rover or Fido calls shotgun in your Honda? What happens when pit stops turn into potty breaks?
Taking a dog on a road trip (or any trip for that matter) requires a plan. So, before your pack your pet’s “doggie bag” and hit the pavement, start with the following tips:
Make sure to plan for plenty of stops
Your dog doesn’t have the capacity to ask you to pull over at a rest stop or veer off at the nearest 7-11 because they’re feeling restless. And that means you must take the initiative to make the potty breaks for them. Aim to take a break every few hours to not only let your pup relieve itself but also stretch its legs. A fifteen-minute walk in the middle of nowhere can do wonders.
Make sure they have up-to-date tags
While it’s not common, dogs do go missing on road trips. They jump from parked cars, they run scared into forests, they explore a little too far, getting lost along the way. Keeping your dog on a leash whenever you’re outside of your vehicle is one way to avoid a heartbreaking outcome. But make sure their ID tags are up-to-date as well, just in case. Do yourself one better and get your pet microchipped.
Make room for them in your car
If your dog is tiny, it might be content to curl up in your lap as you drive from Colorado to Oregon, never moving a muscle until you reach your destination. Larger dogs need larger spaces. Refrain from packing your car so full of luggage and other supplies that there’s no room for Roscoe. The more space your pet has, the better; you don’t want them to feel like they’re sitting in the middle seat of an airplane as you travel across the nation.
Reward your pooch
When you fill-up your car with road trip necessities, make sure some of those are kibbles and bits. Rewarding your dog for a ride well-done help reinforces positive behavior. You don’t want them chewing up the leather seats, running around the gas station, or whining incessantly because you’re listening to Cat Stevens. In addition to treats, other dogs- centric provisions to bring include poop bags, toys, bones, and plenty of water.
Make memories
It’s not every day you take a road trip with your terrier or a vacation with your vizsla. So take the time to make memories. Who knows, maybe your adventures will hang in your living room, forever captured in family portraits with dogs front and center.
Road trips are a trip… and our furry friends enrich them more. So put the pedal to the metal and away you go. Just expect to clean up afterwards; nothing makes a car messier than a mutt.
JJ Keeler lives in Colorado with a house full of pets. She owns three dogs, two cats, and a hamster she bought as a bribe to get her daughter to ride the school bus. She has a BA in English Literature from the University of Colorado and has worked as a professional writer for fifteen years. Her clothes are perpetually covered in pet hair.
