With the Holiday Season comes a lot of traveling. Whether it’s to visit family, friends, or you’re just taking a little vacation time, If you’re opting to bring your pup along, here are our recommendations!
First, let’s talk about car travel!
Fairly short drives aren’t much different with a dog than without. Anything under a few hours and they should be okay to ride straight through. For longer drives, ensure you’re stopping for potty breaks as often as you expect your dog to need them. Use these opportunities to take a short walk to stretch both your and your pup’s legs.
I would strongly advise getting a seatbelt or crate to confine your pup during the drive. This will keep them safer in the event of a crash. Riding loose in the car would be much like how we humans wear seat belts to be safer if we’re in an accident. I also recommend confinement in the car is to minimize distractions for the driver. A dog that’s moving around can easily distract you for a second and it’s not worth the safety risk.
But what about flying?
If you are planning on flying, you should check with your airline to ensure you know what their rules are. Each airline has its own policies regarding sizes of dogs and the fee to add the dog to your ticket. Here is an overview of each airline’s pet policies. Please be sure to confirm directly with the individual airline before booking tickets in case their rules have changed.
Once you’ve checked the rules for your flight, you need to make sure you have a TSA approved carrier. I used this one on my last flight with a dog and highly recommend it. In the days before your flight, help your dog get comfortable with their carrier by tossing treats inside. This will encourage them to go in on their own. Once they are comfortable going in and out, start closing the carrier for brief periods of time with a nice pacifier inside. That way they learn how to settle in for longer periods of time.
Plan to get to the airport early and check in at the counter. They’ll approve your carrier and get any information they need from you. When you go through TSA you’ll have to remove your pet from the carrier and carry them through security. Once you’re through security the rest of the trip should be pretty normal. If you have layovers, most airports have pet relief rooms so you can give you dog a chance to do their business if needed.
*All pets must fly in a carrier and pay the airline’s pet fee. Only task-trained service dogs and their disabled handlers qualify as exceptions under this policy. It is illegal and unethical to try to pass off a pet as a service dog to avoid the pet fee.
What if my pup is anxious?
If you know your pup has some travel anxiety, there are a few things you can do to help them relax:
- Thunder shirts can help reduce their anxiety levels in a similar way to how swaddling can help babies relax.
- Adaptil is a pheromone based calming spray for dogs that is imperceptible to humans. You can find it on Amazon or in most pet stores. Simply spray it on their bedding in the car before you leave and let it help them relax.
- If your pup has severe travel anxiety, call your vet before your trip to ask if they can give you something to help your pup relax on the days you’ll be traveling.
A Few Extra Tidbits
- Bring extra food and water for your pup to prepare for unexpected delays—like flight cancellations, car trouble, or other travel hiccups.
- Keep identification on your dog at all times. Whether it’s ID tags on their collar or even using a Sharpie to write your phone number on their collar. Microchips can save your pup’s life in an emergency, so if they aren’t chipped yet, make sure to get them microchipped before your trip.
Travel is stressful enough on us humans as it is, making a plan in advance can help minimize the stress for both us and our four legged companions. No matter how you travel, always exercise your dog before you leave, so they will be tired and sleep through the trip.