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Keeping your dog safe in and around your car. |
Traveling with dogs. |
Keeping your dog safe in and around your car.
1. Dogs, Automatic Locks, And Windows
Submitted by: Larry Hall
Our two small dogs like to stand with their front paws on the armrest of our vehicles. I have seen them activate the windows up and down, as well as lock the doors. They could leap from the vehicle or cause the window to close on their necks.
One of our vehicles has a window lock that prevents all windows except the driver's from operating. If you leave your dogs in the vehicle, take the keys with you in case the dog activates the door lock while you are outside of it.
2. Making Fido Comfortable for the Ride
Submitted by: Karen Batdorf
I created a great "seat extender" for my large dog that made it safer and more comfortable for him in my two-seater sports car. I knocked the wooden legs off of an old upholstered ottoman, which made it the same height as the car seat cushion, and fitted it with a washable cover made from a bath towel and some elastic straps. When placed on the floor of the car in front of the seat cushion, it gave him extra room to stretch out and nap, and also kept him from falling off the seat in the event of a sudden stop. (You could also use this for the back seat of a sedan.) I was very glad I had it when he was with me during a car accident. It lifts out in a second if you happen to be transporting humans who need the leg room.
Traveling with dogs.
1. Tips For Traveling
Submitted by: P. Sexton
As the proud owner of a genetically diverse canine American (all 80 pounds of her) I would like to make the following tips:
- Put a leash in every car, I can't count the number of times I've told the dog to get in the car then found myself 30 miles from home with no leash.
- Make a doggy travel bag. I found that the big plastic carry-alls from IKEA will hold two bowls, a ten-pound bag of food and a blanket (oh yeah put a leash in here, too) Leave it packed so you just pick it up before you leave and don't have to worry about forgetting anything
- Train the dog to get in the car on command and ONLY on command. Even if you have no plans to go anywhere it's a great thing to do. My dog likes to tear into the great beyond. All I have to do is open the back door and yell "Lisa, Car!" and she appears. It also impresses the neighbors.
- Train the dog not to jump out of the window. Go to a deserted parking lot, leave the window down, and walk away. When the dog jumps out the window to follow you, whirl around yell, "No," and give a corrective whack of the hand (the strength of this depends on the breed and temperament of the dog). There's a certain amount of good timing involved. With my present dog I only had to do it once. It's one of the few times I believe in strong physical correction (as this is a serious safety issue).
- If you take a dog to a kennel, give them a bone or other treat when you get there, that you don't give them at other times.
- Just because you're traveling doesn't mean the dog doesn't need regular exercise. A dog needs a 30-minute walk everyday.
- If you're traveling across the United States, it's better to ship the dog by air. It involves a little planning and expense, but a dog in the car for five to seven days is too hard on its little psyche. A plane ride is a day at the most.
- When you travel to a new place (even if it's just a cabin for the weekend or a new home at the end of your drive) most dogs will feel the urge to "uhmm," establish their presence with a little brown gift. Don't make a big deal, just clean it up and move on, it rarely happens a second time.
- If a dog is anxious about traveling I've found that a few minutes of massage soothes them more than sedatives.
- If you're an obsessed meticulous person that worries about dog hair in the car, you should get an iguana for a pet. Dog hair is difficult to get out of the seats, and manages to get on them even through pet covers. I've found that you can get the dog hair out by using a professional detailer, and that's it. Otherwise there's always hair there.
The best book on training dogs is Karen Pryor's "Don't Shoot the Dog."
2. Traveling to Canada -- Or Elsewhere -- on a Long Trip?
Submitted by: Dog Mom
Have a "doggie passport" with you. We always carry the following documents when traveling with our dogs:
- Copy of vaccination record with the vet's name and phone number.
- Photocopy of dog tags.
- Picture with description of dog on back.
We've never had to prove Red and Shaker were ours, but we've always been prepared.
3. Avoiding the Dreaded Ralph
Submitted by: Casey
We had heard so many stories about small dogs that hated to travel in their owners' cars. We researched and found an item called the "Pet Car Seat Lookout." A booster seat for dogs which allows them to easily look out the window. Our veterinarian told us that this really works well on car sickness for dogs.
4. More Tips for Preventing Puking
Submitted by: Burt Handelsman
We used to have a large red Doberman. He just loved to go along for the ride, especially if we went camping. The problem was that he got motion sickness. One time when I was driving in town with our dogs in the back of the Trooper. Baron, the Dobie, was beginning to drool. When I stopped for a signal, a woman in the next lane called over and told me that she thought that he had been poisoned: that was what her dog had looked like!
More of a problem was when we went out camping and took the dogs. We'd be going along fine for an hour or so and then, there was a curious noise followed by the smell of slightly-off Kibble..we got to calling him Wyatt (as in Urp).
We finally figured out a better way. The morning that we were leaving, the Trooper was in the garage, partially packed. We would let Baron get in and stay in there while we had breakfast and finished the loading. He knew he was going...but now he had time to get rid of his butterflies BEFORE, we actually started out. No more blown Kibble.
PS: Did you know that "blown Kibble" smell is harder to get rid of than "wet dog" smell??? For years while we had that SUV, on a hot day it was always reminder of happier times out camping.
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