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Travelling with Archer


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I am SOOOO excited!!!!!!!!!! For the first time in 20 years I am going to the east coast to spend Christmas with my family! Besides my husband, my 6 year old son and my fur-babies, I have no family where I live in Ontario. All the rest of my family live on the east coast (New Brunswick and a sister in Nova Scotia) with the exception of my brother who lives in Calgary.

 

ANYWAY!! A friend has agreed to stay with Tucker who does NOT travel well at all...and Snickers our cat, but since Archer is still a baby (6 months) we will be taking him with us. He travels very well in our SUV on trips around town but has never been on a trip longer than a half hour. This trip will be at least 14 hours but likely more since we are sure to hit snow on the way.

 

I'm wondering if you have any tips for travelling with Archer. We will be taking his sleeping crate which fits nicely in the back of our SUV. I have travelled down east with my other dog who passed away, but as Archer is only 6 months I wondered if there might be some other things I should consider. I plan to take lots of chew toys and every time we stop he will of course get to play and pee etc. Any suggestions for the types of chew things? Any other tips for travelling with canine babies? Sorry, I know he's 6 months but he's still my baby so I want to make sure his trip is as enjoyable as possible.

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We just did a trip from Calgary to northern Ontario this summer. Daisy handled it well, but was not too terribly impressed with the stops at the borders (we went through the states for part of it).

 

I think if he generally travels well, you shouldn't have any problems. I would try to remember maybe some gravol or ginger snaps, just incase. Definately bring a roll of paper towel! You might want to make sure you bring some super duper yummy treats with you too! This is just from our experience, and I happen to have an over reactive dog, but I had one heck of a time getting her to eat (wont' eat when stressed). I did bring some Natural Balance food roll with us that I could put on her kibble to make it extra special. However, she didn't have a problem begging for our ham sandwiches when we stopped! :rolleyes: How do you explain to a dog that it's just not acceptable for her to eat fries and ham sandwiches cause she's upset?! Oh, maybe instead of just regular chew toys, a kong or two with some peanut butter or something in them, just so it will occupy him longer?

 

Have fun!

julie

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Sweet, I was just about to make a post about the same topic! Shadow will be going from PEI to Montreal, staying there for one week, then on a 1 week camping road trip ending in NJ! She's older than Archer, but I too wonder what to expect on such a long drive! I guess bring her favorite toys? Rawhide bones probably aren't the best idea in a nice bouncy van huh? LOL

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I'd seriously recommend trying a bully stick (or anything large that would be eaten) with Archer at home before taking one along on a trip. If it proves . . . too rich for Archer's digestion . . . you would probably not want to find that out on a 14 hour car trip.

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ArchersMomma,

You don't sayt whether Archer will be traveling in a crate, but I personally think it's a good idea, because he'll be safer that way. If not in a crate, at least set him up with a doggy seatbelt--accidents happen and you don't want him sailing through a window, or smashing into other passengers at 60 mph, or worse. My dogs are old hands at traveling, but when I have a pup/youngster along, I make a point of stopping every 3-4 hours for potty breaks. My dogs travel in crates and generally just spend the time sleeping, even the young dogs. I used to give them something to chew in the crate, but mine never bothered with any of that stuff. I agree with the suggestion that if you are going to give something to chew that's new to your dog, it's best to try it out at home beforehand to avoid tummy upsets. Also, if you haven't done so already while housetraining, you might want to take some time to put a potty command on Archer. It's convenient to be able to stop and tell your dog to do it's business (and get results) than to hope they'll go when you stop and then worry when they don't.

 

Also, I rarely if ever stop at rest stops to let my dogs go potty. Everyone under the sun uses them, and you're more likely to pick up stuff you don't want when tromping along where a gazillion other dogs have gone before. I usually try to find a school or some other fenced location (so I can let mine out off leash, since walking 6-7 dogs on leash for potty breaks while traveling would make the break times take longer than the trip itself!) Just remember when using any area that the polite thing to do is pick up after your dog, unless you're sure it's a location where no one is likely to step in it.

 

J.

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ArchersMomma,

You don't sayt whether Archer will be traveling in a crate, but I personally think it's a good idea, because he'll be safer that way. If not in a crate, at least set him up with a doggy seatbelt--accidents happen and you don't want him sailing through a window, or smashing into other passengers at 60 mph, or worse.

 

That is an excellent point. I've decided that Quinn is safer in a seatbelt in the front seat than in his crate in the way back. The front air bag turns off for him and at least he isn't in a crumple zone. The backseat would be better still, but he and the Lhasa are generally better with a bit of room between them.

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Lots of good advice has been given here for you, and you have time to put it into action before your long trip. Seatbelts and crates not only protect your dog from sailing through the air in case of an accident, but they also restrain your dog so that emergency personnel can have access to you in case of an accident requiring help, or in case of any traffic or border stop.

 

We travel with three Border Collies, three large folded-up crates, and all our gear for a week or so whenever we travel to NC - and gear includes what we need for sailing, kayaking, or whatever - and sometimes a very large cooler of frozen meat (going down, fish coming back home). All three dogs wear their seat belts as we don't have room to use crates (we are talking a Subaru Outback Wagon here, not a big vehicle). Actually, one Christmas time, we also had our adult daughter in the car with us - now, that was crowded, and we had stuff everywhere inside the car.

 

When I travel with just one dog or even two, I use crates generally. I find that whether I use seat belts or crates, the dogs tend to sleep almost all the time but, with a youngster like Archer, you may well find it worthwhile to have something in his crate that will occupy him. As said, make sure it's something his digestive system is accustomed to. And make sure you have paper towels in case of accidents, and also plastic bags for pick-up at Archer's rest stops. I keep a no-slip mat in a travel crate which makes it easier and more comfortable for the dog, and carry along a spare in case of a mess (which hasn't happened yet). A crate is an advantage if you find you have to take a motel for a night. It's nice to know that he will be safe and so will the motel room!

 

As Julie mentioned, there have been and may be dogs of all sorts and from everywhere at designated rest stops. I sometimes use them if other dogs aren't present, and sometimes look for alternatives. With Archer being young, I'd take her advice and find alternatives where he would be much less exposed to anything he might pick up. A potty stop for each of yours, or for each tank of gas, might work out just about right in terms of timing.

 

As Liz pointed out, no dog should be in a front seat with a functional airbag. My dogs always ride in the mid or back of my car. They tend to be comfortable with what they are accustomed to, so plan on preparing Archer with short trips beforehand.

 

Best wishes! I'm sure you will have a great trip and a wonderful holiday!

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A couple more tips - secure the crate in the SUV. God forbid, should you get into an accident, you don't need the crate becoming a projectile or go crashing through the window and loosing the dog.

 

When you have him out for pee breaks and play breaks, keep a long line on him if not a good old fashioned leash. Losing your dog in another state or province is a lot more traumatic and difficult than losing him at home.

 

Make sure you have a ton of ID on him, with numbers of where you can be reached on the road, be it your cell phone or your destination. Not your home # where you won't be.

 

RDM

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A couple more tips - secure the crate in the SUV.

Good point to make. I drove from San Diego to Oregon with both dogs in the back of a minivan, and after removing the seats, there were plenty of bars etc. to which I was able to bungee down their big wire crates. Then I packed all of the people stuff around the two large wire crates, so they didn't jiggle. The crates had fleece-covered mattresses and lots of toys and chews, and the two dogs traveled very well. Better than DH, in fact! Juno was 5 months old on the trip up, and 7 months old on the trip back. She did fine, though there was some "Mom, I'm bored!" yipping on the way home.

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I consider it to be inefficient packing if there is room for more than my purse - nothing shifts in my van either Julie LOL

 

ID for the road is essential. He needs visible ID (tags with both home and travel numbers on) and permament ID (microchip or tattoo). Phone numbers should include a friend or family member that can speak for you if you can't. You can also put ID on the crate - that's very helpful if the dog is too frightened to remove.

 

I also keep an "emergency packet" in the glove compartment outlying what should be done with any animal in the car if I cannot speak, include my vet's numbers and responsible party's for vet and boarding bills. I also list who has permission to euthanize if my vet and the local vet deems it necessary.

 

Crating is essential - in the car, hotel, and in strangers' homes. If he doesn't know how to crate quietly and happily he needs to start that right now.

 

I sound like a paranoid Mama but I don't give a flying flip. I had a friend hit head on by a drunk driver with her dogs in the van. She was in no condition to speak, and id and instructions were all those dogs had going for them, well that and a super kind state trooper. We all hope it won't happen, but life doesn't always work that way.

 

Traveling with a puppy can be a great deal of fun. Try to keep to a routine of eating and walking and the socialization of this trip will be invaluable for him.

 

Jodi, I'm sorry to cause you pain but ...I *love* those antlers! Where's that picture from? I take my happy working dogs to see Santa each year and get photos. Well not all of them....but at least a few. It supports the humane society and it makes great Christmas cards. The dogs have a ball - from the bath to the dress up gear. They may be working dawgs, but they like being fur-babies too.

 

It ain't about what you call them, it's about the life that comes with it.

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Thanks to everyone for their great suggestions, particularly with regards to securing his crate. He will be travelling in his crate which will be in the back section of our SUV so that he is comfortable and has room to spread out without being hampered (or hurt) by luggage etc. We also have a rooftop carrier that we will be using for most of our luggage.

 

I am going to make up a flyer this weekend and have several copies with us and my DH just ordered personalized tags for Archer that include our info...that's a great idea! Although at this point I think he's still too young to run off away from us, you never know what can happen if we are in an accident, heaven forbid! I also like the idea of attaching something to his crate with vet info and contact info for my FIL to care for him if we can't, etc.

 

As for chewy type things, we give him Alpo flat raw hide thingy's and he's fine with them but goes through them pretty quickly so they're only a "treat" type option. He has a few rope-type bones that he likes to chew so I may just bring that along with one or two of his fav. toys. I still want to know what bully sticks are! (sorry Bustopher Jones! :rolleyes: ). I will also pick up a Kong for Peanut Butter and an extenda leash so that he can run safely when we have our stops for gas etc.

 

Thanks again for those who provided great info. It's very much appreciated and included some things that we had certainly not considered. Now all I have to figure out how to keep my sisters dog well behaved...he tends to be a bit of a bully with dogs that are smaller than he is.

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Someone had a very bad accident on the way to an agility trial yeterday. Her truck was hit so hard that the canopy and the contents of the back of the truck were dumped into a large and deepish water drainage ditch. Fortunately her dogs were in the cab with her when this happened, elsewise they might easily have drowned in their crates in the ditch.

 

I went home and resecured my crates, and am now looking to replace Tweed's crate which is currently a soft crate, and no good in the event of an impact. So it's kind of on my mind.

 

RDM

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A couple flyball folks have all the vet info and such with them but on the crates they have

 

1. A picture of the dog, the dog information (name, DOB, etc...), on the back is the vet information, the owners contact information and some other things I don't remember. They laminate the card and attach it to the crate.

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Just to add one thing, everyone has had great ideas. You might be out of service, so leave an additional number on the flyer's- they can call you when your service comes back on and a long line for exercising in places that require a leash. Have fun with your dog!!!

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Now all I have to figure out how to keep my sisters dog well behaved...he tends to be a bit of a bully with dogs that are smaller than he is.

 

One word - crate.

 

If you think things might start to get out of hand, don't hesitate to step in and seperate the dogs. Crate them or put them in seperate rooms. Also make sure they get plenty of mental and physical exercise - hard to be a bully when you're tired.

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