How We Prepare Our Dogs for Travel

[Alex]

I love traveling to explore new places, trying new foods, and meeting new people. My absolute favorite part of traveling is being able to bring my two adorable corgi pups Duke and Navy with me. But of course, traveling with your pet shouldn’t be an overnight decision; it should take careful consideration. As much as we love having our dogs with us when we travel, we actually prefer not to take them for their own well-being (we wrote a blog post all about this!!). If you do decide to travel with your pet, we created a short list of tips to consider to ensure your pup is properly prepared for travel.

• Visit your vet. I know this might seem time consuming or tedious, but a quick trip to your vet can be so important. Is your pet healthy enough to travel? We take Duke and Navy to the vet before trips for a checkup and physical. It is one of my biggest fears that Navy will get sick again when we are traveling.

• Pack enough medications and preventatives. One of the worst things in the world is to be somewhere new and strange and not have enough medicine for your dog. Do yourself and your pup favor and pack extra!
  
• Stock up on CBD treats. There are no secrets here, we love CBD and hemp treats for Duke and Navy. The American Veterinary Medical Association recommends you don’t sedate your pet during travel. CBD and hemp treats are a great option. Our favorite is the Relax line from Vital Essentials Raw. By shopping through this link, you can save 15% off your order on these treats from Pet Flow.

• Ensure they have the proper identification. Whether you microchip your dog or have an identification tag on their collar, it is critical to ensure your pet can always be traced back to you if you become separated.
  
• Prep enough food and treats for the trip. Dogs tend to get comfortable with the food they eat. If you switch things up on them, it can cause digestive issues. The last thing you’ll want during travel is a pup with an upset stomach. Make things easier on yourself and your dog and ensure they have enough food to last your entire time away from home. We feed Navy a raw diet which can be difficult when traveling without a freezer (lol). We switch her to a freeze-dried raw kibble from Vital Essentials when we hit the road.
  
• If flying or riding a train, ask to board first. Take advantage of the option to board with those who need a little extra assistance. Seriously, each time we flew with Navy, having a little extra time to get settled was so helpful. Not only did Navy get a chance to get comfortable, by boarding before the majority of the passengers we avoided causing extra attention to her and we were respectful to those who just don’t like dogs (hard to believe, right?).
  
• Traveling by car? Take a test drive! I cannot stress this enough: please make sure your dog is comfortable riding in a car. One of our family friends growing up had a dog that would vomit EVERY SINGLE TIME it was in the car. You’d think they would have realized this and done something to prevent it or make their dog more comfortable riding in the car… Navy used to be terrible in the car until we realized she preferred riding in a booster seat rather than a travel crate. Duke on the other hand will cry to sit in your lap and then vomit from the movement and motion of being held in the car.

• Pick a sturdy, comfortable travel carrier and get familiar with it! So many pets hate traveling. Just seeing their travel carrier come out of the closet will set them off. Luckily, Navy and Duke were never like that, largely because we made sure to properly socialize them to the carrier. In fact, Navy absolutely loves her travel carrier so much she sleeps in it! Our travel carrier is from Roverlund. We love how sturdy and durable the straps are. The straps actually double as a leash! The carrier comes lined with a fleece padding that can be removed, making the carrier incredibly easy to clean. The carrier has a storage pocket in the rear, perfect for our collapsible travel water bowl, some treats, and our travel information.

Our friends at Roverlund partnered with us to give away a travel carrier to one lucky winner! Please head over to our instagram for all the details. For those reading this blog post, if you subscribe to our blog and leave a comment on this post, we will offer your 20 additional entries to this giveaway. Good luck!

---

Will you be traveling at all for the holidays? I know we have one or two trips planned this season. Share this or save it for later using one of the buttons below. Check out our travel section for posts on pet travel tips, itinerary inspiration and more!