How to Travel With A Dog By Car

How to Travel With A Dog By Car

You are going across town or across the country. You need pet transport. You need tips on how to travel with a dog by car. I understand. I just traveled with three kids and a dog from Virginia to Florida and not only did we survive but we had a great time. It required planning on my part but once I implemented my plan our puppy was happy and so were my children.

I was truly worried that this trip would have been the demise of me considering I planned to stop overnight and had to look for pet friendly accommodations.

I suggest if you are traveling with pets by car that this is the best option. I place my dog in a crate. I love this folding dog crate.

I have a crate that my puppy uses daily and it folds down pretty well. I  take it with me to sporting events because it is light to carry.

I have crate trained my dog and this is the crate she uses daily. This is the one I have in the back of my van for our trip. It is the best collapsing dog crate.

I highly suggest getting your dog or puppy a bed that fits in their crate. We love this one soft dog bed.

I always have these bowls even when I am not traveling. I place in the back of my car in the pockets behind the seat. Our puppy loves these dog bowls that collapse.

This is what we did. We stuck to our dogs normal feeding schedule and potty schedule. We made sure to feed her at the right time even if it involved pulling over. We then walked her just like we would normally do. We made sure to talk to her while she was in her crate and brought along her favorite toys. We have a minivan so I was able to crate the dog so she could see the kids. This made the journey much better. The child would pet her here and there and slip her treats every so often.

We rewarded the dog every time she got back in the treat with a portion of a bone. This helped and she went into her crate easily. We stopped at dog-friendly accommodations for meals or we got take out and then we sat at a rest stop and ate.

I made sure to buy a portable fan and a chill mat for when we had to run into the restroom or run inside to get food. I love this one. We made sure to open the sunroof, put on the portable fan, and placed her on the chill mat with water. We made our trips inside quick but for safety reasons I couldn’t leave the car on and a child behind. What can I say with three kids and traveling by yourself people have to go to the bathroom.

I also put down a yoga mat incase we take the dog out of the crate to travel in the car.

You can’t forget the bags to clean up after your puppy has gone potty with these potty travel bags.

We also made sure to make her favorite treats and we bought her a new toy just like you would a child if you plan to travel long distances. She loves these  homemade dog treats that we make.

Do not forget your dog’s bell to go potty so you know when they need to potty. If you do not know how to train your dog to go to potty using a bell read our post. How to train a dog to go potty outside.

I would also make sure to remind people what not to feed your dog. This is a great list that you can print out.

If you need a list of hotels that are pet-friendly accommodations read our pet friendly hotel list with prices and policies.

Remember to be safe and enjoy your trip!