I own Win-Star Bed & Biscuit with my husband since late 2001. I may own a boarding facility that I can leave my dogs with our staff and feel comfortable leaving them at Win-Star. I also enjoy travelling with my dogs. Whether you fly or drive you need to plan.
Some of my trips are for dog shows and others are RVing at times with family. My brother and sister have brought their pets along on the family get togethers. Mine were crate trained, loved hanging at the campsite in their exercise pens and the nice long walks a couple times of day.
My brother and sisters' dogs were a lot more reluctant because one stays at home more often than not and the other free ranges during the day while her job takes her to horse farms in her local area for care and exercising the horses on the farm.
What were the key differences? My dogs were crate trained, knew how to walk on a leash without pulling and listened to me about walking and not engaging with the other dogs on the trail.
I do have to say, that my sister GSD loved swimming in the lake and was very cooperative when being called to return to her. His drawback is that he was not used to travelling in a crate or sleeping in one. We took care of that and trained him during the couple of days.
My point being you need to prepare your dog for travelling. There are also important things to bring along with you and pointers on preparing ahead.
Updating all vaccines. Consult with your veterinarian if you may need additional protection for specific regions, you will be travelling.
Microchip your dog and register the microchip with updated information.
Keep a copy of vet records in your vehicle. Current Vet contact information.
Crate train ahead of time. Crates are a dog's seatbelt. It also gives you containment when you open a car door. Your dog is secure and won't be leaping out in a strange place and getting lost.
Carry bottled water for your dog. Some tap water can cause intestinal distress.
Extra food sometimes you may not have access to the same brand in specific regions.
If you feed raw consider switching to dehydrated raw. Raw needs to be kept frozen and cold.
I highly recommend not using community dog parks while travelling. The last thing you want to do is pick up anything on your travels.
Those are tips for travelling in a car, motorhome or even flying.
Tammie Wilcox is one of the owners of Win-Star Bed & Biscuit. She and her husband have owned and worked Win-Star Bed and Biscuit facility for the past 22 years. They have also spent their lives caring, showing, and breeding dogs in the Northwest. Contact us for any dog training and other pet boarding needs:
Win-Star Bed and Biscuit Pet Boarding and Training / 3602 112th Street East
Tacoma, WAÂ / 253-531-0779 / Tammie@winstarbedandbiscuit.com