Looking forward to fun adventures while traveling with your dog?
Here are some tips and essential gear so that you both stay safe - ideal for anxious dogs or newly adopted pups!
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- Getting Comfortable with the Car
- Restrain your Dog in the Car - Safely
- New Dog? Anxious Dog? Keep them Secure
- Car Heat Safety
- Long Car Trips
- Staying Overnight Away from Home?
- Essential Travel Gear for your Dog
- Don’t Forget your Pet ID!
Helping your Anxious Dog Get Comfortable with the Car
Start with getting your dog used to getting into and out of the car safely and only “on cue”. If your dog is new to you or is a flight risk, you may want to do this in a secure area like the closed garage.
Avoid forcing them into the car or into the crate in the car. Making the entire experience a fun game with treats and praise is vital to building a positive traveling experience with your dog.
Having a dog bed, favorite blanket, or preferred toy can help your dog feel that the car is not a strange and scary place.
This process of becoming comfortable in the car may take more time with some dogs than others, especially if you are adopting a dog that may have negative experiences with being transported or being in a crate.
Take time to let your pup feel safe on their own time instead of forcing the issue and potentially creating more travel trauma.
Once they’re comfortable in the car, begin with brief car rides to fun destinations that your anxious dog will enjoy, gradually increasing the duration and distance as your dog becomes more comfortable with traveling.
Restrain your Dog in the Car - Safely
It is vital for your dog to get used to being secured in the car with a car harness or in a carrier or crate for their safety and yours.
Regardless of how short your trip is, or how well behaved your dog may be, accidents can and do happen.
During a collision, unrestrained pets may be crushed by deployed airbags, injured by impact with the sides of the vehicle, or thrown out of the vehicle through windows or windshields.
They may also be accidentally released by bystanders or emergency responders attempting to assist the passengers, getting loose in a panic and running away, or even run over by other vehicles.
Car Crates:
Keep your pets safe and secure in a well-ventilated crate.
Hard side crates are recommended for medium to large dogs, and should be large enough for your pet to stand, sit, lie down and turn around in.
Secure the crate so it will not slide or shift in the event of an abrupt stop.
Carriers:
Carriers are typically the soft sided traveling carriers designed for the smaller dogs. These can also be safe spaces in an accident as long as they are secured properly in the back seat of your car.
No Crate:
If you don’t have a crate, can’t fit one in your vehicle, or your dog refuses to be crated inside your car - the alternative is to keep them secured instead. The best place for them is in the back seat in a car harness attached to the seatbelt.
Securing your dog in this way will not prevent them from impact on the sides of the car or the back of the front seats, but it will limit their ability to become an accidental projectile or escape in the event of an accident.
Which method is “Safer” for Traveling with your Dog?
It depends…
It depends on your dog’s size and weight, the specific equipment you are using, your vehicle, the location of your dog in the vehicle, the details of any crash (front-end, rear-end, side impact, etc.).
Learn More and find Crash Tested Products : Center for Pet Safety
https://www.centerforpetsafety.org/cps-certified/
New Dog? Anxious Dog? Keep them Secure
Even if your new family member isn’t an “anxious dog”, the abrupt changes of traveling home for the first time can cause anxiety and fear in any dog.
For safety with your new dog, at minimum have them secured with a martingale collar and leash. The martingale collar needs to be adjusted so that your new family member can’t slip out of it if they get startled during transfer to their new home.
It’s also a great idea to use a carabiner to clip the leash handle somewhere inside your car. If you don’t have a carabiner handy, trap the leash handle in the door or hatch of your car so that you can easily grab the leash before even opening the vehicle.
There are far too many stories of newly adopted or foster dogs making a break for it the first opportunity they have when that car door opens, this simple trick can eliminate hours of searching and worry.
Car Heat Safety
Never leave your animal alone in a parked vehicle. Even on cooler or overcast days the inside temperature can quickly rise to dangerous temperatures.
A dog’s normal body temperature is 100.5°F to 102.5°F. Man’s Best Friend can only withstand a body temperature of 106 to 108 degrees Fahrenheit for a very short time before suffering irreparable brain damage. This can happen in as little as 10 minutes on a 90 degree day!
Long Car Trips
Prep a pet-friendly travel kit:
- Bring dog food, bowls, treats, leash, martingale collar, waste bags, medication, and first-aid supplies.
- Bottled water or water from home - drinking water from an area they aren't used to could result in stomach discomfort.
- Pack favorite toys and a dog bed to give your pet a sense of familiarity.
Staying Overnight Away from Home?
- Bring along a current color photo of your pet, additional photos of any unique markings are also helpful.
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Pick up a temporary Travel ID tag that includes:
- Owner's contact phone number, address, and “microchipped”
- Contact information of any friends or family in the area you are traveling to
- Contact information for your accommodations (hotel, campground etc) and dates of stay.
- Look up the closest 24 hour emergency veterinary hospital to the area you are traveling to. In many areas of the country they can be hours away.
- Get a current copy of your dog’s medical records, including updated vaccination records and a copy of any prescription that may be necessary to fill if your return is delayed.
Essential Travel Gear for your Dog
Car Harness: there are very few car harnesses on the market that have undergone independent crash testing (find harnesses certified by the Center for Pet Safety here https://www.centerforpetsafety.org/cps-certified/ ) .
You can certainly use any regular harness for simple restraint, but in the event of an accident please be aware that these harnesses may break during impact.
Martingale Collar: These collars have a loop that tightens the collar so, when properly adjusted, the dog can’t slip out of their collar.
While these aren’t 100% escape proof, they’re the best and least expensive option for keeping your pup safe when transferring between house and car. If your dog is one of the breeds with a wider neck, go with a wider collar.
Check out the Martingale Options:
Leash and Carabiner or Double-ended Leash: This simple setup can help keep your impatient dog secured to the car until you’re ready to go.
While clipping your dog’s leash in the car won’t do anything to prevent injury in an accident, it does help prevent them from taking off without you when you open the car door.
We recommend using a connected leash with any dog that is unsecured in the car. Dogs that are crated or in a carrier should not be leashed.
Double-Ended Leashes for:
Don’t Forget your Pet ID!
Your dog’s regular ID tag should include:
- Owner's name, current home address and 1-2 cell phone numbers.
- Some also add the word “microchipped” to the dog tag if there’s room (and make sure the microchip registration has been updated with your current contact information)
Adopting your dog? Many shelters have machines available to make your pup a name tag with your contact information, but if your rescue doesn’t, many chain pet stores have quick tag engravers that ensure your dog has their ID as soon as possible.
Enjoy safe and secure travels with your dog by taking the time to prepare and select the right equipment to keep your best friend safe and secure.