How to travel with your dog in a car.

Should you travel with your dog? To be honest, there is no definite ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer to this one. Every pet owner first needs to figure out if his/her dog likes to travel. There are dogs who loves car rides, then some who are scared and get motion sickness. If your dog loves the car, take him/her travelling. But if your dog is scared, figure out why. Check for the following reasons……

Motion sickness:

Like human beings, dogs also feel sick in the stomach in a moving car. If you’d like to change that, give your pet a prescribed medicine half an hour before the ride starts.

Vet alert:

The only time, most pet dogs get in the car is to go the vet. Hence, they start associating the car with discomfort or pain. To break this cycle, take your pet out for car rides more often.

These apart, keep a few more points in mind….

1.Do not feed the dog right before he/she sits in the car. Feed him/her at least an hour before the journey. Keep the portion size small. The same rule applies for water.

2.Before you make your pet sit in the car, take him/her for a walk so that your pet is tired and can sleep in the car.

3.Make a travel bag for your pet – keep first aid kit, water, treats, bowl, wet and dry tissues, potty scooper and so on.

4.The driver should not drive too fast and slow down for speed breakers.

5.Even if your pet likes the window down, do not let him/her hang out of the window as it can be dangerous.

6.If you are travelling for a long distance, take a break every 45 minutes and take your pet out for a walk.

7.If you are travelling with a small-sized dog or a puppy, ideally have someone on the passenger seat to hold the pup: they tend to move about in the car, and at times, come too close to the gears or the controls of the car, which can be very dangerous. Relax and enjoy the journey.