Tips for Road Trips With Your Dog
Take Frequent Breaks If you are doing a long road trip with your dog, incorporate frequent breaks (every three to four hours) for pet relief, a short walk, and water. Puppies and senior pets need breaks more often. “I don't find exercise to be overly important, as the car ride is stimulating enough,” says Belio.
The lure of the open road is especially tempting right now, but longer road trips in a car with your dog, while fun, can also be challenging. Dogs can get restless, and behave in ways that aren't safe, like hanging out of the window, or jumping in your lap when you're cruising at highway speeds.
When travelling with a dog in the car, take a break every two hours so they can go to the bathroom, stretch their legs, and have a sniff. It helps to plan a route with dog-friendly cafes and parks for breaks along the way to your destination.
Plan to take a 15 to 30 minute break every 4 hours. You can also make very long trips more enjoyable for both of you if you plan stops at locations with pet-friendly attractions, even if it's just a nice dog park.
Road Trips
When planning your road trip, plan to spend no more than 6 hours driving in a day, this is about 500 miles. If you are hoping to cover more miles, consider breaking it up over 2 days, or split the driving between multiple drivers. As soon as you get tired, pull over and sleep.
As a general rule, it's best to take a break of at least 15 minutes every two hours, and to not drive for more than eight hours in a day, to ensure you stay alert and avoid the associated risks of driving for too long without a rest.
Pack the Essentials
Kevin Behan of Natural Dog Training believes that dogs love car rides because they produce some of the same euphoric sensations as hunting. He theorizes that the car's motion causes synchronized movements among the “pack members” – they move and sway together along with bumps, twists and turns of the road.
Dogs don't always enjoy car rides—some dogs love traveling, while others approach road trips with trepidation. Your dog might hate car rides for several reasons, including anxiety or motion sickness—or he may simply sense your stress and react to it.
Many dogs experience a combination of motion sickness and travel anxiety, since nausea can make travel stressful to them. So it's important to address motion sickness in addition to dog anxiety in cars.