How To Travel Long Distance With A Dog in the Car
Some dogs love long road trips, while others quiver at the very thought of getting into a car.
Either way, if you want to travel long distance with your dog in a car, then careful planning and attentiveness before and during the trip is needed.
Read on for our tips on how to travel long distances with a dog in the car.
How To Travel Long Distance With A Dog in the Car
Before travelling…
Ensure you’ve packed everything on your dog travel packing list
To keep your dog comfortable during the long road trip and once you’ve finally arrived at your destination, you need to ensure you’ve packed everything they’ll need during their trip.
If travelling with puppies, wait until their vaccinations are complete
Although it’s okay to travel with puppies providing you get them used to car journeys ahead of any long road trips, you must wait until all their vaccinations are complete.
This will normally be by the time they’re roughly 14 weeks old.
It’s also recommended to wait until your puppy is fully house-trained so that you don’t rack up a huge hotel bill!
Get them used to shorter road trips first
A quick drive to the shops, to the vets, to a different doggie park or even to puppy training classes ensures that your dog gets used to car journeys as best as they can.
And ideally, some trips should take them somewhere fun and exciting, so that they learn that the car is a good thing.
You should spend 1-2 months ahead of your trip getting your dog used to being in the car and driving around.
Use a windscreen shade before getting in the car
Even if it’s not a particularly hot day, temperatures inside cars can still be much higher than outside temperatures.
Therefore, it’s recommended to place a sunshade inside your windscreen ahead of travelling (ideally the night before) so that it’s a bit cooler inside the car.
Use sunshades for your back windows too
You should also get some sunshades for the back windows as well so that your dog won’t be sitting in patches of sun during the car journey.
As above for windscreens, install these the night before your trip.
Tire your dog out ahead of the journey
By ensuring your dog has used up all of their pent-up energy, he’ll be more likely to just go to sleep in the car.
So encourage your dog to let off some steam in the local doggie park or field — play ball, fetch, chase, anything you can think of to get them sprinting around!
While travelling…
Keep them entertained
If you’ve not been able to tire your dog out before the journey, then they’ll need to be kept thoroughly entertained.
Keep the radio on if you’re not talking for the whole journey, and let your dog chew on an antler bone, a kong filled with tasty treats or another of their favourite toys.
The act of chewing alone should tire them out after a while.
Have lots of toilet breaks!
Unlike children, dogs can’t tell us when they need to do their business, but dogs also need more fresh air when travelling than humans as they can’t cool themselves down.
Therefore, have lots of toilet breaks along the way (every 90 minutes to 2 hours is a good rule of thumb to have, although this will need to be shortened if your dog is less used to long road trips).
When you arrive, you should also let your dog do their business as soon as possible — even the most toilet-trained dogs might go inside if they’re desperate.
We mention this last point as it’s very easy to forget this when all you want to do is unpack your car and grab a cup of tea!
Carry plenty of water
When travelling in cars, dogs will likely need lots of water. You should ensure you have enough to cover the full journey plus some extra in case of traffic or delays.
We usually travel with a full 2-litre bottle (just for our dog), plus a bit extra in a travel water bottle.
And while we’re on the subject, it’ll make things easier for you if you buy a bottle that has a bowl compartment attached to it so the dog can almost drink straight from the bottle.
Safety first! Don’t forget your doggie seatbelt or car hammock
Safety should always come first!
There are a number of products out there that are perfect for dogs and their car safety.
For short car trips, dog seat belts are easy (and quick) to put on and take off, while longer trips call for a full harness or a car hammock (the latter being the safest and most comfortable option for your dog).
Keep them comfortable with a blanket or bed
You’d be surprised at how much easier it will be for your dog to settle down in your car if they’ve got something comfortable and soft with their smell on with them.
You could pop their bed or their blanket into the car with them and let them snuggle into it, or you could also try a specialist boot/travel dog bed like this one from Scruffs®.
It’s ever so plush and has a cover that rolls down in order to protect your car when your dog jumps into it.
And when you arrive at your dog friendly destination…
Take it easy!
If this is your dog’s first trip, or if you’re travelling with a puppy, then be sure to take it easy when you arrive at your destination.
Your dog will need some time to get used to the new smells that come with a hotel, B&B or other dog friendly accommodation. They’ll also need plenty of naps throughout the holiday.
Treat the first few holidays like a staycation
It also helps to treat your first few holidays like a staycation.
By all means, have some days out, but keep them to a half-day with plenty of rest (and a couple of dog walks) throughout the rest of the day.
Keep your dog cool
When travelling in warmer weather, your dog may need a helping hand to keep cool.
We used to take electric fans with us, which did work well, but we’ve since tested out this cool mat, which is even better. Unlike an electric fan, it doesn’t need to be plugged in and lays flat.
If it starts to lose its coolness, all you need to do is leave it at room temperature for about an hour and it naturally cools right down again. Our dog loves it!
A Few Final Words
Scruffs® kindly gifted us the boot/travel dog bed and cooling mat we’ve mentioned above in exchange for this blog post.
However, we would never recommend something to you that we haven’t used or love ourselves.
As always, what we have written about these products and everything else in this blog post is entirely our opinion and based on our own rigorous product testing!
We hope these tips are useful for your next long road trip with your dog. We’d love to know where you’re travelling to with your dog in the car — just pop a few notes down in the comments below!
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So cute! I desperately want a dog :l
He’s the best thing that could have happened to us, even if he can be a bit of a nightmare sometimes 😉
Our two dogs are extremely reactive, so it’s a nightmare encountering other dogs, and in India, there are stray dogs everywhere! There is the risk of meeting these strays if we take them out of the car for toilet breaks so frequently!
Hi Seema,
Thanks for commenting and sharing your own experience of travelling with your dogs in the car, although I’m sorry to hear of your struggles with the stray dogs. This is really good to know though for others who may be planning on visiting India with dogs so thanks again for sharing! 🙂
When making travel decisions, choose what is safest and most comfortable for your pet. For instance, unless you’ll be able to spend a lot of time with your dog, they’ll probably be happier at home than tagging along on your trip. As a rule, cats are almost always better off in their own home.
Hi Seema,
We live in and travel around Mexico with our two dogs and encounter street dogs a lot. Although we have never been to India I can sympathize with you. For us, to keep the street dogs away, we bring along a squirt bottle filled with water. We put the setting on stream (not mist) and when a dog comes close we squirt them. Not in the face, but body area. To me, it is a gentle way of asking the dog to back away and leaves. Unfortunately here in Mexico in the rural areas, I see people kick the street dogs. It’s so sad. We try to be kind and often buy dry dog food and water for them. Maybe the squirt bottle will work for you too.
Excellent post. I love animals so much that I get one for myself and traveling but I can’t leave my dog at home alone so I was planning to bring him with me for a road trip. Thank you for your guide. It will be helpful for me.
Loved the ideas especially the cooling mat and booster chair. First long road trip for 14 days-should be one fir the books.
Stella has done well with 2-4 hour trips.
Need to work with her on a leash and to use the bathroom while on leash.
Thanks for commenting Joelle!
I’m so glad you found our tips helpful.
Your trip with Stella sounds amazing! I hope you all enjoy it xoxo
These tips are awesome. I would not have thought of putting a sunshade in the night before
Thank you! I’m glad you found it helpful 😀 xoxo
Great post. I enjoyed the style and took some new information into account. It’s really hard to remember about the dog’s needs when you’re tires after a long journey. Honestly I’m a bit afraid of the responsibility and try not to take my animals on the road but perhaps with the help of your blog I’ll change my mind. I found your article very inspiring, thanks!
Enjoyed your website content, thank you.