The Dog Can’t Come?
Recently I posted an article on tips for traveling with your dog(s) over the holidays.
Whether traveling by land or air, the American Humane Society provided us with helpful information on ways to minimize stress for your pet.
Today’s focus is on what happens when you arrive at your destination, how to be the perfect doggy guest. If you have family or friends who are kind enough to invite the entire family, four-legged buddies included, it’s important to make sure you prepare for your stay.
To get help on this subject I went to the owner of a dog friendly B&B, I figure she’s seen it all. Martha who owns Ponder Cove, a beautiful B&B in the North Carolina mountains, was kind enough to give me a few minutes of her time to share some great tips.
So, let’s get shakin’ and make this a very successful holiday season. I will attempt to lay out the perfect formula to make you the best house guest ever with Bowser in tow.
1) Make sure Bowser gets a bath. He will shed less while being a guest and he certainly will smell better.
2) Make sure you pack Bowser’s much needed supplies in an appropriate box. I own the big Rubbermaid tubs that I buy from Target. Mine are the size of my dog crates. So, when we arrive it is stored on top of the crate. A tidy guest makes a happy host.
3) Make sure you have the much needed supplies.
a) Blanket or sheet to cover bed if Bowser is a bed buddy.
b) Food.
c) Bottled water. (It can be from your tap but it will prevent stomach problems if your dog is sensitive and used to your tap water)
d) Water bowl. Hosts hate being asked for kitchen bowls. It is just not sanitary.
e) If you use canned food…bring the can opener.
f) Place mat for water and food bowls.
4) Make sure you take the crate if he is crate trained. He or she will settle much better on arrival in his own bedroom versus a strange house.
5) Make sure Bowser is comfortable in the car before the journey. Give him plenty of room. Take along his favorite blanket and allow him to settle in nicely.
Martha has six more helpful tips, and a funny story of how she was once a guest with her dogs and broke every rule possible. Grab your leash and run on over to Ponder Cove to check out the rest of the list and what not to do when you’re a guest.
If any Dogsters have a funny guest story give me a bark.
It’s not sanitary to let the dogs drink out of kitchen bowls? Oh no! Can the pups get sick from our germs? =)
Thanks for the tips! We’re flying to FLA soon …
When we visit friends with dogs, I usually call when we arrive and meet them at a park or somewhere where the dogs can get in their hellos too.
Our pups grew up playing together every day but they moved away. When we visited the first time, the pups all went crazy. Then next time, I called from the freeway offramp and we met in the backyard, some flowers still got trampled. So I started calling from the freeway and we met at the horse corrals and walking/riding paths. This works much better. They can run all over the paths and pasture without disturbing anyone (no horses live there). We get a kick out of their excited greeting and they get it all out of their system before we go to the house. We let them play until they wind down which is about an hour. Then when we get back to the house, we get about an hour of quiet.
Abby is a master at traveling with me!
If it’s possible, exercise Bowser pretty well before leaving for your guest’s house, or before your guests arrive. A more tired dog will be a more relaxed dog.
When you arrive at your guest’s house, make sure Bowser goes right outside to go potty after you arrive, and before you enter the house. All the excitement plus the car ride over will be sure to make him have to go!
Have lots of chew toys and his favorite toys on-hand when you travel. Having something such as stuffed Kongs or bully sticks does wonders also during human meal times or times when you can’t keep running after your pup every second. It’ll keep him busy, happy, and out of trouble.
If there are strange-to-your-dog kids present, MAKE SURE they know the rules when playing with your dog.
If your dog is a table scraps beggar, make sure none of that goes on at your guest’s house [or even at your own house if you're the host]. Crate him during the meal, tether him next to you, do whatever it takes so that everyone can enjoy their meals without a drooling dog in their laps!
Just be prepared!! It’ll make the trip a lot less stressful on you and your pup. =)
Thanks for the great tips, now my dog will not get to stressed!
OH, and I forgot to mention, bring some Nature’s Miracle with you!!! Just in case!!
Dear readers,
My dog whines when ever I put him in the car,and start driving. Can anyone try to help me keep him calm or what ever can get him to stop whining. Enzo is a Dachshund that is about 7 maybe, no one no’s how old he is because someone found him on the streets, and turned him in the humane society. It might be him scared about the car,but he love’s his crate because before he was kennel trained,so he thinks thats the best place to be(so crate is not the reason). I’v tried everything to stop him from whining. Anyone that can help me, thank-you so much! We love our dog, and we don’t want him to be uncomfortable when we take him on trips with us. Thanks!
Wags,
Enzo’s mom
P.S.
Sorry I didn’t know that if wasn’t the place to post about your problems, but can you give me some tips, it would help me a lot! Thanks!
Hi Enzo’s Mom,
You can definitely help your dachsund have a more enjoyable, less whiny time in the car. First, narrow down the exact stimulus that makes him start to whine. Is it when you put the crate in the car? When you start the car? When you start to drive? Once you have that figured out, think about this — if starting the car is the problem, for example, does he start crying the very instant you start the car, or do you have a few seconds to work with? If you have a second where he’s still calm, click (with a clicker) and treat him for staying calm. If he holds out another few seconds, click and treat again. You want to try this when you don’t actually have any place to go. When he crosses his threshold and starts to whine, start over. Turn off your car, take him back out, and start again. The second time, he may give you a few more seconds of quiet. Keep clicking and treating every few seconds that he can stay calm. See the excellent book The Power of Positive Dog Training by Pat Miller for more info, or email me through my website at oldtowndogs.com. Good Luck!
- Hilary Bolea
Old Town Dog Behavior
oldtowndogs.com
Sorry, I meant to leave my full website address so you can click on it – - http://www.oldtowndogs.com
Hilary Bolea
Old Town Dog Behavior
http://www.oldtowndogs.com
If you are traveling with a pet, the owners of Vacation In Asheville, Vacation Rentals and Oakland Cottage B&B, (http://www.VacationInAsheville.com and http://www.oaklandcottage.com), are pet friendly and they have a list of conditions you must comply with if you want to bring your pet. Silly as some of them may sound to you responsible pet owners, here there are:
1) Keep your pet leashed
2) Do not allow your pet onto the beds or furniture
3) You may leave your pet in the unit/property if the pet is crated.
4) Clean up after your pet. There is a pooper scooper by the back stairs & trash can. Double bag and dispose of poop in the lined trash can by the stairs. Clean the pooper scooper after each use.
4) If your pet causes a disturbance, you must be willing to kennel your pet. We have suggestions for reputable local kennels.
I don’t know if these are similar to other vacation rental management companies and B&Bs or not, but these work extremely well for us and we have had no problems with our travelers with pets and we welcome them under the above conditions.
Hey, I travel with my dog all the time, mostly road trips. I got so fed up with packing her a bag and being totally unorganized that I created a travel bag for your dog. It’s called the E.B.D. Carry-all and has received national press! It comes with EVERYTHING hince the name Everything But the Dog (E.B.D.). You can even get it embroidered with your dog’s name or monogram! http://www.pupcentric.com