Travel

Question
My family and I often travel to Wisconsin for vacation. We recently got a Siberian Husky. We've taken him for short rides in the car and he seemed very calm. However we've never taken him in the car for more than an hour.Do you think he'd be okay with a six hour ride, and how often would you suggest stopping so that he can get out of the car?

Answer
My first was four months old when we drove from Kentucky to Orlando - about a 12 hour drive and she did fine.  Our second was 8 weeks old and we drove to Michigan to pick him up - about a 7 hour drive.  Most Sibes do fine in the car (although many would rather be pulling it!).  How often you stop depends a lot on your dog.  If he is less than about 6 months old, I would suggest stopping every two hours or so.  Older than that, the dogs are usually better at controlling themselves and you can probably go for about three or four hours.  My suggestion is watch your dog more than anything.  If he seems restless, find an exit, get out and walk the dog a little .  Make sure to keep a water bowl handy and a bottle/jug of water so the dog can drink while on the trip.  You don't want to get so much water it has to urinate all the time, but most dogs don't have a problem with that and are fine with stopping every few hours.

One thing that I've noticed with the longer trips: take a few short breaks, but have one longer one.  We'd often get gas and walk the dog for ten minutes or so and then keep going.  The next stop might just be a quick 5 minute bathroom break and walk, but the next stop might be 30 minutes for lunch and get the dogs out of the car for a bit.

Hope that helps and enjoy the cooler Wisconsin weather.