Start your puppy out traveling at the youngest possible age, within reason. With the holiday’s ending many people have added a new member to their family. And for those that added a young puppy, now is the perfect time to acclimate the pup to traveling.
Even if you do not actually travel much, it’s still a great idea to get your dog familiar with traveling. No matter how much you travel, your dog will still need to go to the vet at least once a year. And if you are like most dog owners who consider their dog a companion, you probably also take your pup to the park, lake, hunting, herding or many other places that require a car ride. So why not get the pup used to your vehicles right off the bat? The younger they learn; the more accepting of the idea they are. Imagine if you will the outcome of an unexpected, unavoidable, long distance trip with a dog who has seldom been in a car! I can tell you...it comes close to being a nightmare!
Although training a puppy is not real effective until they are at least 3 months old, acclimating a pup to traveling can happen immediately. If your pup shows signs of anxiousness when traveling, start out with real short trips. Dedicate a few minutes each day or every other day to take a short trip around the block. Talk to them while you’re traveling, reassuring them everything is ok, calming them and literally bonding in general. If the anxiousness continues, try other things such as lowering the volume of the radio if you have it on. Crack the window open a little to provide a bit of fresh air. And avoid smoking in the vehicle, especially with all the windows up! Continue to tweak with these things a little each trip until you reach a point where the pup appears relaxed and calm during your little trip.
Once you get the dog accepting of short trips you can start increasing the travel time. Don’t rush things, take the needed amount of time to keep the dog calm during the trips. As you increase your distance of travel you can also start reducing the number of times you do a trip each week if a busy schedule makes this tough on you. The important thing is to be consistent. Keep taking your pup on short trips like running to the bank, taking the kids to school, trips to the post office, short errands like these keep the pup comfortable with traveling.
While allowing your pet to get out of the house and go places you are also providing great mental and physical enrichment for good overall health. Always keep in mind that just like any passenger in your car, you need to ensure the dog’s safety during traveling as well. Disciplining your dog to sit in one particular spot, as often as possible, works out best for everyone! Even if you feel the pup is too young to be trained, you can still make great progress in creating a happy environment when traveling with your pet if you provide a particular spot for your dog as early as possible. Pick a seat in the car that will most likely be available on every trip. My husband and I have several vehicles so the seat we use in the vehicle we are most likely to be in together is a different seat then the vehicle I seldom have passengers in. In the vehicles we use together, we use middle consoles or back seat positions. The vehicle I rarely have passengers in, my dog rides shotgun!
Use a blanket, chew toy or other items your pet finds comfort in to help indicate this is the seat your dog should sit in. For those of us with smaller dog breeds, the use of a dog car booster seat, lookout or console seat can provide much more comfort to your dog since these seats elevate them high enough to see out the windows or catch a little fresh air if needed. Regardless of what size dog, whether you use a booster seat or not, always use a restraint on your dog. Keeping them secure in their seat instead of allowing the dog to roam around the cab will help reduce the risk of tragedy during accidents. Even sudden defensive maneuvers to avoid a collision can result in some serious injury to a pet who is unintentionally thrown into a dash or window!
Finally to solidify your pup’s pleasure with traveling, praise them when you get to where you are going! Give the pup a treat or special little snack to show them what a good dog he or she was for taking the trip. In a matter of no time at all you can have your new puppy eager to hop in the car and go anywhere with you! And if you can do it without any car sickness or other adverse effects, that’s a win-win situation for everyone! Happy travels!
