Road Tripping with Your Dog

Traveling with your dog is pretty self explanatory, load them up and get on the road, right? Wrong!

When it comes to traveling with a dog, you can consider Logan and I experts, not really, but we do know a ton. Our boy Loki comes with us on a majority of our trips so he has been on the road a ton, from quick hour long car rides to a 17 hour car ride to Iowa towing my dad’s car but that is a story for another day, haha!

1) Get Their Spot Comfy

Most people bring pillows or blankets on trips, something to make their time in the car a little more comfortable, well your dog needs the same! It doesn’t matter if they are in a kennel or lounging on the backseat, a comfy spot can be the difference between a great trip and horrible one.

Bring their favorite blanket and put it on the bottom of the kennel or on top of the seat, if the seat is stiff or kennel still seems uncomfortable don’t be afraid to layer another blanket to add cushion for them. You could also bring along their bed if that works better and can fit in their kennel or on the backseat. We have done this before with Loki, we folded the seats in the back of the truck up and put his bed down in the floor with his blanket and a few toys to keep him entertained on a long ride. Which that brings me into my next need for trips, bring them a little something to keep them entertained, nothing hard like a bone or something they can choke on, just a soft toy for them to enjoy when they get bored.

2) Be Prepared to Stop

This can depend a bit on your dog, their needs and their age, but this is what works for us and Loki during our trips. During the day we usually stop every 2 hours or so to refill the truck and let Loki stretch his legs and go potty. These stops range anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour depending on if we are getting food to eat and how we are all feeling. We try to find really nice gas stations to stop at, but we do have a favorite, Love’s. Love’s Truck Stops are some of the cleanest and nicest places we go to, and our favorite part is that a lot of them have dog parks as well that are usually empty! Loki loves these dog parks because it gives him time to run around off leash and sniff till he can’t sniff anymore.

At night our routine is a bit different, we try to keep Loki on his usual routine he is on at home. Our last potty is around 9-10 at night, then we hit the road while he is asleep. Our stops are a lot less frequent because of this, but whenever we stop to gas up we do let him out for our usual potty routine.

3) Don’t Forget the Water!

Logan and I have made this mistake one too many times, so now we keep a bowl for Loki’s water in the truck at all times. Dogs, just like people can get dehydrated so it is important to make sure they get all the water they may need, even if that means you need to make more potty breaks. I’m not saying keep a bowl full in the back and hope it doesn’t spill, but I am saying when you stop for potty breaks give them water too. There are all different types of water bottles and bowls for dogs to use but it doesn’t need to be anything fancy, just keep a little pop up bowl near them as a reminder to give them water at stops.

4) Safety First

I feel like this may be a controversial take to some, but crating your dog during a drive is for the best. Yes, it is a smaller area but it is a safe place for them if anything like a car accident happens. There are so many pictures all over the internet of dog kennels being completely fine in the wreckage of a terrible accident. For some dogs like Loki, who you may not have room for a kennel in your car, even a seat belt is better than nothing. Loki wears his harness on trips, and is buckled in via a bungee leash attached to him. Does it make it more of a hassle to get him in and out? Yes, obviously, but the safety of my boy comes before anything else.

You should also have a small first aid kit for your dog in the car as well, with basics like wound cream, blood clotting powder, gauze, etc. You never know what they will get into or step on when you are traveling so better to be over prepared in my opinion.

5) Have Fun!

A trip is what you make of it obviously, and I know long trips can suck but it is better to stay on the positive side. The more fun you have, the more fun your dog has; have a sing-along moment, read out loud to them, do whatever makes you happy, your dog is just happy to be along for the ride. Loki is a pretty lazy boy, but we make sure to roll his window down often so he can stick his head out the window and enjoy the breeze. We always laugh watching his fur fly around and the funny faces he makes.

Well, that is all I have for you guys for now, I hope you enjoyed my little stories and advice. If you have any questions feel free to ask!