Tips for Traveling with Your Dog for the First Time

If your dog has rarely left the four walls you call home, traveling with them for the first time can be daunting. However, taking a few precautions ahead of your journey can make the process easier.

Get in a Few Practice Runs
If Fido is a homebody, getting in a few practice runs is key for both them getting used to the process and you gauging how they respond to travel-related stimuli. Start going on regular car rides. Get them out and about with strangers. Go on walks in unfamiliar areas.

Talk to Your Vet
If you’re worried traveling may take a toll on your dog’s nerves, it may be helpful to have a little magic trick in your back pocket — aka, pharmaceuticals. Talk to your vet about what they can prescribe or recommend to help ease symptoms related to travel anxiety or car sickness.

Expect the Unexpected
Traveling with your dog for the first time is going to come with some surprises. This is no time to be a high-strung traveler. You’re going to need to go with the flow and roll with the punches. Many dog-related travel disasters aren’t all that disastrous, and you’ll likely laugh about them later. Dog upchucks all over the back seat on hour four of an eight-hour drive? You’ll survive, even if it is a little stinky.