5 tips for travelling with a dog

Sally has always loved travelling by car, in fact you just say the word car and she gets completely over excited. She knows the difference between a short tip and a longer one and is completely ready to snuggle down and nap away the hours (taking up as much room as possible) and squishing everyone else sat on the back seat of the car.

However travelling with an animal is different to travelling with just humans and these are 5 of my tips for travelling with a dog.

1. Make sure your pet is up to date with jabs and medication.
OK the jabs part of this is probably obvious after all for most dog owners it is a yearly occurrence, but you also need to make sure your dog is up to date on things like flea drops and worming tablets before you head away, after all you don’t know what your dog may come in contact with, in a different environment.

2. Make sure your dog is secure in the car.
People choose different ways to keep their dog safe with travelling, from travel crates to seatbelt plugins to special harnesses. For Sal we use a harness, we have found she actually walks well on it and so it can be used across the holiday for keeping her both safe during the drive, to walking nicely as we explore the area. Check out Pets at Home for a great range of different ways to keep your dog safe while travelling.

3. Plan pee breaks.
Sometimes pushing through on a journey can be OK when everyone in the car agrees, however your dog doesn’t have a voice, so make sure you plan regular stops while travelling with a dog, where they can stretch their legs and have a toilet stop if needed.

4. Never leave them in the car on a hot day.
The day is hot, you fancy an ice cream and leaving the dog in the car won’t matter for a few minutes with it? All I can say is don’t do it! Would you want to sit in there for that long? The answer is most likely no so don’t make your dog suffer through it.

5. Know the area you are going to. 
Research where you are headed before you set off, so you know what you can and can’t do. Take beaches some will allow dogs and some won’t. It will also make the holiday flow easier, as you won’t turn up to a place where you can’t all access.

What are your top tip for travelling with a dog?

*Written in collaboration with Pets At Home.