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Post by smalltowngirlie on Jun 17, 2016 10:48:19 GMT
We are leaving for a cabin tomorrow and have decided to being our dog with us this year. Most times we had her stay with friends or family because of where we were going, and then she got to play with their dogs. It was fun watching her with them. This campground is very dog friendly. Plus she is just getting over being sick and we don't feel it is a good idea to leave her with others.
She travels very well in the vehicle, very excited at first, but settles down quickly. Most times when she traveled with us it was less than a 2 hour drive. This time it is almost 5 hours. We have at least one stop planned half way through to let her out and move a bit. My question is how can we make it so she is less likely to have to go to the bathroom while traveling? How long before we leave should we not let her eat or drink?
Thanks, I know you all will help me to make the trip pleasant for her.
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Post by oliquig on Jun 17, 2016 11:19:26 GMT
If she goes before you leave, and halfway through she should be fine. Unless she has issues that you didn't mind. My ten year old dog doesn't use the bathroom for six hours everyday while I'm at work.
That being said, unless medically needed you shouldn't take water away. In fact you should be sure to give her water when you stop.
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Post by STBC on Jun 17, 2016 13:24:16 GMT
I've taken many roadtrips with my dogs (for agility competitions) and usually plan to stop after about 2-3 hours, for me and for them. (Bring bags so that you can pick up after your dog.) I don't give food/water while in the car - just potty before we leave and then potty stops and a drink at our stopping points.
We've driven up to 11 hours in a day. I crate in the car and they settle down quickly. Make sure you have identification w/current contact info on your dog's collar. If you don't have a tag already, you can get one made pretty quickly at PetCo or PetSmart.
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Post by Basket1lady on Jun 17, 2016 13:38:20 GMT
We travel regularly with our lab, often 12-14 hour days, and did with our other dogs as well. She does her business when we do. If we stop, everyone goes. We feed her breakfast in the morning (no matter how early--an empty stomach can actually cause nausea.) She has access to water until we leave. I do pull up the water bowls in the house, as I don't want her drinking old water when we return. Offer her water when you stop--if she's nervous or hot, she will pant more and need the water.
The main thing is that you can't stop at a sit down restaurant or she may overheat in the car. We go through a drive through. If the kids or the dog are young, we will then go to a rest stop and run around. Now that everyone is old enough, we just keep driving.
Emma usually sleeps most of the trip. When she was younger, we would have toys or a bone for her to chew on if she was bored. But she's 4 now and just sleeps. She knows the signs of packing for a trip and doesn't sleep well the day before due to all the activity, so she tired. We travel with her bed, so she sleeps on that and is comfortable.
We bring her regular food and bowls, balls, a stuffie or two and she's happy.
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Post by Basket1lady on Jun 17, 2016 13:41:28 GMT
I've taken many roadtrips with my dogs (for agility competitions) and usually plan to stop after about 2-3 hours, for me and for them. (Bring bags so that you can pick up after your dog.) I don't give food/water while in the car - just potty before we leave and then potty stops and a drink at our stopping points. We've driven up to 11 hours in a day. I crate in the car and they settle down quickly. Make sure you have identification w/current contact info on your dog's collar. If you don't have a tag already, you can get one made pretty quickly at PetCo or PetSmart. Good point about the tags--I forgot that. We have our cell numbers on Emma's tags now (and she is chipped), but in the old days I had a second tag made where we are going and that number. $10 is worth it for a quick reunion if your dog gets lost. Even well behaved dogs can get loose in a strange environment.
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Post by smalltowngirlie on Jun 17, 2016 13:58:19 GMT
We travel regularly with our lab, often 12-14 hour days, and did with our other dogs as well. She does her business when we do. If we stop, everyone goes. We feed her breakfast in the morning (no matter how early--an empty stomach can actually cause nausea.) She has access to water until we leave. I do pull up the water bowls in the house, as I don't want her drinking old water when we return. Offer her water when you stop--if she's nervous or hot, she will pant more and need the water. The main thing is that you can't stop at a sit down restaurant or she may overheat in the car. We go through a drive through. If the kids or the dog are young, we will then go to a rest stop and run around. Now that everyone is old enough, we just keep driving. Emma usually sleeps most of the trip. When she was younger, we would have toys or a bone for her to chew on if she was bored. But she's 4 now and just sleeps. She knows the signs of packing for a trip and doesn't sleep well the day before due to all the activity, so she tired. We travel with her bed, so she sleeps on that and is comfortable. We bring her regular food and bowls, balls, a stuffie or two and she's happy. We did not plan on a sit down restaurant. We knew that was not an option. What everyone has said is pretty much our plan, but just wanted to be sure. We have planned to drop part of the seat so she will be by DS while traveling. We thought she might like that better than in the back by herself. She will also be next to a window so fresh air if the weather cooperates. We used to take her camping quite a bit with us and she would always try to get in the camper while packing. She was too funny. This will be a little different, but I think she will have fun hanging out with some new puppies.
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momto4kiddos
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,151
Jun 26, 2014 11:45:15 GMT
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Post by momto4kiddos on Jun 17, 2016 14:01:39 GMT
If I want to make sure my 2 do not need to potty for a bit, I take them on a nice walk before we get in the car or I go out for a period of time. There is nothing like a walk to make sure they've done their business (plus then they are tired too, which is a bonus!)
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