Traveling with Your Puppy by Plane or Car
Everybody likes a vacation. The most depressing part, however, is parting from your beloved puppy. Why not take your puppy along when you travel? Having your pet with you can be great fun, but you’ll also come across some risks.
Packing a bag for your puppy's needs
A lot of planning goes into a trip, and overlooking your puppy’s needs can be easy. Familiar objects are as soothing to your puppy as a fuzzy, warm security blanket is to a child. Here’s a checklist of your puppy’s needs:
A familiar mat or other bedding
Regular food that’s separated for each feeding, plus an extra meal or two just in case
A selection of familiar bones and toys
Food dishes
Water, if you’re visiting an environment where bottled water is recommended for human consumption
Housetraining bell, if your puppy uses one
Taking your puppy on a plane
Sometimes air travel is unavoidable, so follow these tips to make flying easier on everyone when your puppy accompanies you:
Do your best to plan direct flights in the evening or early morning when ground temperatures are cooler (heat-induced suffocation is the biggest risk in airline travel). If you can’t fly direct, book a flight with a layover that’s long enough for you to take your puppy out for a stretch, drink, potty break, and hug.
Airlines require health certificates and proof of vaccination, so you need to get them from your veterinarian and forward a copy to the airline immediately. Carry one with you the day of the flight, too, in case any questions arise about your dog’s clearance to travel.
On the top of the traveling crate, in 1/2-inch letters, write the flight’s destination, including your name and the name, address, and phone number of the person or place you’re visiting.
Don’t feed your puppy within six hours of the trip.
Prep the crate for takeoff with light bedding and paper (taped down) in one end to absorb mistakes. Affix kennel bowls inside the crate. Freeze water in one so your puppy can have a drink while in flight.
If your puppy is a champion chewer, you may need to nix the bedding. If you suspect that your puppy will be distressed, ask your veterinarian for a sedative.
Traveling by car with your puppy
Most puppies and dogs love road trips. Cars can be a dangerous place for dogs, however, so you must take certain precautions:
Don’t leave your puppy in the car on a warm day. Even with the windows down, your car will bake like an oven.
Keep an extra set of keys on hand. If you must leave your puppy, keep the engine running with the air conditioning on full-blast and lock the doors. Keep the second set of keys with you to get back into the car.
Got a pick-up truck? Let your puppy ride in the cab. On a leash or off, the bed of a truck is no place for a dog.
Keep the windows cracked but not wide open. Some people think that letting a dog hang her head out the window is cool, but it’s actually very dangerous. Dogs can get hurled from the car in an accident or have debris fly into their eyes, causing permanent damage.
Secure your puppy with a seat belt. Give your puppy her own area in the backseat. Secure a doggie-style attachment to the seat belt and decorate her area with a mat and toys to keep her comfortable and occupied during the drive.
Are you planning a long journey? Following are some guidelines to ensure that both you and your puppy get through the trip with minimal hassle:
Keep your pup’s diet and feeding times consistent. A change can upset her system, and that’s one discomfort that you can easily avoid.
Avoid traveling in extreme heat unless you have a good air-conditioning system. If you’re in extreme heat, plan to travel at night or early in the morning.
Keep your puppy on a leash at every pit stop. When traveling, a puppy’s homing device shuts down. If she wanders off or gets momentarily distracted, she may have trouble finding her way back to you.
Dogs Glossary
A-B-C assessment
Checking a dog’s airway, breathing, and circulation.
Dogs Glossary
animal shelter
1. An animal control agency run by local government to protect people from animals, take in strays, and manage animal issues and problems within the community. 2. A privately run shelter managed by individuals who want to protect, advocate for, and find homes for animals.
Dogs Glossary
BARF diet
A method of feeding dogs as closely as possible what they would eat in the wild: raw flesh and bones, along with vegetable matter from the stomachs of their prey. The acronym stands for either Bones and Raw Food or Biologically Appropriate Raw Food.
Dogs Glossary
blow out
A twice-yearly shedding of a dog’s undercoat.
Dogs Glossary
blue slip
An application to register a purebred puppy.
Dogs Glossary
breeder
A person who raises, sells, and often shows dogs of a specific breed. Reputable breeders screen parent dogs in an effort to produce healthy dogs that conform to breed standards.
Dogs Glossary
castrate
The removal of a male dog’s testicles to render him infertile.
Dogs Glossary
clicker
A small hand-held device that makes a sharp cracking sound when pressed. Paired with a food reward, an effective dog-training tool.
Dogs Glossary
cohesive bandage
A stretchy wrap that clings to itself used to cover and secure gauze bandages without tape.
Dogs Glossary
come into season
The advent of a female dog’s term of fertility.
Dogs Glossary
dead ring
The stationary ring on a training collar that pulls on the collar, not the dog’s neck.
Dogs Glossary
double coat
Two layers of fur — a top coat of stiff guard hairs and an undercoat that serves as insulation.
Dogs Glossary
dropped ears
The term for hanging or drooping dog ears.
Dogs Glossary
Elizabethan collar
A wide, cone-shaped plastic or cardboard collar that prevents a dog from being able to scratch her head. Used to prevent further injury or hasten healing.
Dogs Glossary
euthanize; put to sleep
To kill an animal to relieve suffering.
Dogs Glossary
fall
Hair that extends over a dog’s eyes.
Dogs Glossary
feathering
Long hair that runs from armpit to paw on the backs of a dog’s legs.
Dogs Glossary
free-feeding
Keeping a constant supply of dog food available so that the dog can decide when and how much to eat. It works best in single-dog households where there’s no competition for food.
Dogs Glossary
heartworms
Parasites that live in dogs’ hearts and cause heart failure. They’re transferred through mosquito bites.
Dogs Glossary
heat
The period when a female dog is fertile.
Dogs Glossary
heel
A command and position in which a dog walks at your left side staying with you as you change direction or pace.
Dogs Glossary
hip dysplasia
A painful malformation of a dog’s hip socket. Some breeds are genetically predisposed to the condition.
Dogs Glossary
hot spot
A localized area of skin infection. It’s usually round, red, and warm to the touch.
Dogs Glossary
live ring
The floating ring of a training collar. Attach a leash to this ring for training purposes.
Dogs Glossary
neuter
A general term to describe either spaying or castrating a dog to render it infertile. Neutering and castrating are often used interchangeably.
Dogs Glossary
pantaloons
The tufts of hair on the backs of a long-haired dogs legs that make him look like he’s wearing bloomers.
Dogs Glossary
pedigree
A diagram of a dog’s ancestors for three or more generations that lists the registered names of the dogs and the titles they earned.
Dogs Glossary
pinch collar
A training collar with interlocking prongs that pinch a dog’s neck when tugged on. Some veterinarians recommend them above all other collars for training purposes.
Dogs Glossary
praise
A verbal reward for a dog , such as an enthusiastic “good dog!”
Dogs Glossary
prong collar
A training collar with interlocking prongs that pinch a dog’s neck when tugged on. Some veterinarians recommend them above all other collars for training purposes.
Dogs Glossary
pulse
Normal dog pulse is between 70 and 120 beats per minute. The pulse of a puppy ranges from 120 to 160 beats per minute.
Dogs Glossary
puppy mill
A place that supplies puppies to pet stores, usually without screening for possible genetic defects or properly socializing the puppies.
Dogs Glossary
registration certificate
The paper certifying a dog’s registration with an accredited organization.
Dogs Glossary
registration slip
An application to register a purebred puppy.
Dogs Glossary
release word
A word that lets a dog know that she is free to move.
Dogs Glossary
rescue group
A network of animal lovers who rescue and find new homes for their favorite breeds or animals.
Dogs Glossary
reward
To give a dog a treat for a correct response while he’s still in the desired position.
Dogs Glossary
ruff
The long, thick fur around a dog’s chest, shoulders, and neck.
Dogs Glossary
separation anxiety
A condition in which your dog becomes anxious and stressed when you leave him.
Dogs Glossary
shed
A twice-yearly process of casting off the undercoat in a double-coated dog.
Dogs Glossary
single coat
A single layer of hairs that comprises a dog’s fur.
Dogs Glossary
spay
To remove of both the uterus and the ovaries of a dog to render her infertile.
Dogs Glossary
stripping
Plucking the dead hairs from a dog’s coat.
Dogs Glossary
titer tests
Tests that check a dog’s immunity levels to determine exactly which vaccinations are needed.
Dogs Glossary
top coat
The top layer of a double-coated dog composed of stiff guard hairs that tend to be naturally water-repellant. The top coat protects the dog’s skin and undercoat.
Dogs Glossary
training collar
A collar that enables you to guide your dog and to check her as necessary — a brief, sharp tug tightens the collar around the dog’s neck.
Dogs Glossary
treat cup
A plastic container filled with small treats or dog food. Shake it and give treats from it as a reward as you train a dog.
Dogs Glossary
undercoat
Fleecy or downy fur shorter than the top layer of a double-coated dog. The undercoat serves as insulation.
