[schnauzerpoodle]

We are going to drive from San Francisco to San Diego with Nickel this Friday to visit my husband's family. So this will be the first road trip of Nickel's (and the first time he's meeting his 'grandma'). He's usually pretty good in the car. I have the contacts of a vet and an emergency pet hospital near my brother-in-law's house ready.

Anything I need to pay attention to?

 

[Cdnjennga]

I'm sure he'll be just fine! We had a 5 hour drive to Michigan and Darcy was just fine. He mostly just slept in his crate but also chewed a bully stick for a little while. He only woke up and whined for a bit just as we were crossing the border otherwise he was quiet. I think we stopped twice.

 

[bigpoodleperson]

Im sure he will have lots of fun! Riley Loves road trips! His first was the 12 hour car ride home as a puppy. I would suggest taking him for a long walk, playing with him and really wearing him out before you go. That way he will hopefully either sleep or just chill for the ride. Where does he say in the car? Crate, seatbelt, front/back, lap?

 

[partial2poodles]

Little Gino sleeps on his back on my lap. The big poodles sit on the back seat but they eventually slump over and snore.

 

[schnauzerpoodle]

He will be sitting on the back w/ his safety vest on, just like the way he usually travels. We will be taking his crate with us anyway, so if he doesn't feel like being on his safety vest for that long, we can always put him in his crate. But the idea of wearing him out before we leave is really good. I will do that~

 

[Jennifer J]

since this is a longer trip, you might not want to feed him a full meal before you leave just in case he gets sick. Also, keep a copy of his current vaccination record with you just in case. Plan on a couple of potty stops, it always takes us longer when we travel with the girls. Hope you have a great trip!

 

[Karma'sACat]

since this is a longer trip, you might not want to feed him a full meal before you leave just in case he gets sick. Also, keep a copy of his current vaccination record with you just in case. Plan on a couple of potty stops, it always takes us longer when we travel with the girls. Hope you have a great trip!

I was just going to suggest this! E-vets want to know vaccination history and it is easier to hand them a piece of paper than trying to remember.

 

[schnauzerpoodle]

that's a very good advice. i'll bring along his vaccination record. thank you, everyone~

 

[fjm]

On a long trip I find it useful to work out a few good stopping places just off the motorway - here in the UK the motorway service stations do have tiny patches of grass for dogs, but they are a bit frenetic - a footpath or field where they can wander off lead for 10 minutes is much more relaxing for all or us. Mine are now very good in the car, but I feel horribly guilty if I hear that frantic little "I'm DESPERATE!" yipping when I am 10 miles from the next motorway exit! Plenty of water and a bowl, of course, and some ginger biscuits in case of car sickness (you can then share them if you get peckish).

 

[FozziesMom]

you have some great advice here. We just got back from a long weekend in Santa Barbara. we bought the crate because we knew we'd need it for an airplane trip we're taking later. I was surprised just how quiet he was since we normally allow him to ride with us. We padded it really well and he just curled up and slept the entire time, not a peep out of him. The crate had the added benefit of being a place to sleep at night at our friends' house, since we usually crate him, and for times when we couldn't take him with us during our stay.

The outbound, we stopped at a dog park about half way and honestly, he just didn't seem to want to play, he ate a tiny bit and drank a bit. On the way home we fed and watered him a little in the am (I suggest a big feeding night before like we did, led to a good potty in the am and I wasn't worried about him not eating until later in the day), but since the ride was only 5.5 hours, we just sped on through this time without taking him out. We stopped at the local dog park with him to potty and run a bit before taking him home, when he finally decided to chow down and drink a gallon of water. Feeding/potty schedule was a bit off next couple days but as of today, 48 hours later he's fine. oddly enough that night he just crashed hard, we didn't see much of him. I thought he'd be wired, but I guess like humans the excitement is tiring!

 

[schnauzerpoodle]

Hey everyone,

We are back! When we were heading out, Nickel went crazy when he saw me moving his crate from the bedroom to the door. He thought we were sending him away and refused to leave our apartment!! I spent 40 mins to get him from the door to the garage then to the car. But once we got on the freeway, he fell asleep in his crate.

During the whole stay at my in-law's place, Nickel did well and didn't have even one accident. I showed him where the door to the yard was and had his potty-bell hung up there. He rang the bell to ask for potty breaks. Even my mother-in-law was amazed! And of course both hubby and I are proud of him.

He was doing much better on our way back. Still cried a little bit as he saw us packing in the morning but he was happy to go home, I guess. He slept in the crate during the drive. Once we got home, he ran to the toy box and checked out his toys and ran around the house with several of his toys then fell sound asleep at his usual spot.

So overall, Nickel's first road trip was a successful one. Exhausting? Yes. Fun? Of course

 

[bigpoodleperson]

Yay!! Its so nice to have a dog you can travel with! Thats so funny that he had to check to make sure none of his toys were stolen while he wasnt there!