Bill Bauer wrote:

What are the pitfalls to prepare for when traveling by car with a small dog
(15 lb Peekapoo)? My wife and I plan a trip to southern California, 2 to 3
days each way, this Spring. Four to five hundred miles each day, one or two
overnight stops. How do motels feel about pets? I'm new at this. Any
advice appreciated.

Hi, Bill...

I travel a lot with one of my dogs (I have four - only two are suitable
for traveling long distances, and I only take one at a time). You'll
find that most motel chains are now pet friendly, but it's always a good
idea to call the individual motel (not their 800 reservation numbers)
and ask about their pet policy and reserve the room in advance. If you
plan to leave the dog in the room by itself at all, please be a good
neighbor so we can retain our privilege of staying with our pets. This
means crating the dog when you are out. I have a very nice collapsing
airline crate made by Nylabone. My dog sleeps in it at night here, and I
always cover it with a sheet. At motels, if I have to leave the dog when
we go out to eat, she goes in the crate and I cover it with the same
sheet. I also have a cell phone, so I tell the front desk that I will be
leaving the dog in the crate and if there are any noise complaints to
please call me. I haven't had any problem, but my dog is an excellent traveler.

Whenever I travel with my dog, I have a special travel kit for her.
Besides the crate and the sheet, I pre-package her meals in ziplock
baggies. The empty baggies double as poop picker-uppers. ALWAYS pick up
after your dog when traveling! I put a dog tag on her that has my cell
phone number rather than my home number. I also bring water from home -
sometimes dogs are reluctant to drink strange water. I also bring a
medicine kit - some cotton, vetwrap, Immodium, baby aspirin, Dramamine
(for car sickness) rubbing alcohol and an herbal calmative (check with
your vet for dosages on the Immodium, aspirin and Dramamine, write it
down and put the slip in your medicine kit). I've been fortunate to
never have to use it, but it's there if I need it. I also bring a small
bottle of Nature's Miracle and paper towels in case there's an accident
(which we haven't had, thank goodness). I also keep several terry beach
towels in the car for things like carsickness. I bring a 7-foot leather
lead and a 30-foot lead. Several things to chew on, one ball and one tug
toy. A training collar. A bandana and a raincoat. A brush and a package
of bathing wipes and baby wipes for dirty paws. Oh, and a book of paper matches.

Why the matches? Well, many dogs are reluctant to poop on a trip, and
you can waste a lot of time waiting for him to find just the right spot
- or he may clamp up and hold it for days, which will drive you bonkers.
Or... you can gently insert a match tip into the dog's anus - they'll go
within a couple minutes! Learned that trick from a show breeder...

A few motels have no extra charges associated with a pet stay. Some have
a one-time non-refundable fee, others require a refundable deposit. If
your dog is well-behaved, go to the motel with the refundable deposit.
To make sure your deposit is refunded, before you check out, call the
front desk and have someone from housekeeping check the room. You should
get your deposit back at checkout. If you don't do this, they may
neglect to give you your deposit back. Some motels won't allow the dog
to stay in the room unsupervised, even if the dog is crated. Some will
require crating if you leave, and some motels will allow you to leave
the dog uncrated. I would never do this - the dog could escape or bite
the houskeeping or maintenance staff, and may do damage to the room if
he gets nervous. Crate or take the dog with you.

Before you go, make sure that your dog is accustomed to the crate and to
staying alone for short periods of time in the car. If he's not already
crate trained, start feeding him in the crate with the door open, then
start closing the door while he eats. Then put him in the crate for a
while with an irresistable goodie, like a Kong stuffed with peanut
butter or a pig's ear. If he barks in the crate, do NOT let him out
until he quiets down. You can bang on the crate and say QUIET if he gets
really fussy - but you have to teach him not to bark in the crate. Take
him on some errand-running trips with you and bring something he likes
to chew on. Leave him in the car for 10 or 15 minutes at first to see
how he does. (I had one dog that ate a seat belt while I had lunch -
VERY expensive mistake which I will not make again!)

Oh, and my last tip - while traveling, NEVER give the dog leftovers or
any goodies they're not used to eating at home. I just bring her regular
food and treats, and I keep the treats to a minimum. You don't need a
dog with the runs, and they're much more likely to experience digestive
upset away from home because they get nervous. If they refuse to eat at
first, don't worry about it. Eating in strange places may make them
nervous. They'll eat when they get hungry enough.

I think it's great fun to travel with my dog. Work, yes, and more
planning required, but fun. She enjoys just being with us, riding in the
car, going new places and meeting new people. She travels so much with
us that nothing upsets her about it and she's always welcome back at
every place we've stayed.

Hope you have a great trip, and hope this helps!

Tracy