Dog Travel: Prepping Your Dog for An Overnight Away from Home

Often during travel times, such as the holidays, we have no choice but to take our puppy or adult dog with us and stay overnight at a friend or family's house. This overnight visit can prove to be a ton of fun or quite the opposite, and unnerving disaster. Of course this situation can go either way which totally depends on how you handle it.

Prep for Success

For starters, do your best to pack all of the items necessary in which your dog may need. Some overnight stays with pets in another person's home can be quite troublesome when important doggy items are left behind. For example, it is imperative that you bring a crate that properly fits the size of your dog. Be sure to take along plenty of dog treats as well as his standard food for feeding times.

Bringing a doggy bed is also an integral part of making your dog feel comfortable while sleeping in a strange place. It will also make your host feel more comfortable knowing that your dog or puppy will not be shedding and slobbering all over the furniture when he sleeps.

Chew toys are also a good idea to carry along when traveling with your dog and staying at a friend's house. Remember that everything in the new location will be up for grabs to your dog's mouth. In your home, rules have been established and your dog or puppy knows what to chew and what not chew. The last thing you want to see happen is your friend or family's expensive couch being torn up by your dog. Having chew toys along will give him an alternative and save you and your host a large headache!

Question:  Does the home you are staying at have children?

Kids are not nearly as cautious as we would like them to be. When you arrive at your destination and they have small children in the house, be sure to introduce your dog to the family as carefully as possible.

Even though your pet is probably very tame around other people and loves children, these kids may be overly excited and startle the dog. Such surprises could lead to aggressive behavior and possibly nipping or biting. If you suspect that your dog will have aggressive behavior then the best thing to do is take him to a kennel or leave him at home to be watched by pet sitter.