Dogs are great trip buddies as they make your journey both joyful and social media worthy. You can take plenty of selfies with them on all the beautiful landmarks you visit and make new friends. They are called man’s best friends for a genuine reason.
However, there are some essential things to know before you travel with your furry friend to make your journey truly memorable. Without these, you may unnecessarily invite a lot of chaos in your trip, wrecking your whole peace of mind as well.
So here are those important things to keep in mind,
1) Carry all Pet Related Documents
To ensure hassle-free travel, you must carry all the documents regarding your dogs, especially when travelling abroad. Your dog’s health records will reveal to the concerned authorities that your pet is healthy as well as vaccinated. These documents are just as important as your passport is. So before you plan anything else, have all the papers of your dogs ready.
Also, you may want to carry the dog’s medical history as well, just in case you need to show them to a vet abroad.
2) Take a Dog Carrier Backpack
A dog backpack is one of the best ways to carry your pet while travelling, particularly if you have a small or medium breed dog. The biggest benefit of a dog carrier is that your hands will always be free to do things. Besides, you can walk, trek and even hike on the mountains while keeping your dogs safe on your back. Contrary to crates, a dog carrier allows your fido to look outside and enjoy the scenic beauty along with you.
With a dog carrier, you can also avoid the menace of stray dogs who are often known to chase pet dogs. Your journey can become wonderful once you know your dogs have literally got your back.
3) Pack a Travel Kit For Your Dog
Carrying a separate travel kit for your dog will help you a lot in storing essential items for them like food, water, medications, bowls etc. You can also include pet supplies that will help you clean up your pet, including waste bags, scoops, etc. An item like a First Aid Kit should also be carried in a travel bag to be prepared for all kinds of exigency.
Having a separate kit for your pet is always handy because you can quickly reach out to it, without making a mess of your own stuff.
4) Be Respectful of the People You Meet
When you are travelling around the world with your dog, you will meet all kinds of people. Many people would be ecstatic to meet your furry friend while some may not even come in your vicinity. As a responsible dog owner, you should be considerate to all of these people.
Wherever you are travelling, you should willingly accept the culture and sentiments of a particular place and the people there.
5) Make sure Your Dog Knows all the Basic Commands
Before you go on a voyage with your dog, you should ensure they know some basic commands, like sit and stay. This is essential when controlling your dog when they are around fellow animals and other humans. An untrained dog can wreak havoc on your own journey and disturb the peace of mind of fellow travellers as well.
Basic commands like sit, stay and stop can be taught effortlessly to the dogs. One of the best ways to train your dogs is through offering them treats and praises, where your dogs will learn within a matter of a few repetitions.
6) Put a Pet Tag on Your Dog
A pet tag is nothing short of life safer at the time of a crisis. They act as the fastest ticket for dogs to your home if, by any unfortunate means, they lose contact with you. Pet tags can be attached to your dog’s collar, where you can enter their name, address, your phone number etc.
For longer trips and vacations, add the details of the destination where you will be staying so that they can make their way back to you quickly. Remember, you should never use a choke collar as it can make breathing difficult for the dogs.
7) Get Your Dogs a Checkup Before Leaving
It is absolutely essential to get your dogs a check-up before you leave in order to rule out any possible health issues. Firstly, make sure your dogs are vaccinated as there are higher chances of them getting exposed to bacterias in a foreign land. Besides, if you are travelling to another country, Rabies vaccinations are a must.
Veterinarians will also help you get rid of parasites in your dogs (if any), as pets infested with parasites are not allowed to travel in airlines. Also, remember to carry all the proof given by the veterinarians to ensure hassle-free travel.
In a Nutshell,
You have seen 7 essential things to keep in mind while travelling with your lovely fido. Once you have taken care of these, you can be assured of having a great trip which is worth remembering for a longer time. By travelling with your dog, you start gaining perspective from their side which will enrich your own experience as a whole.
