gem_photo Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 My fiance and I are going to be travelling around Australia for the next few months with our staffy pup Badger, who's currently 4 months old. Has anyone else here done this, and have any tips? I've started a blog to document the trip, if anyone's interested in reading : Oz Gypsies And a pic of Badger for good measure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dame Aussie Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 (edited) i don't have any advice sorry but Badger is adorable! ETA: I'm so jealous, my OH and I have often talked about doing this with our dogs......oh the freedom! Edited January 10, 2012 by Aussie3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gem_photo Posted January 10, 2012 Author Share Posted January 10, 2012 i don't have any advice sorry but Badger is adorable! Haha thank you! Yep he's a cutie all right. I actually wrote a post dedicated to him and the surgery he went through a few weeks back, it's here if you'd like to read & see more pics A bit more about Badger ...nothing like shameless self-promotion, right? :p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheena Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 Only tip I could give, is get him a strong wire crate with a canvas cover & also a plastic covered wire tie up line so you can tether him. Don't leave him tethered unsupervised. We find that crates & plastic covered wires for tethering, invaluable when travelling. Also remember, being a pup, to tether him well out of reach of things he can eat or destroy, like the wiring underneath your caravan or car. Good luck, what a lucky little boy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
**Super_Dogs** Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 My tip is get a crate and crate train him before you leave. If you have time order Susan Garrett's DVD "Crate Games". her training method is gold - my pup LOVES the crate. Whe we are out and I have to pack up the crate I have to tie her up away from me and she keep running back in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gem_photo Posted January 10, 2012 Author Share Posted January 10, 2012 Thanks for your advice sheena and buddy1, we have been crate training him from the age of 8 weeks and have a portable fold-up crate that's made of canvas with metal poles. He sleeps in it each night and likes to go in there by himself during the day too if he wants a nap or just to chill out And yep, definitely planning to get a tether. I've seen those plastic-covered wire ones that have a corkscrew spike that goes into the ground to hold them in, but I'm skeptical as to whether it'd be able to hold a staffy... I keep imagining him just ripping it out of the ground. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raz Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 Have fun. I look forward to tuning into your travel blog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Augustine Approved Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 Augustine says hello and hopes you stop by and visit the doggy park she plays at in Melbourne. Have a great trip! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megan_ Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 I think there is a DOLer travelling around Australia with her whippets - PawsAroundOz or something? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheena Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 Thanks for your advice sheena and buddy1, we have been crate training him from the age of 8 weeks and have a portable fold-up crate that's made of canvas with metal poles. He sleeps in it each night and likes to go in there by himself during the day too if he wants a nap or just to chill out And yep, definitely planning to get a tether. I've seen those plastic-covered wire ones that have a corkscrew spike that goes into the ground to hold them in, but I'm skeptical as to whether it'd be able to hold a staffy... I keep imagining him just ripping it out of the ground. A Staffy pup in a canvas crate will not last more than a few minutes...he will just, one day, out of the blue, rip it to pieces, cause that's what pups do You don't want him escaping...you need a strong wire crate. With the wire tie, you can get two wire ties & stretch one, flat on the ground, between two pegs & clip the other one to it, so it acts like a runner, if you know what I mean. He can then run up & down the line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest english.ivy Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 I have a nearly two year old Pointer called Badger Awesome name. Enjoy your holiday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RubyBlue Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 We drove from Adelaide to Melbourne when our last dog was only a few months old. He traveled really well on the backseat with us kids. The only thing we noticed was that despite several stops he didn't pee or poo until he'd spent a few hours at our new house - and then he peed and peed and peed and peed and peed...... It might be worth teaching a toilet cue to over come the possibility of a puppy not wanting to toilet outside of its territory. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gem_photo Posted January 11, 2012 Author Share Posted January 11, 2012 We drove from Adelaide to Melbourne when our last dog was only a few months old. He traveled really well on the backseat with us kids. The only thing we noticed was that despite several stops he didn't pee or poo until he'd spent a few hours at our new house - and then he peed and peed and peed and peed and peed...... It might be worth teaching a toilet cue to over come the possibility of a puppy not wanting to toilet outside of its territory. We've already done quite a bit of driving with him, Sunshine Coast to Gympie a couple times and Sunshine Coast to Brisbane, and then other smaller drives around here. So far he's been fine with toilet stops wherever we take him. But yeah we actually have taught him a toilet cue right from when we first brought him home, so that could be part of it too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Gifts Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 I spent two years travelling around Australia in the early 80s, in a trusty old Torana. That was back when you could easily have a dog in a camp ground and there were no rules about National Parks or great Australian landmarks. Back when you could leave your dog sitting outside a shop and it would be there when you came out again, back when no-one worried about your dog on the beach with you and back when you could camp for free in lots of spots around this beautiful country. I don't doubt that Badger would be fine with the travelling but I do worry about how limiting this will be for him and you because of all the no dog zones you will face. What will you do in a hot town when you want to visit somewhere? You can't leave him in the car. What will you do when you are bone tired after a long day of driving but can't find a camp ground that will let you have an animal? What if you really want to visit a particular National Park but can't even park there because you have poor Badger. Yes I know how this really sucks because he is a beautiful boy and just a pup. Back then I owned an adult old english sheepdog (who would've taken up a lot more room in the Torana!) and I practically broke up with my partner over him not allowing me to bring my dog with us. I couldn't understand it given he was an animal lover himself, but pretty much straight away I realised how difficult it would've been, particularly in the summer in QLD, NT and northern WA. And there were so many places we visited that my girl would've sruggled with - she couldn't have climbed inside caves or spent hours floating around in hot springs or watched from the hot sand as we snorkelled the ocean. What would we have done with her when we went on short side trips to islands? Sorry to be Devil's Advocate but there is a lot to see and do in this great country and taking a dog with you will restrict what you do and how you do it. If you are ok with this then go for it, but if you make a list of what you want to experience and for at least 10% of it Badger has to be exluded then you need to think realistically about how you will manage this from Badger's perspective. One thing about travelling around Australia too is that it is easy to get side tracked by things, people and places you never imagined existed and whether Badger goes with you or not I hope you have a magical trip. It really is an amazing country. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flame ryder Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 I spent two years travelling around Australia in the early 80s, in a trusty old Torana. That was back when you could easily have a dog in a camp ground and there were no rules about National Parks or great Australian landmarks. Back when you could leave your dog sitting outside a shop and it would be there when you came out again, back when no-one worried about your dog on the beach with you and back when you could camp for free in lots of spots around this beautiful country. I don't doubt that Badger would be fine with the travelling but I do worry about how limiting this will be for him and you because of all the no dog zones you will face. What will you do in a hot town when you want to visit somewhere? You can't leave him in the car. What will you do when you are bone tired after a long day of driving but can't find a camp ground that will let you have an animal? What if you really want to visit a particular National Park but can't even park there because you have poor Badger. Yes I know how this really sucks because he is a beautiful boy and just a pup. Back then I owned an adult old english sheepdog (who would've taken up a lot more room in the Torana!) and I practically broke up with my partner over him not allowing me to bring my dog with us. I couldn't understand it given he was an animal lover himself, but pretty much straight away I realised how difficult it would've been, particularly in the summer in QLD, NT and northern WA. And there were so many places we visited that my girl would've sruggled with - she couldn't have climbed inside caves or spent hours floating around in hot springs or watched from the hot sand as we snorkelled the ocean. What would we have done with her when we went on short side trips to islands? Sorry to be Devil's Advocate but there is a lot to see and do in this great country and taking a dog with you will restrict what you do and how you do it. If you are ok with this then go for it, but if you make a list of what you want to experience and for at least 10% of it Badger has to be exluded then you need to think realistically about how you will manage this from Badger's perspective. One thing about travelling around Australia too is that it is easy to get side tracked by things, people and places you never imagined existed and whether Badger goes with you or not I hope you have a magical trip. It really is an amazing country. Oh yeah the good old Torana...we used to have a LJ 4 door Torana...oh boy I wish we'd kept it they are now classics and worth quite a bit...very nice cars! And yep everything above is right...having a dog will unfortunately limit where you can go...it's amazing how many beaches are "no dogs". Not to mention all those lovely National parks you will miss out on. Personally I think it sucks big time. I plan to do the same one day and going without my dogs will not only break my heart but will spoil all the fun too. If I can afford it I want to buy a Winnabago Camper, I can then leave/hide my dog inside (small quiet dog) and know he will be comfy and safe. Would limit all those adventurous 4wd tracks though...but worth it have my dog with me. Will follow with interest how you go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gem_photo Posted January 11, 2012 Author Share Posted January 11, 2012 I spent two years travelling around Australia in the early 80s, in a trusty old Torana. That was back when you could easily have a dog in a camp ground and there were no rules about National Parks or great Australian landmarks. Back when you could leave your dog sitting outside a shop and it would be there when you came out again, back when no-one worried about your dog on the beach with you and back when you could camp for free in lots of spots around this beautiful country. I don't doubt that Badger would be fine with the travelling but I do worry about how limiting this will be for him and you because of all the no dog zones you will face. What will you do in a hot town when you want to visit somewhere? You can't leave him in the car. What will you do when you are bone tired after a long day of driving but can't find a camp ground that will let you have an animal? What if you really want to visit a particular National Park but can't even park there because you have poor Badger. Yes I know how this really sucks because he is a beautiful boy and just a pup. Back then I owned an adult old english sheepdog (who would've taken up a lot more room in the Torana!) and I practically broke up with my partner over him not allowing me to bring my dog with us. I couldn't understand it given he was an animal lover himself, but pretty much straight away I realised how difficult it would've been, particularly in the summer in QLD, NT and northern WA. And there were so many places we visited that my girl would've sruggled with - she couldn't have climbed inside caves or spent hours floating around in hot springs or watched from the hot sand as we snorkelled the ocean. What would we have done with her when we went on short side trips to islands? Sorry to be Devil's Advocate but there is a lot to see and do in this great country and taking a dog with you will restrict what you do and how you do it. If you are ok with this then go for it, but if you make a list of what you want to experience and for at least 10% of it Badger has to be exluded then you need to think realistically about how you will manage this from Badger's perspective. One thing about travelling around Australia too is that it is easy to get side tracked by things, people and places you never imagined existed and whether Badger goes with you or not I hope you have a magical trip. It really is an amazing country. Oh yeah the good old Torana...we used to have a LJ 4 door Torana...oh boy I wish we'd kept it they are now classics and worth quite a bit...very nice cars! And yep everything above is right...having a dog will unfortunately limit where you can go...it's amazing how many beaches are "no dogs". Not to mention all those lovely National parks you will miss out on. Personally I think it sucks big time. I plan to do the same one day and going without my dogs will not only break my heart but will spoil all the fun too. If I can afford it I want to buy a Winnabago Camper, I can then leave/hide my dog inside (small quiet dog) and know he will be comfy and safe. Would limit all those adventurous 4wd tracks though...but worth it have my dog with me. Will follow with interest how you go. We're aware of the limitations that taking a dog with us will bring, and in the planning stages of this trip we had lengthy discussions about whether to get a dog at this point or wait til after we'd done our trip. We understood the impact that having a dog would have on our trip before we got Badger, and we decided we were okay with it. He comes most places with us already as it is. We've got a campsite guidebook that shows all the campsites around Aus where dogs are permitted, and we're planning on staying in mostly free campsites anyway, rather than caravan parks, as we have a pretty self-sufficient set-up with solar power and a camp shower. And having Badger with us isn't really going to change our trip that much from what it would have been if we didn't have him with us, as we weren't planning to do a lot of off-road stuff or 4WDing. The trip we're planning is intended more for relaxing and spending time together, rather than full-on adventure stuff. If we want to go somewhere that dogs aren't allowed, like a National Park, we will just have to find kennels or pet sitters to leave him with for the day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sausy.dog Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 (edited) Good luck, sounds like a fantastic thing to do. I would love to just pack up and travel around. Not going to happen yet for a while. Re the restrictions with dogs, I am sure there are issues but when we travelled to NT recently there were grey nomads with dogs all over the place and in every caravan park we stayed in. I was talking to a lady and asked her what they do and she said the same as you, that if it is somewhere they cannot miss (ie Kakadu) the dog went to a boarding kennel. When all of our kids are old enough to fend for themselves we plan to do the same thing and there isn't any way I won't be taking our dog(s) with us. ETA: Actually one thing I did find surprising was the number of retirees we saw with unmanageable fox terrier type dogs. I guess they choose a small dog due to the size retrictions and think they won't have to do much training or something. Irrelevant really but just an observation we made. :D Edited January 11, 2012 by sausy.dog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gem_photo Posted January 11, 2012 Author Share Posted January 11, 2012 Good luck, sounds like a fantastic thing to do. I would love to just pack up and travel around. Not going to happen yet for a while. Re the restrictions with dogs, I am sure there are issues but when we travelled to NT recently there were grey nomads with dogs all over the place and in every caravan park we stayed in. I was talking to a lady and asked her what they do and she said the same as you, that if it is somewhere they cannot miss (ie Kakadu) the dog went to a boarding kennel. When all of our kids are old enough to fend for themselves we plan to do the same thing and there isn't any way I won't be taking our dog(s) with us. ETA: Actually one thing I did find surprising was the number of retirees we saw with unmanageable fox terrier type dogs. I guess they choose a small dog due to the size retrictions and think they won't have to do much training or something. Irrelevant really but just an observation we made. :D Yep, we know a few people who have travelled Aus extensively with their dogs so we figure we'll be fine. And even though we're young, the type of trip we're doing is actually kind of more grey nomad-style, rather than crazy young backpacker-style :p And my nanna used to have a fox terrier that was pretty naughty and not trained well at all, so I know what you mean about them, haha... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missymoo Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 So cool!! Added you to my fab to follow your blog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iBoz Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 Ohh, I will be interested to read your blog too as I would love to do some trips around Oz and take the pooch with me... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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