Travelling With A Dog

[Snarlz]

Hi everyone :)

My husband and I are going to be travelling around australia next year, leaving in April for a year. We don't have anyone to look after our dog while away so will probably need to take her with us if we don't find any other options before then.

Has anyone here travelled with a dog long term and can offer any tips? do's and donts etc. I know we can't take her to national parks etc.

Any tips or advice would be great!

Thanks :D

[mixeduppup]

Work out which places allow dogs and which don't. Some go by size as well.

[MTD]

We went around Australia earlier on this year with 2 dogs on board . We have a motorhome which makes accommodation easier .

Just have to be more organised and plan where you want to go ( ie is not into national parks ) and where you are going to stay

Also watch for dingos , and if your dogs are small eagles - There are plenty in the centre .

The only problem we encountered was there is no vet between Kalgoorlie and Port Augusta . We had to rush across the Nallabor thinking there would be a vet at Ceduna but no , only a visiting one every fortnight . So be prepared .

[Tassie]

I've driven across to Perth once, and up to Queensland a few times with 2 Border Collies. Mine love travelling - well - they love sleeping as soon as we hit the highway. :)

There are increasing numbers of places where you can stay with dogs - we always try for dogs inside (spoilt dogs), but they're happy to sleep in the car outside motels if necessary - and if you're camping or motorhoming, it's even easier.

There are often kennels where you can board dogs if you wntt to trAvel in National Parks.

Doing your homework ahead of time is a good idea - including checking for dangers like dingoes, crocs, ticks, snakes, as well as for vet hospitals in case of emergency. My lovely vet helped me with a first aid kit, including some emergency meds for things like vomiting, especially for that Nullarbor stretch.

For some dogs, water can be an issue. I'm lucky in that mine seem to be able to cope with the local water wherever we go, but if in doubt, carrying some of your home water, or bottled water, is a good idea.

Wherever we go, we meet lots of people travelling with their dogs.

[Dogsfevr]

A crate trained dog is your best travelling buddy ,they are a god send for emergencies or any other situation where its safer for the dog to be in a crate .

Carry all documents (current vaccs)

Update microchip to mobile numbers

Carry an ID card of the dog & features if lost

You can do your own small animal medical kit

Water can be an issue

Decide what you are feeding at present & how practical it is & start changing now if need be

[Tassie]

Yes, showdog - forgot to add the crate trained bit. Mine travel in large wirecrates in the car - safety, comfort, water available all the time - and can pack stuff around them.

Excellent tips about the chips and documents, and the ID card.

ET add - and I carry folding soft crates for them to sleep in in the dog-friendly accommodation. They LOVE their crates :D

Edited November 26, 2012 by Tassie

[canine fun sports]

We also do a fair bit of travelling with our dogs. Stopping to site see can be an issue unless you have some way to set the dogs up in the car, locking part of the car and leaving the dogs well ventilated.

The dog trailer makes that easy. Prior to that we had our Ford Explorer set up so we could leave the dogs in crates in the cargo section with the back window open, but the rest of the car locked up. That is also possible with our Holden Commodore, but we would have to leave the whole back door open so the dogs, in their crates, could have been removed. So, in that sense, it was not as secure.

We also set up a fan in the back cargo area - powered off the cigarette lighter. That could be left on when the car was parked under a tree. Or when travelling in the heat, it pushed the cooler air conditioned air into the back of the car so the cargo area (with all the glass) was also cool.

As Tassie knows, we will be touring Tassie next March. We are just taking the Motor home - leaving the dog tralier at home. Dogs will travel on the bed, and sleep on the seats when we stop. We can lock up the motorhome securely with the dogs having free access - the motor home stays cool quite cool with the louvred windows open. We will travel with the dogs for some of the time, and put them in kennels for a few days while we visit National Park areas.

Cheers,

[dancinbcs]

All the above suggestions plus try to organise your vehicle so the dog can be safely contained behind a dog barrier or in a secured locked crate so you can leave tailgate open but your vehicle can still be locked. I had crates secured to a cargo barrier in the back of my wagon, then padlocked the dogs in the crates when we travelled along the Great Ocean Road. Most of it is National Park but the dogs are allowed in the carparks so we left them secured in the wagon with the tailgate up when we walked out to each lookout.

The other handy thing is to get a good supply of drugs and remedies from your vet, including things like antibiotics, scourban, ear treatment, etc so you can call the vet from where ever you are and use the treatments as directed. Liquid vitamin C and instructions on how to administer it intravenously can also buy you a few hours to find a vet in the event of a snake bite.

[voloclydes]

Some thing to know, most national parks well in central au, see quite a few dogs locked in vans and motor homes, legally they cannot do much about it if your dog never leaves the car...

We let dogs travel last trip in the cargo barrier area of the patrol.. Being the car has ac, every one was fine. We tend to take one large crate or a second small one for the terriiosts. So the big dals have the large one.

Although last summer we did happen to be in Geelong the only day it was 43! We packed up and just kept driving, it was to hot for me to even want to stop and get out.

Take frontline plus in case of mange, which wombats and wild dogs carry. In country areas it will set you back in our case $50.00 per pack for the medium dog one. Online it's $60 for 6.

[dancinbcs]

National Parks in different states have different rules so it is worth checking before you go. In NSW dogs are not allowed to enter the boundary of any National Park but in Vic they are allowed on all major roads through the NPs that are owned by the state government and in all carparks.

[persephone]

Big Trip!!

What you do will depend somewhat on your dog :)

What breed

How old it is ...

is it an inside, companionable couch potato, or an active outdoorsy type?

How does dog get on with strangers/wildlife/other dogs?

Is dog territorial?

Do buy/pack a decent long line for her , as letting a dog free run in unfamiliar places is not a wise move .

Now is a great time to start training dog to toilet on command too, so 'pit stops' can be simple and where you want :)

....

:)

[voloclydes]

National Parks in different states have different rules so it is worth checking before you go. In NSW dogs are not allowed to enter the boundary of any National Park but in Vic they are allowed on all major roads through the NPs that are owned by the state government and in all carparks.

Dog are allowed to travel thru parks in nsw. We have to if you want to travel to albury and across to tumut. It's a public road and what's in your car really isn't the parks business. Same as live stock travel thru national parks.

[Tempus Fugit]

There is a company in the UK that manufactures a device called a Ventlock, which allows the tailgate of a car to be left partially open, in addition to windows, while keeping the car locked.