Road Trip With Puppy Qld

[Blackdog10]

Hi guys,

I don't know if this is the place but I'm just about to head off on a road trip with my puppy around qld (South East, west and north) as I have some time off and want to visit some family but don't want to leave my 8mo pup at home. I'm just wondering for any advice on things to take, tips when travelling alone with a dog, how long I should drive at a time (am in no rush at all) longest he's been in the car is two hours & hes fine. He's very good in the car just looks out the window or sleeps.

Also any advice on large dog friendly accommodation where I can have him Inside with me so I'm not worrying about him getting out or someone taunting him or taking him.

Any advice would be awesome, like I'm sure we will be fine but I just thought I'd ask so I cover bases.

Thank you

[Roova]

Road trip! Sounds fun.

I would take a fold up metal crate in case any places you stay require it (and do some crate training before hand if this is a new thing).

Hmmm a long lead could be handy for toilet stops or you want a bit more freedom than a smaller lead. I normally use a sturdy horse lunge lead. Also handy if recall isn't 100% reliable.

Spare dog towels could be handy if he needs a bath or clean-up while away.

I'd stick with two hours between toilet stops and leg stretches if that's what he's used to. Can he toilet on command? Now would be a good time to start teaching it otherwise. It's very handy when travelling!

Not sure about accommodation sorry, the Google's is probably your best bet there. Have fun and stay safe.

[Canisbellum]

I did a 5 day trip with Jonah sleeping in my boat at night. He had his harness on and was secured. I stopped every 2 h and let him out on a long line and gave him water at the same time.

He was fine slept pretty much the whole time

[Canisbellum]

Get an app called wiki camps, it has accomodation and reviews and maps etc. It's what I used and still use to find accomodation.

[Tassie]

Road trips are fun. My guys have been from Tassie to WA, and to Queensland and points in between.

Second the idea of a crate .. either wire or soft. Actually my BCs are in wire crates in the car .. they have their water bowls and mats in there. But I also have soft crates for them for sleeping in the dog friendly accommodation.

My go to for finding dog friendly accommodation is www.stays.com.au .. choose pet friendly... although there are other sites. Just be aware that you may need to confirm that they are dogs inside friendly. I usually send an email enquiry, with a little bit of info about my well travelled dogs (who can provide references :D .)

I usually aim to stop every two hours or so, although my guys are comfortable with longer stretches when necessary. Definitely a longer leash for your pup to explore a bit at stops (assuming it's safe.). And I usually plan to be driving a maximum of about 8 hours .. for safety.

Make sure the details on the pup's microchip are up to date, particularly the second contact. And I haven't done it, but it's a good idea to do a flyer with a photo and details of your pup, including contact details.

[Starkehre]

Love long road trips with the dogs, but it is a bit of work.

I'd suggest you throw in tins of sardines in spring water and also a tube of lube.

For trips of 4 days or more, I find getting dogs to drink enough water to remain properly hydrated and move around enough to keep their bowels frequent can be a challenge. They can get a bit backed up. the sardine will help, just 2 a day is fine and the lube for when things get really bad

The thing is the dog will sleep a lot, which is fine, but getting them to walk and empty at stops is hard when you have to wake them up each time.

Another tip we found helpful is to add a tiny bit of goats milk (long life is easy to travel with) into the water offered at each stop. The dog sees that it looks like all milk and gobbles it up more readily than if it was just water. Just keeps them hydrated and toileting better and helps prevent constipation.

Definitely long retractable leashes for emptying.

[Blackdog10]

Thanks so much everyone this is definitely helpful! Will take all tips on board!

He can wee pretty much on command, not poo though but he's never shy in doing that! Haha and he is crate trained and sleeps in there every night still although I haven't shut the crate door in a few months as he goes in and doesn't come out till I give a go play command but I might shut it in the lead up to the trip while we are still home and in a familiar place so he isn't worried if we have to do that while away.

I'm staying with friends in a lot of places but there's just the odd town where we will need accommodation but I'll keep searching for that part. The most we will drive in a day is about 5 hours pending traffic, I'm in no rush so I'll just play the stops he needs by ear as we go along and hope for a lot of drive through fast food for me!

Thanks again

[Tassie]

You should have a lovely trip. But don't use the drive through fast food .. use your coffee/food stops as a chance to get out and stretch your legs and pup's legs.

Ask your vet about a little collection of first aid stuff to take with you. I took that across the Nullarbor .. long way between vets there .. thinks like antiseptic, pressure bandage, tummy settling stuff like Peptosyl. I haven't had to use anything yet ... touch wood .. but good to have. Sometimes changes of water can upset dogs, so maybe take a bit of a supply of your own, or bottled water. Having said that, again, I've had no trouble. Oh, and a pack of baby wipes is always handy :) .

[Blackdog10]

Thank you