Top Travel Tips – How To Travel

If you enjoy traveling often, and you want a dog, then you will have to get one that enjoys traveling as well, unless you plan on hiring a dog-sitter each time you take a trip. Finding the right canine travel partner, though, can be as complex as housebreaking a puppy. What type of dog will be best for you depends on how and where you travel – your destination, your method of transport, and the amount of traveling time. Some dogs enjoy long car rides, while others cannot stand them. Some would be glad to accompany you on a trip to the big city, while others might find a bustling metropolis frightening. Many dogs take to the woods quite easily, while others need an owner with patience and dog toilet training tips. It is ultimately up to you to determine what type of dog will be a good traveling companion for you, but to help you brainstorm, the following is a list of the 10 best traveling dogs (no particular order). Best Dogs to Travel With LABRADOR RETRIEVER: Both a great family dog and a great travel dog. This breed is fun, friendly, active, and adaptable to different environments. Labrador retrievers are good for taking to the beach, the mountains, or even just around the city. BRUSSELS GRIFFON: Originally bred as a rodent-hunting dog, this diminutive Belgian breed makes for a good traveling companion. Since the 19thcentury they were a favorite traveling partner of Belgian carriage drivers, often accompanying them on long voyages due to their easy puppy housebreakin GERMAN SHEPHERD: German shepherds love wide, open spaces, so if you like to go on hikes or any similar outdoor excursions, this breed would be an excellent choice to bring with you. However, due to their size and disdain for being confined, you should only bring one along if you have a large enough van or truck to accommodate the dog. MALTESE: The Maltese is a small, playful, intelligent breed that only the elite classes could afford in ancient times. These lap dogs are easy to transport, adaptable, and easily trained. MINIATURE SCHNAUZER: Originally used as farm dogs, this breed is a great choice for nature travel. They are smart, obedient, playful, and their small stature makes them easy to transport. ENGLISH BULLDOG: This breed makes a good travel companion for road trips, since they will usually snuggle up on the seat next to you. Because they are medium-sized, you will need a larger vehicle than for a lap dog. GOLDEN RETRIEVER: This fun, friendly breed will make an excellent choice if you are going to the beach or some sort of open space like a park or the countryside. The love swimming and playing fetch. YORKSHIRE TERRIER: Another diminutive breed; the Yorkshire terrier is a good choice because of its small size. You will have no trouble finding enough space for one in your vehicle. BEAGLE: Like any other dog originally bred for hunting, beagles love the outdoors, but also are adaptable to urban and suburban environments. BASSET HOUND: A small hunting dog. They make great companions for hiking or strolling through the countryside and are small enough to transport easily. Traveling with Dogs Dogs are considered to be man’s best friend, so it’s completely understandable why some people want to take their dogs with them while traveling. If you are one of those people, there are several things you need to do in order to travel with your dog. Traveling with a dog differs from traveling with children or babies since far more establishments are set up to deal with kids than they are with pets. It’s a good idea to start planning your vacation early so if you run into any problems due to your dog, you’ll have enough time to sort them out. It doesn’t matter if you’re staying relatively close to home or traveling across the globe – you need to take your dog to the veterinarian before you leave. You need to ensure that your dog has all of their required vaccinations, and find out if your vet has any additional ones he would like to suggest based on your vacation destination. If you are traveling on an airplane or going across a border, you will need documentation from your vet. If you are staying relatively close to home and only traveling to Canada or Mexico, check with the US Customs and Border Protection agency to find out about the procedure for crossing the border with a pet. For example, you will need a rabies certificate and possibly a health certificate. If you’re crossing the border, also consider taking with you unopened dog food. All too frequently the border police will force you to discard open bags or cans of dog food, requiring you to frantically go on search for more food the second you cross the border. Dog Collars with IDs Make sure that your dog is wearing a collar with ID tags. The collar should also have a tag containing proof of rabies vaccination. However, that may not be enough – lost dogs are frequently delivered to shelters with their collars missing. Microchips for Dog Travel It’s a good idea to get your dog “microchiped”, an easy and cheap procedure. Anyone with a microchip scanner can read the dog’s identification information and reunite you with your lost pet. Also bring with you a recent photograph and written description of your dog if the worst case scenario occurs and you need to start posting flyers around town and searching for your lost pooch. Travel Kennels Purchase a carrier or kennel for your dog that they will be in while you are traveling. Even if you are driving, it’s not a good idea to let you dog roam free in the car. If you are going by plane, a carrier is required. If your dog is small enough they may be allowed to ride in the passenger area of the plane, but larger dogs will have to go into the cargo area. The carrier should be big enough that your dog has plenty of room to lie down, stand up or turn around. Put your dog in the carrier several times before you depart so they will get used to being inside of it.