My husband and I are planning to drive from Seattle to Denver next month for a vacation and we're taking Lola with us. Right now the plan is to take the scenic route and camp along the way.

Has anyone taken a long road trip with their dog? I wonder if she'll settle down and relax. I don't want her to be bored. I'm also concerned about the safe way to have her in the car. She's usually good in our van, but we let her run around, which I know is not optimal for safety. I'm pretty sure she would hate riding the whole way in her crate or fastened in. We're renting a Ford Escape, so we might be able to put the seat down and give her the whole back. I'm open to suggestions

I travel with my dogs quite a bit. They all travel in their crates and are quite happy about that. Sometimes they may have a chewie or a toy in their with them but for the most part they just lay down and sleep while we are driving. It is important to make sure you stop every couple of hours to walk and potty them. If you can plan out your trip so you know where the rest stops are that is great. We usually are travelling from NorCal to SoCal so we know where the good rest stops are.

I would be very, very careful about letting her ride loose….. I bet that she would be just fine in her crate...

Our's get traveled around a lot too and we always use a crates, mostly the plastic type. We used to let them loose in the car, but have since learned it's far safer for them in the crate…....they actually like it.:D

Yeah, I'm not comfortable with letting her ride loose. I've felt bad about it every time. She's also had a fit every time we tried crating her while driving. I'm thinking about one of those back seat hammocks.

I use wire crates for mine in the car, I can see them, they can see me….... and they could look out the windows, however 1 mile down the road and they are sound asleep....

Wow. Sound asleep!? Not Lola. The only place she relaxes enough to sleep is home.

When I first got Nicky, we took him Dillon's Beach the weekend we got him. It is about a 2.5 hour drive and he screamed in his crate pretty much the entire drive there. He slept the entire drive back, so I do understand the crate screaming. Nicky has long since learned that to ride in the car, you must be in your crate and has also learned that almost always, riding in the car means going somewhere really great. He now happily jumps into the car and crates up. He is pretty much asleep by the time we hit the freeway. He will occasionally whine when we start to get close to certain destinations because he is excited to be there. So if you use the crate consistently in the car and the places you are taking her are fun for her, she will start associating positive things with riding in the crate in the car.

@LovingLola:

Yeah, I'm not comfortable with letting her ride loose. I've felt bad about it every time. She's also had a fit every time we tried crating her while driving. I'm thinking about one of those back seat hammocks.

Whatever you decide, have a great vacation and safe trip. Oh and lot's of pictures of that B on vacation too.:D

We tried crating Nexa in the car and she hated every second of it, crying and peeing the whole way. She does great in the house in her crate, but hated it in the car. Our trainer suggested a pet buckle that gives her the freedom to move around, but not far. It attaches to the seatbelt buckle so it's secure. So far she has done great with it, she can't get to the front seats either. It's worked for us. We are going on vacation from Indiana to South Carolina in two weeks, hopefully she handles the long trip well. Good Luck!

Jazzy gets car sick, so the crate is not a good option for her. She throws up all over, slides around in it, cries the whole time. ugh. She can be a disgusting mess by the time you reach your destination. At least she stopped pooping all over in it, which she did the first couple months of her life.
Keoki has crate stress, so he cries and pees the whole time.

I bought the travel harnesses that attach to the seat belt. Now both dogs curl right up on the seat and sleep for the entire drive, except for potty breaks. The longest we've driven with dogs in the car is about 7 hours/day.

I think they're a great option for dogs that can't handle traveling in a crate, or for folks who just don't have the space in their vehicle for crates and luggage!

If the plastic crate seems too confining please use a wire crate that way she can see all around her & not feel locked up. If you also need her to chill out on the road I would suggest you use Rescue Remedy. It's a spray that you spray in their mouth a couple of times & it's all natural.

They can relax for the car ride in their crates

I'm a fan of the travel harness I buckle him up in the back and put a mini bed down on the seat. Once he realizes we are going for a long trip and not to the park he lays down and sleeps the whole way.
A few things to remember some water for your B maybe some treats when your at the rest stops a familiar toy from home sweater or blanket if it gets cold.

& enjoy your trip!

With Jazz being able to see where she's going has no effect at all. Even in the harness, where it's all open air around her, she gets sick. I love the harness, where we can hold up the trash can in front of her, she throws up right in it like the good girl she is, and we can carry on.

Actually, Keoki threw up in the car today, twice, which was odd. Although, the roads we were on were a bit curvy, so that may have gotten to him.

I am a huge fan of the harnesses for dogs who get carsick and for dogs who have crate anxiety!

@JazzysMom:

With Jazz being able to see where she's going has no effect at all. Even in the harness, where it's all open air around her, she gets sick. I love the harness, where we can hold up the trash can in front of her, she throws up right in it like the good girl she is, and we can carry on.

Actually, Keoki threw up in the car today, twice, which was odd. Although, the roads we were on were a bit curvy, so that may have gotten to him.

I am a huge fan of the harnesses for dogs who get carsick and for dogs who have crate anxiety!

Yes, those are a good choice as long as they don't chew through them..:D

we use our vari kennels if we have a long trip ahead of us…otherwise we just use the back of our Element where there is a dog bed for them and they calm down once we hit the highway.

Oh! And you're coming to Denver?! Cool! If you want to do a Basenji outing at a very nice State park off leash area let us know! We live right outside Denver in Aurora!

Jojo HATES the crate…the longest trip she has been on is from Tamp to Knoxville and she did great. She layed down on the seat in the back and slept most of the trip. Jojo cannot be crated (adopted her from BRAT and this was something BRAT emphasized about her). Ther are pros and cons for every way to travel with a dog but I feel the most important are not to have them in your arms if you are the driver and to stop every couple of hours to let them go for a walk and to use the bathroom. Which ever way you choose have a fun trip...

@hdterry:

Jojo HATES the crate…the longest trip she has been on is from Tamp to Knoxville and she did great. She layed down on the seat in the back and slept most of the trip. Jojo cannot be crated (adopted her from BRAT and this was something BRAT emphasized about her). Ther are pros and cons for every way to travel with a dog but I feel the most important are not to have them in your arms if you are the driver and to stop every couple of hours to let them go for a walk and to use the bathroom. Which ever way you choose have a fun trip...

Can you not use the doggy seatbelt on her?…. It is so scary to think of a dog riding loose... if you ever have an accident....

No, we can use the doggy seatbelt and I think we will. In fact, we have to drive somewhere today, so I think we'll get one and start using it. It really does sound like the best option. I know letting her loose is the worst thing to do. Every time we drive I think about the worst case scenario.

We are a military family and we are currently in CT but our family is in Ohio so every so often we drive home for vacation or holiday. we have taken jack with us 3 times now. The first time i gave him travle anxiety drops and he slept a GOOD deal of the way, but on the way home i didnt give him any and he slept about the same amount of time. Jack DOESNT do crates he absolutly HATES them, infact he hurts himself when we try and put him in a crate (and completly bit thru his wire crate when we first got him) he made his paws bleed from pawing at the crate and everything, SO we let him have the back seat of our Rav 4. We lay down puppy pads (tho hes never had an accident he great about that) and a blanket over top. give him a meat bone or pig ear to chew and all he does is eat the bone and sleep the whole 10+ hours there and then 10+ hours home. I think sometimes its good to have the travel anxiety at least with you in the car incase your B gets upset or over excited. it helps calm their nerves…Anyway, i hope i helped HAVE fun!!!