7 Things to Know Before You Travel With Your Dog

7 Things to Know
Before Traveling With Your Dog

Hello Schnauzer Friends!


I have been traveling with my dogs for over 40 years. I have taken them to lakes, oceans, mountains & campgrounds. We have stayed in hotels, beach houses, and many different types of RV's. We have traveled with one, to as many as five, dogs at a time. Actually for the past two years, it's been five. As I am writing this post, we are in route to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina in our motorhome.

Daisy Traveling in the Motorhome

Why Do I Love Traveling With My Dogs?


➜I know they are being cared for properly.


➜I know they are eating & are not on a hunger strike.


➜I don't keep having that feeling that "something is missing".


➜You have more money to spend since you won't be paying for kenneling and in my case that would be big bucks for five dogs.


➜You don't have to work your departure and return time around the kennel's hours.


➜I always have my sweet teddy bears to love on and cuddle with.

I wanted to offer some ideas to those of you who have never traveled with your dog(s) and are thinking about it. For those of you that do travel with yours, maybe I will share something you can use too.

Getting Accustomed to Traveling in a Vehicle

Start your dog out with short trips such as picking the kids up from school, trips to the park, or picking up dog supplies at the pet store.  Take advantage of every opportunity to get them in the car. 

If your dog gets car sick, make sure they haven't eaten just before heading out. Try putting them in the front seat. If they want to jump all over you (which is dangerous), get a dog seat belt connector that keeps them in their own seat. Always carry a roll of paper towels, a couple of grocery bags and a spray cleaner just in case they get car sick. 

My dogs start riding in the car as tiny pups as soon as I bring them home. Through the summer months, we travel to the lake almost every weekend, so they get an hour drive each way. Carly is the only one who ever had motion sickness. She would pant, salivate & eventually vomit. I started putting her in the front seat on my lap and she did better there. After a while I would let her ride in the back for short periods of time and worked her up to all the time. She no longer gets sick, but she still won't move much when we are in motion.

This is how they roll...

Seat Belts

I'm sure everyone won't agree with this, but I don't belt, crate or secure my dogs in any way. I'm not convinced what is on the market would work anyway. I do use a belt that connects to the seat belt latch and the dog's collar when I have the top down on my convertible to eliminate any chance they would jump out. 

Daisy & I cuddling

Feeding & water

I feed my dogs a light breakfast (half their normal meal) on days we will be traveling most of the day and their regular size meal when we stop for the evening. When traveling, I keep their stinky fish flavored food in this container to keep it fresh and also contain the odor. I keep water available at all times in the motorhome.  They only get bottled water when traveling because diarrhea with five dogs is no fun (I know this from experience). I do have to keep a diaper on my elderly dog because he can't hold his urine very long.

Lounging on their cots

Stopping at Rest Areas & Gas Stations

With five dogs, potty time is quite an ordeal on the road. My husband and I take them one at a time on leash of course. I have taught them the words, "go potty" and "hurry up" so they usually move along pretty quickly. We always pick up any droppings and encourage everyone to do the same because not only is it disgusting but it's also a health hazard. I like these heavy duty bags because I don't like the super thin ones that you actually feel as though you are touching it. Yuck!

We always have a full backseat

Be Careful at Campgrounds

We have always loved RVing and have spent a lot of time in campgrounds and RV resorts. We use a small x pen for our dogs so they can have outdoor time when we are sitting outside. I like to put a vinyl camping rug underneath the pen to keep them clean and insect free. Of course, there are a few campgrounds that won't allow pens or rugs so we adjust accordingly and may ultimately not visit that campground again. We will use the dogs' cots and a tie back if we can't use their pen. 

I caution you to be hyper aware when walking your dog in campgrounds. Unfortunately, there are always those people who think the rules don't apply to them and won't have their dogs on a leash. I have heard too many horror stories of dogs getting attacked by these unleashed dogs. I always carry a sound deterrent and a can of Halt dog repellent. If the sound deterrent doesn't faze them or they are coming at us too fast, I won't hesitate to use the dog repellent. I would much rather the rule breakers have to take their dog to the vet for eye irritation than me to have to bury my dog. Don't get me wrong, I am a dog lover of the highest degree but I will not stand by and let my dog get hurt.

Leaving Your Dog in an RV

For years, I worried when we left the dogs in the RV on days we left to go to the beach or on excursions where we couldn't take the dogs. What if the air conditioner stopped working or the power went out? It could get hot very quickly on a sunny summer day. I found something called an Animalarm that would monitor the temperature and send me a text if it reached a set temperature. This worked great until it became obsolete with the newer cell phone technology. 

I now use a Piper camera. Not only does it monitor the temperature and send me notifications, I can also check in to see and hear what the dogs are doing. I can even talk to them through a speaker on the camera. It also has a "loud sound" notification and I can tell if they are barking their heads off. It definitely puts my mind at ease when I can check in on them through the Piper.

Naps are better shared...

Bring Along Familiar Items

Try to bring some of your dog's own belongings such as their favorite blanket, a couple of toys, bone, food and water bowl. If you are traveling in an RV, bringing their crate (if they use one) will help them feel more at ease. 

I always pack the following:

• dog food
• bottled water
• dog bowls
• medications
• dog diapers (for elderly dog)
• dental water additive
• grooming supplies such as brush, comb, toothbrush, toothpaste, scissors, nail clippers, clippers, Wondercide flea spray, dog shampoo, ear wipes
• extra collars
• leashes
• flashing light clip on's (for night walking)
• tick twister
• cot for outside relaxing

*Our vacation to Myrtle Beach was awesome, as always. We got to have a lot of beach time and was able to walk the dogs on the beach some too. You are allowed to walk your dog on the beach before 9 a.m. and after 5 p.m. It made for a sandy bed, but who's afraid of a little a lot of sand. :)

While shopping at Myrtle Beach, I ran across this cute little purple polka-dotted rain slicker. I tried it on Daisy and she was running all over the motorhome trying to get it off. Abby thought it was playtime: