I have always loved traveling. My parents instilled it at a very early age taking our family on a lot of road trips. I even made it part of my career working as Nurse Practitioner for Carnival Cruise Lines from 1999-2005. I continued traveling after Harley and I found each other (read more about our story here). Let’s explore our packing checklist for traveling with your dog. It has evolved along the way and I will also share what we have learned.
Traveling With Your Dog: Safety
- Pet Car Console Seat– Harley & Shasta loved the bucket booster seat since it allowed them to see out the car windows. I loved it because it kept them safe. Recently we have had to rethink this scenario. Adopting four siblings ages two through five means, between their car seats and the two of us, the humans take up every seat in the car. Sierra had been using the booster seat’s pillow to sit on the console of our Honda Pilot. However, I have been unhappy, since it does not have a seatbelt, it did not keep her safe. We solved this problem with the Snoozer Console Pet Car Seat and she seems quite comfortable as you can see from the photo below.
- Our favorite Ruffwear Webmaster harness. We use a harness for several safety reasons. First, regardless of which dog car seat you use, the harness is how you will secure your dog. Hooking the safety lead to the attachment point on the harness. Sierra is also an escape artist and figures her way out of several of our other harnesses. Ruffwear provided a Webmaster harness for Shasta several years ago. At that time, the padded reinforced handle gave us the ability to comfortably assist Shasta as walking became more difficult. Now we love it because it very securely stays on Sierra. With five points to adjust the fit, two sturdy leash connection points, and foam padding straps Sierra cannot escape. Making the Ruffwear Webmaster Harness the one we choose every time.
- Staying hydrated with the H2O4K9 Dog Water Bottle. I’ll admit, I liked the water bottle I used for Harley & Shasta called the Gulpy with the exception of two problems. The first, there was not a convenient way to return unused water back into the container. This especially became an issue when traveling in the car. Imagine this: water blowing back into your face while trying to get leftover water out of the car through the open window while at the same time not having the water bottle blow out the window too. Even when I tried unscrewing the tray from the bottle, the opening was too small. Secondly, because it is plastic, it did not take many accidental drops before it broke and was no longer useable. We were able to solve both problems I mentioned when we purchased an H2O4K9 dog water bottle. Though it does not have the convenient belt clip the Gulpy does I found I did not use it that much anyway. Several years later we still love our H2O4K9 water bottle.
- Flea and Tick Protection. Our family has joined the Opt Outside movement. This also means Sierra needs to be protected from fleas and ticks. At the beginning of this season, we started using Only Natural Pet’s Easy Defense Flea and Tick collar tag and Wondercide Natural Flea, Tick and Mosquito spray. The combination has protected Sierra during both camping trips and nature walks so we are sold. We will keep you posted if anything changes but I have been telling all my friend’s with pets.
- Whistle GPS tracker and activity monitor. We started using the Whistle monitor to track Shasta’s activity helping monitor his health. You can read more about how we used it here. As I mentioned before, Sierra is our escape artist and the Whistle monitor gives us peace of mind being able to find her easily. I can receive a call from our nanny or my parents and locate where she is so they can collect her. Honestly, having four toddlers learn to not open the door is a major challenge by itself. The good news; she has not gone far and we are looking into therapy dog classes that will also help with her recall. The bad news; if you do not have cell phone reception, often the case with camping, you will not be able to use the monitor. However, we still highly recommend the Whistle monitor as it has been really useful when traveling with Sierra.
- Important documents. Harley had Diabetes and Shasta had Cushing’s disease and Arthritis. Out of necessity, I created a health binder. I keep promising a post explaining everything I put into their binders. It is still coming. Until then, make sure to have a copy of vaccinations and medications if applicable.
- Dog first aid kit. As a nurse practitioner, I appreciate all of the supplies and manual provided with this kit. I have put my own emergency kit together in the past but honestly, have not idea how to begin to use the supplies on my dog.
Traveling With Your Dog: Other Essentials
- Dog Food. Our choice is Halo. You can read our journey arriving at that decision here. How we carry it is coming up next.
- Dog Travel Bag. As I previously mentioned, we have spent years traveling with dogs and, until recently, I used the first bag seen below. It worked but was not organized. Since we began traveling as a family of seven (two adults, four toddlers, and a fur kid) everything HAS to be organized. When I came across Top Dog’s Travel Bag I was instantly excited. After using it I can honestly say I love it. It has terrific storage including a water bottle holder, two collapsible food/water bowls, two fifteen cups each lined storage containers for food and treats, also airline approved with a 100% satisfaction guarantee. The proof is in the pictures.
- Adjustable hands-free leash. At this point, you have read about the size of our family. We previously used the hands-free leash for walks, runs, picnics, etc. Now it is priceless while trying to keep track of human kiddos and the fur kid. I have noticed core strengthening as we use it more and more. I am also noticing intermittent lower back pain. This is with a fifteen-pound dog so I theorize it would be worse with a larger dog. Therefore I am also including the hands-free leash on my wishlist. Obviously, I cannot testify to whether or not my theory is correct but I feel the dual bungee of TaoTronics hands-free leash might help. If you use it please let us all know. Otherwise, I’ll keep you posted once we have tried it.
- Dog water and food bowls. See travel bag above.
- Dog waste bags with dispenser. We prefer biodegradable, eco-friendly versions like the ones by Pets N Bags. Bonus, some come with the dispenser if you do not already have one. It is important to note you should always pick up after your dog even in the wilderness. Our friends at You Did What With Your Weiner wrote a terrific post explaining why.
- Earthbath Dog shampoo. Harley, Shasta, and Sierra have all had sensitive skin and became itchy with almost all dog shampoos with the exception of Earthbath All Natural Oatmeal and Aloe.
- Grooming wipes. Quick and easy clean up when there is no time for a full bath. These are great because they are made with natural plant-based ingredients. Safe enough I use them on myself and kids as well.
To us, traveling with our family with very few exceptions means the fur kid will be coming too. Keeping them safe and not forgetting essentials are keys to a successful and fun trip for everyone. To accomplish it, planning ahead is crucial.
What travel tips do you have? What else would you add to the checklist?
