A few travel tips

                       
                               Meeting a friend on our trip; Luke and Elsa sit patiently in the back.
                                 

With the Holiday season upon us, many of you will be traveling more often and bringing your dog along too.  I've travelled with my dogs a lot and through it I've learned a few very important things to consider.  There are many things that you can do to make the travelling process go more smooth.  I think that these are a few of the most important ones.

                           
 1.  Train your dog to stay in the car until told otherwise.  Having Luke and Elsa trained not to jump out of the car is one of the most important things that I've taught them.  In fact when we were traveling just over a week ago I commented on how great it was while opening the back of the Xterra at a very busy rest stop.  It could save your dog's life.

2.  Keep a collar on.  As you all know, Luke and Elsa wear body harnesses to walk on.  But, while traveling it is imperative that they have a collar on for those "in case" moments.  Having a collar to grab in a pinch is important; so they wore beautifully soft collars made by Poodleit. Keep ID tags attached to the collars as well, you just never know.

3.  KEEP A LEASH ON.  Even if your dog is trained beyond belief and never wanders.  KEEP A LEASH ON.  I cannot say this enough.  On our recent trip I noted a dog playing fetch at a rest stop.  It was the busiest stop that we had made and right on the edge of the freeway.  I was driven to some major head shaking and shoulder shrugging as I watched this dog run around.  Not only was the location very close to the dangerous road but there were cars and trucks everywhere.  Keep a leash on your dog at all times when stopping on a trip.  It takes a minute to snap it on and that one snap could be the difference between a long and very short life for your dog.  Of course if you find a VERY SECURE and SAFE area that is fenced and far from the road; then that might be the time for a romp. 

4.  Water.  Bring water and a bowl with you.  On our trips we offer small amounts of water constantly.  Even if the weather is cool, traveling can really dehydrate you and your dogs.  Depending on the amount of time between stops, you may want to offer it every time or every second time.  Make sure to keep your dog hydrated. 

5.  Teach your dog to "go" on command.  Boy is this one of the most useful things when travelling.  I've always taught my dogs to "go" on my "hurry up" verbal cue but when travelling it really comes in handy.  When every new place you stop holds completely new smells; smelling can take over and they forget to "go."

These are just a very few tips for travelling with your dog but some that come to mind with a fresh travel behind us. 

 

Back home

                                                                  
                                                                      Snug as a bug in a rug.  :)

Back home and in my favorite blog spot; my bed surrounded by poodles.   We got in last night from a two day drive and we are all very tired.  While I was away, lots of issues arose and I saw many things to blog about.  So I have a good supply of blog topics for a while.  I also decided to start my Traveling With Your Dogs book.  It was an idea before but now after another big trip I've got lots of material; so stay tuned for that coming next year.

As we got closer and closer to the house, both Luke and Elsa stood up in the car for the rest of the trip.  With their noses held high in the air they took in what smelled to them, like home.  After pulling into the driveway and entering the house Luke and Elsa spotted Brad.  Luke spun and Elsa dove on Brad.  They both bounded around; so happy to be home.  No one could miss the joy that they felt being home.  As nice as it was for us to be home; it was even better watching Luke and Elsa so happy to be home.   

The first thing to get done once we got home was to get Luke into bed.  But before that he had a good dinner and a tiny bit of television watching.  As most of you know Luke loves to lay and watch t.v. at night.  It is one of his favorite things in life.  It is not the actual t.v. watching but the fact that we too are sitting on the couch for an good amount of time.  Each night he stands tapping his toe in the kitchen doorway; once he has eaten and we have had dinner he wants the next step to be, us heading downstairs.  So as tired as I was last night I headd down with a spinning Luke by my side.  He charged to his spot on the couch and dove up so fast he landed on his head.  His old legs don't work like they use to anymore.  But I helped him to get straightened out and situation just right and we sat and took a moment. 

Next was bedtime, it took but a moment to get him to his feet and he charged up the stairs and plopped immediately on his bed.  He got his night time treats and a drink of water.  So there he lays, in his bed, at home and happy as a clam.  Ahhhhhh, Home Sweet Home.