Best Products for Traveling with Dogs

It's no secret, we love to travel with our dogs. However, traveling with a pet isn’t always easy. Frequent potty stops, transporting pets, food and water, finding dog-friendly restaurants or overnight accommodations and coping with nervous pets can sometimes make it all a discouraging ordeal. Over the years. we have found some ways to take the stress out of traveling with dogs and  make our dogs comfortable with the travel experience.

So before you decide to leave your pet at home, take a look at these nifty travel accessories! They make vacationing with pets anything but difficult, leaving you and your pet with more time to focus on having fun.

1. Car Seat Hammock Cover

These type of car seat covers don't just protect your upholstery from dog fur, dirt and claw scratches, they also add security to the back seat. The hammock style securely covers the leg room area, so your dogs won't fall off the seat.
I love that we can store all kinds of stuff in the leg room, without Apollo having to worry about stuff falling on him.
If your vehicle has AC vents in the middle console, you want to be sure the cover has a mesh area that will allow air to flow to the backseat! We use the Kululu XL cover for our truck. It's one of the few companies that offers a larger seat cover for big SUVs or Trucks.
The covers are waterproof and machine washable, and they can be removed within 2 minutes if you want to use the back seat for people.

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2. Spill Proof Dog Water Dish

We found that a spill proof water bowl is a must when traveling in the car and it also comes in handy in the RV!
I can't tell you how many times we've spilled water all over the truck. Regular water dishes just tend to tip over. So save yourself some stress and get one of these awesome inventions. They come in all kinds of different forms and sizes. We use the Kurgo No-Spill Dog Travel Bowl for Apollo and Heidi.

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3. Travel Safe Food Storage

Whether you feed your dog kibble or raw, it's important to bring your dog food with you on vacation trips, you don't want to add stress by changing what you feed while traveling with your pet!
Just like with water, you want to be sure to have a spill proof way to store and feed. Recently we came across a dog travel kit, that allows you to store, feed and carry your dog food. It's called  My Pet Pail and we love using ours on short weekend trips. It's like Apollo and Heidi have their own lunch pail now!
You can see our full review on our YouTube video below:

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4. Dog Bed or Crate

When we take our pets into new and unusual surroundings, they tend to be nervous and uncomfortable. The best way to help your pet feel at home in a vacation rental or hotel room is to bring his or her bedding and a crate, if the dog is properly crate trained.
I remember when we first started to vacation with our dogs, I bought new dog beds, or washed theirs before we went on our trip. What I didn't realize was that doing so removed the familiar scent of home. Be sure to bring the used, - and not recently cleaned- dog bed with you when you stay overnight on your travels.

Some hotels will require that your pet is crated. Crates can offer a great safe place for your dog, but it is important that your dog has learned to see the crate as his safe spot. Many dogs associate being left in the crate with being left alone, and if this is so, they usually won't like being in the crate. Be sure to train your dog long before you go on vacation, so you can enjoy the trip without having to teach your dog to stay in the crate.

For how to video on crate training go to: www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaWZvDR8dD0

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5. Calming Treats

Traveling can be stressful on your pet. Our Jack Russell Terrier Heidi can get a little anxious at times when we start out in the car. She is restless and whines for the first few minutes before she settles in. Apollo is pretty relaxed in the car, but he gets overwhelmed when we are in a place with a lot of activity. I started hearing about CBD products for dogs and tried out a few different types. I like the oil, but found that calming treats where a lot easier to administer when we travel.

These days, I use Total Calm by Petlab Co. - it is a treat with Hemp protein, chamomile and Melatonin. The ingredients work together to help maintain a relaxed disposition, helping my dogs cope with the external stresses of travel. On these treats, Heidi and Apollo stay mentally alert, without acting drowsy,

We hope you enjoy traveling with your dogs. For more information on how to prepare yourself and your pets for travel, read our book: Keep Your Paws on the Road - A Practical Guide to Traveling with Dogs.

Until next time!