Travelling with the dog. Some ?'s....

[4ShotB]

My pup is almost a year and we are heading out west next weekend for some phez hunting. This is my first dog and our first trip. Would like some advice for riding with a dog? we will break the trip up so the longest day will be about 12 - 13 hours of travel. What do y'all do about feed and water on such a trip? How often do you step and let the dog out? These are silly questions I guess but I really appreciate any/all advice. Many thanks.

[Big Dave]

I feed and water at the same time that I do at home, I feed the same feed and the same amount. When I can I bring water from home or buy a couple large jugs and take it along. I let them out on a chain or leash to air every 3 or 4 hours depending on the weather. Make sure to take bowls and something to measure your feed with.

[birddog1968]

I try and give them a walk break every 6 hours at least and offer water at all stops, I only feed after each day of travel is over.

[Runningdog]

every dog is different my now shorthair will travel 15 hrs. and never need to stop, we stop and let the dogs out when we fuel she stays in the kennel or gets out to smell the air... now my former springer needed a sedative(tranquilizer) as he panted all the time... water and treats may work for you just jot down all advise and be ready...

[Sharon]

I feed and water at the same time that I do at home, I feed the same feed and the same amount. When I can I bring water from home or buy a couple large jugs and take it along. I let them out on a chain or leash to air every 3 or 4 hours depending on the weather. Make sure to take bowls and something to measure your feed with.

Exactly . using water from anywhere but home , often leads to diahrrea which equals the trip to heck. Keep same routines,

[RoostersMom]

And I know it probably goes without saying, but the dog should always be on a leash before you get ready to open the crate or car door. You surely don't want them rushing out into traffic anywhere.

We like to stop at non-rest stops like a gravel road with conservation area or lake close to let them run a little bit or if in town, a church or a baseball diamond with fencing for some real running before we hit the hotel at night.

I add water to my dog's food when traveling because they don't drink well when on the road.

[deseeker]

Make sure dog is micro-chipped and has a collar with your name and CELL PHONE number on it. Also if you are going to hunt, make sure you take rabies certificate and shot records---some states require dogs to be current in order to hunt. If you are going to hunt, take a first aid kit and a skunk kit(hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, dawn dish washing soap & rubber gloves) :roll: :roll: :roll: Also take the stuff mentioned in above posts. Have a good trip

[Outlaw]

All Good advice...I could go on for days recommending stuff for every incident that could happen but IMO and for the sake of space and time here-some of the most important things are as follows: Take water from home-then buy gallons of purified water when that runs out...don't use the local water as it could upset the dogs "balance" and cause quite a mess. Make sure the collar has your name and use the phone number you have with you...not your home number unless they are the same. Judge your stops and airing breaks by the dogs needs (hopefully the dog has traveled at least short distances already)...carry a good first aid kit (especially if you and the dog have not hunted heavy cover before) make sure it has blood stopper, general anticeptics, creams or bag balm for pads and good nail clippers for nails broken in fields and ear cleaner (trust me-see milo seeds) and I'd recommend it also include some metronidazole (for field water/giardia diarhea conditions) and a basic other antibiotic like amoxicillin. Carry a pair of needle nose pliers with cutters in your vest to remove sand burs and other field niceties from you and the dog (also handy for cutting dogs or friends pants out of 3 wire fences). Many dogs won't eat as well as normal on the road, some don't touch their food for a day or two....if you find this true with yours water is the most important part of their "diet"...keep them hydrated and potentially add a "powerbar" or similar to the mix to compensate for what they aren't eating. If your dog does dehydrate it could become hypoglycemic, so keep a small squeeze bottle of clear corn syrup (like Karo) around and if you see them remotely wobbly...add a teaspoon with water in a bottle, shake and force the sugars down...I feed all my dogs only in their crates (every day) this way they are accustomed to eating there for crate travel or in the dog trailer (much easier to feed at night in 12 degrees)...and a couple last tidbits: If you know the nearest towns to where you will hunting....find the vets online, make a call and write their phone numbers and emergency number down to take with you (hopefully you will never use them but if you need them you won't be scrambling to find the nearest vet) and lastly for you....ALWAYS bring gloves,hats, extra clothes (socks and underware) and outerwear for all possible types of weather...have powder or ointment for sweaty crotch rot and for use as lubricant in socks and boots for raw feet... and...NEVER take your vehicle keys to the field with you or on you...should they drop or fall out unknown to you...they won't be much fun to find in a quarter section of chest high CRP. Mostly relax, remember it's not a race, learn and Have fun !!!

[reba]

Feed same time, same amount.

First potty break may need to be 30 - 40 minutes out.

After that every 2 - 4 hours.

Seasoned dogs can go much much longer after the first stop.

Also older doys know what a potty break is. A young dog may take much much longer to go.

[GUNDOGS]

when on the road we stop every few hours for a pee break and stretch the legs so the dogs go when we stop, the night before i put the dogs water dishes into the freezer to make the water an ice block so when we drive it doesnt spill everywhere in the crates and the dogs can still drink by licking it..we them feed before we go and then again when we stop for the night or get to our destination..i bring baggies to pick up poop when we stop which is usually at rest stops or fast food places, bring jugs of water from home also, bring health certificates for the dogs, bring towels just in case they get sick or get dirty or wet, bring a long check cord to exercise them for a few minutes when we stop, bring a resent pic of them just in case they were to get loose or stolen in order to show people what the dog looks like, check the route along the way and look into pet friendly motels or camp grounds to stay, check where vets are at our destination..ive learned to be very prepared when travelling with kids,with the kids we also check for hospitals along our route in case we may need one...never can be too prepared for all that may come up, have fun and have a safe trip...ruth

[4ShotB]

thanks for all the replies...I meant to ask one specific question. My pup is a setter and I have a crate with a mud river insulated cover. Where we are heading (NW Kansas), forecast at nights calls for mid-teens and no precipitation (I know that can change in a hurry out there). He has spent some nights on the back porch in this getup but not at temperatures like that. How cold does it get before you bring your dog inside? I am thinking that when we stop enroute we may need to look for places that are dog friendly. Thanks again!

[bossman]

All good stuff above. Never hurts to stay in a dog friendly motel. On a recent 4 day hunt to Kansas I found the new C 9 Performance Snack Bars helpful ( Lion Country Supply). Unlike the old bars made by Purina, dog's actually would eat them. Don't know if your dog is a "big" runner, but might suggest an e-collar with a beeper or certainly an Astro if one could be in the budget ( place a 911 call to Santa). We did have several encounters with deer...but did find some birds. We're going back the week after Christmas.. Good luck and be careful.

[RoostersMom]

Drury Hotels accept dogs with no charge. The hotels are very nice with full breakfast and evening snack bar (chips, hot dogs etc.) with free drinks (two alcohol based drinks, unlimited soda). I stay at them when I travel.

[deke]

If you are worried about the cold the best thing to do is check the dog frequently, even if you are just pulling over and putting your hand in its kennel. If his tummy feels cold then you need to get him in the truck to warm up. We drove through montana a few weeks ago and it was 2 degrees and our dogs did fine in their kennels with just a heavy canvas tarp wrapped around them. We also put some fleece blankets in their kennels that they could burrow into. We also had neoprene vests for both of them just incase it got to cold.