Last modified on January 15th, 2021 at 11:11 am

Training Your Dog to Stay Calm While Traveling

Once you have a dog, it becomes a family. You have to spend time doing dog grooming. But you will get to know that spending your days as a dog groomer can bring joy for yourself and your dog too. Sometimes, the family has to tag along on that vacation or tour. Regardless of how many days you plan to be away, bring your dog on in your traveling arrangements can get overwhelming. You may never know the extent to which your dog is trained until it is time to travel along with him/her.

Dogs also suffer from anxiety and car sicknesses, among other discomforts when traveling. That said, it will do you and your dog justice if you deliberated upon some of the following training techniques to keep your canine friend calm during the travels:

Crating your dog

It sounds nice to take a drive with your dog, but it doesn’t come without its hassles. If you want to avoid unmerited distractions when driving, and to keep calm throughout, it is best that you crate your dog. Firstly, putting your dog in a crate can get complicated when the dog feels like they are being caged or imprisoned. For calmness and ultimate best results, be a lot calmer than you expect your dog to be. You can use treats to lure him into the crate, and then keep it open long enough until the dog is comfortable and calm.

Further, remember putting your dog in a crate your dog prevents unnecessary hostility to strangers, for example, police officers who may stop you over along your journey. Avoid using force because you will only make your dog more hostile as regards remaining calm in the crate.

Also, ensure your crate is free from sharpies and other things that could make your dog uncomfortable. Ideally, the dog may not understand what the issue is, but the discomfort will make him hostile toward staying calm and resting in the crate.

Avoid using a dog leash or a whistle where permitted

Remember, leash laws exist for a reason, so only let your dog off a leash in public where it is appropriate to do so. That being said, dog leashes are perfect for walks and other training, but when training her for traveling, a leash will complicate matters. You want to show her that you trust her enough to let her learn how to act without a leash, you should only introduce a leash when taking breaks for a snack. Instead of a whistle and a dog leash, consider suing treats and other appraisal techniques like petting her. The most crucial element of this whole process is to maintain your cool because then, she can imitate from you and remain calm as well.

Proper exercise before the trip

The one thing that makes dogs overly active is the need to exercise. Dogs love walking around, jumping and playing, and of this need is not catered for, then they will not be calm. Right before your journey, make sure your dog has had a proper exercise. You can play catch for a couple of minutes, take a stroll later on, and then start packing for your journey. At this, the dog is all burned off of the excess energy and can sit still through a trip. You can even decide to crate him/her because at this point he/she is more inclined to rest.

Don’t feed your dog more than normal

Before your trip, ensure your dog does not have a full lunch, because they are very prone to car sickness. In fact, if you are traveling by plane, then it is wise to ensure your dog fasts for around 5-6 hours before the trip. If they just ate, give it a couple of minutes for the food to sit in before you start moving. While driving, make sure you are cautious not to let your dog snack while moving, for the same reasons.

Consider giving them a snack when you take a break, and right before you start moving, make sure you play around a little, to rid the excess energy. Perhaps something to consider also is to prefer a protein snack over carbs and keep the quantity limited.

Hydrate your dog just enough

Water is good for both humans and animals, particularly when traveling. That said, you must be intentional about the amount of water you give to your dog. The idea is to keep your dog hydrated enough to avoid dehydration but careful to prevent frequent pees in between the trip.

Overall, bringing your dog in on the travel is a lot of fun. Once you have mastered the art of keeping everyone calm, what more could you ask for? To learn more on how you can get some of the best dog leashes to further aid in your dog-training processes, click here https://www.authenticdogs.com/best-retractable-dog-leash/

Julie Adams

I have been a nature enthusiast since I was a small girl. My background is in online marketing and website development. It only makes sense to merge my love for nature with my skills in online marketing to help spread awareness, and appreciation for Our Beautiful Planet.