Travelling with dogs? Here are some things to remember!

We are travelling Australia in our caravan with our three kids and two German Shepherd Dogs. As we’re travelling for an extended period of time, over the past few months we’ve been trying to tie up all the loose ends at home with regards to… well, everything! One of those things was making sure that our dogs are all good to tag along for this holiday of our dreams!

Here are a few things that you should make sure are sorted before setting off for your adventure with a dog or two:

Make sure their vaccinations are up to date

You don’t want to have to stop your holiday because of your pet getting seriously sick! I won’t even mention the worse case scenario here! Make sure you book your dog for a vet check, discuss the necessary vaccinations and make sure they’re up to date. Then, don’t forget to have the vet email you the necessary paperwork for your records – in case you want to book your dog into a kennel along the way in order to make your way into a National Park! Also, don’t forget to have your pet wormed and flea and tick treated and stay on top of these while on the road!

Make sure that they’re wearing tags at all times and that they’re microchipped

Travelling with dogs can be hard work, you don’t need the extra stress of “what if they run off and we can’t find them!?”. The best way to make sure that they are reunited with you if found by a good Samaritan or a ranger, is to have an up-to-date phone number on the tag at their collar and on the microchip database.

Tags can get lost or damaged, so it is crucial that your phone number attached to your dog’s microchip is correct. You can double-check that all the microchip details are up to date by phoning Central Animal Records. I called them only to find out that one of our dogs has a microchip in, but no details whatsoever attached to that microchip! I sorted that now, but I’m glad I called the C.A.R. to update our details, or we would never have known about it!

Pack enough dog food and don’t forget food and water bowls

If your dogs are on a particular vet diet, you’ll have to plan ahead a bit more and make sure you have enough food to last you until the next place where that food is available. If you’re travelling with dogs that eat popular supermarket food, or just about anything, you won’t have to carry as much, but you’ll still have to make sure you have enough depending on your planned routes. Collapsible pet bowls are a great invention, and so are travel water bowls! Don’t forget to count your pets in the daily water consumption as well, especially if you love free camping as much as we do!

Figure out the sleeping arrangements and take the dogs’ accessories with you

From essentials, don’t forget the collar (with tags, which should never go off while you travel), leash and a gentle leader/halti (if you use one for walking).

Work out where your dog will sleep. Do you need to take a blanket, or are they happy on the floor/ground? Will they have anywhere shady to lay in during the day? Take along a couple of their favourite toys and the grooming brush. They will shed the same way they do at home, and if they’re a double-coated breed, you’ll need an undercoat brush to keep them cool during the hot days!

Do you have any tips to share with us? We’re all ears!

We’d love to hear from you in the comments below!

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