Things to Keep in Mind When Going on a Drive with your Dog

Road trips are always a fun experience for the parent, children, and their friendly little canines. However, keeping your four-legged fur baby happy on a drive could be more demanding than taking care of the kids. 

Here’s a list of all that you need to take care of when you take your pup out on a ride:

Crate

Your dog won’t sense a speed breaker coming up to know that they need to sit attentively. To protect them from sudden jerks and accidents, make sure your car has a crate. It’ll keep them safe while they cruise along with you. You can even look for a crate that has been designed and crash-tested, keeping traveling in mind. We recommend keeping the crate in the car if you need to make an urgent trip to the vet. 

If the car doesn’t have enough room for a crate, your next best alternative is a safety harness. Your dog can wear these vests, and the detachable leads can be attached to the car’s seatbelts to keep them intact. A safety harness will also prevent your dog from trying to jump onto your lap while you’re driving.

Food and Water

We don’t recommend excessively feeling the furry little friend on a moving vehicle. Give them their last meal at least three to four hours prior to the departure. Keep it light. 

If you’ve embarked on a long drive, keep some dog food and a freshwater bottle in case your canine baby gets hungry later on. Get a spill-proof water bowl so that there’s no mess in the car. A collapsible pop-up bowl would also do. They’re compact and can easily fit into your backpack. When it’s time to feed them, try and stopover for a while.

Dog Tag

Be a responsible pet parent! By making your dog wear a dog tag, you can ensure that they’re quickly returned and identified in case they try and wander around. This is particularly important if you’re driving to a new place, and the pet is unfamiliar with the surroundings. Read the tag before departure and cross-check the details. To beef up the dog’s security, invest in a tag that connects to your cell phone via an app. This way, you’ll be notified if the dog wanders beyond a predefined range and gets lost. You might be able to locate it via geographic location.

If you feel like driving your pup to the airport or the vet would be a bit challenging, Bark Industries have got you covered. We offer pet taxi services to ensure a safe and happy ride for your cute little ball of fur. Let us know if you would like us to drive them somewhere. We also offer pet walking services in Chicago!