We have taken too many road trips with our dogs to count. When we lived in Colorado we were constantly on the move (you really have to be when you live in Colorado it’s so beautiful).
My folks have a farm 3 hours away from us and we try to get out there regularly. Three hours is a legit road trip and is tough to make it regularly with all the dogs.
But they love being out there and enjoying the space and sunshine. We try to enjoy the time with them.
So here are our top tips for driving cross country with a dog!
1. Seatbelt Clip – Unfortunately, seatbelt clips for dogs are not widely crash safety tested so these do not guarantee your dog’s safety in the event of a crash. We use them anyway because it keeps the dogs from wandering back and forth and potentially causing a dangerous distraction for the driver.
2. Harness – We prefer to clip the seatbelt into a harness than their collar. That way they can lay down comfortably and still stand up and change positions as needed.
3. Seat Cover – If your dog has any amount of hair, you need a seat cover. If one of your dogs is a husky mix, you DEFINITELY need a seat cover. I don’t find this type of sling to be very effective at keeping dogs in their seats hence we use the seatbelt clip. This seat cover also doesn’t prevent 100% hair from getting on your seats and floors but it does help a lot.
4. Collapsible Bowl for food – I like a large bowl to contain the mess but I like to be able to collapse it and store it when they’re done since we travel with a very full car.
5. No spill water dispenser – You could use a collapsible bowl but I like the design of this to keep dogs from knocking over a bowl of water.
6. Travel crate – At home, we use a wire crate which does collapse but it is too heavy and unwieldy to travel with. These are so much easier to travel with and if you’re going camping, you don’t have to worry about wired crates tearing up your tent floor.
It can be a lot of fun to travel with your dog- if you have the right plan. Hope these tips help with your next road trip!
If you have any advice leave a comment down below!
