New pup and domestic (US) travel.

[aaronc879]

Please hold off on bringing a dog with you until it is trained not to bark. No one wants to go to a hotel after 12 hours of driving and be keep awake by a barking dog before having to drive another 12 hours. Maybe plan to only stay in houses rented on VRBO or equivalent.

 

[Teacher Terry]

I crate trained all my small dogs so when we leave the motel and I crate them they won’t bark. You cover the crate with a blanket. They are off duty and are happy to sleep. My big dog maybe barked once a week. All my dogs got used to traveling pretty quickly after we rescued them but we did a lot of it.

Now alone I only fly to vacation and I have a wonderful dog sitter that moves in. When I was looking to buy a condo not only did I call places to inquire if you could have them but I wrote it into the contract and had them send me a copy of the CCRR’s 2 weeks after the offer. No way would I live anywhere that I couldn’t have 2 dogs.

 

[rembrandt]

Be careful when putting your dog on a plane. My friend's dog was placed in the cargo area. When the plane landed he was totally deaf. It turns out that he was too close to the engine and the noise destroyed his hearing.

 

[Koolau]

Be careful when putting your dog on a plane. My friend's dog was placed in the cargo area. When the plane landed he was totally deaf. It turns out that he was too close to the engine and the noise destroyed his hearing.

That is terrible. Unfortunately, dog owners don't have control over where their dog is placed in the hold. It is assumed that airline personnel know the proper way to transport pets.

 

[Teacher Terry]

I have only taken my dogs on planes if they were small enough to fit under my seat in a carrier. I drove all the way across the country to get my son’s big dog because it’s too dangerous for a dog to fly in cargo. Many dogs have been killed this way.

 

[scfr]

The most we have done is 4 nights (4 different hotels) at a time. We have taken 3 trips that long with a dog.

We travel when the temperature is safe to leave the dog in the car for a few hours so we can check out thing like museums, but we also incorporate lots of places like parks that allow leashed dogs.

We keep a great big crate on the back seat that has a small dog bed inside. For safety, the dog stays crated while driving (with collar off so tags can't catch on the crate ... Leashed dog jumps inside crate which she does gladly because she loves going on adventures with us, then collar is unbuckled & leash with collar attached is placed on the seat so it can be easily reattached before dog exits crate). Dog is microchipped with contact info up to date. Tag has 2 cell numbers and is engraved "reward for safe return."
I keep a bag with dog essentials and a doggy water bottle on the back seat floor for instant access. We stick with her regular food and bring her dog bowls from home.

We stay at hotels that allow dogs and include breakfast so that we can take turns going down for breakfast while the other stays with the dog. After we get settled in our room for the evening, I go fetch dinner and we eat in the room. We are not night life people. We don't leave the dog alone in the hotel room.

We have stayed at a few different chains. I concur with the poster who mentioned La Quinta; they are consistently good for travel with a dog.

Enjoy your new dog and travelling together!

 

[Chuckanut]

Please hold off on bringing a dog with you until it is trained not to bark. No one wants to go to a hotel after 12 hours of driving and be keep awake by a barking dog before having to drive another 12 hours. Maybe plan to only stay in houses rented on VRBO or equivalent.

If possible I try to stay in hotels that are NOT pet friendly.

 

[Koolau]

If possible I try to stay in hotels that are NOT pet friendly.

Yeah, one reason we chose our building is that pets are prohibited. It turns out that (probably because our HOA Board President has a dog) the "unofficial" rule is now no pets, but if you do have one, it can stay as long as no one complains (like for barking, etc). I'm okay with that.

 

[Flyfish1]

We are presently in south FL with our two Cavalier's. Drove here from CT and am presently staying in an AirBNB. Finding hotels that accept pets is easy , at least along the I-95 corridor. Yes, there is a small fee at most places, although I think at Red Roof Inn pets stay for free.
Our two guys have chilled in the car at this point and are excited when we start packing the vehicle trying to jump into the back seat. We have two more AirBNB's booked at different locations in FL later this month. We just tell the hosts and the hotels about the dogs in advance as some hosts limit the size of the dog that is allowed. For long trips we pay a house sitter/dog sitter to stay with them. Not cheap, but hey they are our little friends.

 

[caninelover]

We travel all over with our 65 lb Golden. It is easy to find pet friendly lodging, just pay attention to the fees and we always ask for ground floor if possible.

The most important thing is to train and socialize your pup properly. Most people think socialization is playing with other dogs but that isn't correct. It is exposing the pups in a positive way to the sights, sounds, smells and textures of the human built environment. Get a trainer and get out for weekend trips as soon as the vaccinations are done. Puppies actually sleep a lot and it's better to acclimate them to life if the road early. It may take some coordination for meals (either grab take out or find a place with patio dining that allows dogs - many places don't allow guests to leave their dogs alone in the rooms (and can ask you to leave if your dog is barking a lot).

We travel with a crate since that is how she sleeps at home. Her travel crate is a soft sided crate and she sleeps like a baby in there overnight. She is well trained and doesn't bark or whine in the room. If we leave her to get breakfast in the motel we leave a stuffed Kong or similar chew to keep her busy.

We have a Tesla that has dog mode - makes it much easier to leave the dog in the car to stop for a bite to eat since climate control remains on.

Otherwise we just get into a routine - up early to make sure pup gets a walk. Then head out. If we have a long day of driving we stop every 2-3 hours to let pup out to stretch legs and potty.

Our girl is so well behaved that travelling with her is a joy. I hope it works out the same for you.

 

[aja8888]

We travel all over with our 65 lb Golden. It is easy to find pet friendly lodging, just pay attention to the fees and we always ask for ground floor if possible.

The most important thing is to train and socialize your pup properly. Most people think socialization is playing with other dogs but that isn't correct. It is exposing the pups in a positive way to the sights, sounds, smells and textures of the human built environment. Get a trainer and get out for weekend trips as soon as the vaccinations are done. Puppies actually sleep a lot and it's better to acclimate them to life if the road early. It may take some coordination for meals (either grab take out or find a place with patio dining that allows dogs - many places don't allow guests to leave their dogs alone in the rooms (and can ask you to leave if your dog is barking a lot).

We travel with a crate since that is how she sleeps at home. Her travel crate is a soft sided crate and she sleeps like a baby in there overnight. She is well trained and doesn't bark or whine in the room. If we leave her to get breakfast in the motel we leave a stuffed Kong or similar chew to keep her busy.

We have a Tesla that has dog mode - makes it much easier to leave the dog in the car to stop for a bite to eat since climate control remains on.

Otherwise we just get into a routine - up early to make sure pup gets a walk. Then head out. If we have a long day of driving we stop every 2-3 hours to let pup out to stretch legs and potty.

Our girl is so well behaved that travelling with her is a joy. I hope it works out the same for you.

Nice post, sounds like you have a great dog and a great travel companion.

 

[OnTheBeach]

We have have rescued 4 large dogs over the last 16 years. When the last one passed in February 2024, my wife was devastated. I didn't want another dog but with the kids out of the house - she really wanted another. I agreed - as long as it was under 20 pounds so we could bring it on the plane with us. We travel back and forth to our second home in Florida several times a year. We adopted our 5th rescue - a four year old king charles cavalier mix that is 20 pounds. She was abused before we got her and she is afraid of everything. She goes with us everywhere and is pretty good in her carrier at our feet in the plane - but the flight is only 2.5 hours.