I recently had the chance to collaborate on a blog with Liz from High Tail Hikes and we took the opportunity to put together a guide for dog-friendly vacation and travel!
If you are planning a day trip or a multi-day adventure with your pup we have lots of tips and info for you. We cover preparing for your trip, how to find dog-friendly vacation lodging, what pre-travel training might come in handy, and a variety of tips and tricks for enjoying a fun and stress-free vacation with your dog.
Here are a few of my favorite tips from a recent trip I took with my own dogs!
Before booking lodging, I will use Google Maps and photos from the lodging reviews to make sure their is some kind of green space nearby. This provides a quieter place for my dogs to sniff, explore, and decompress while we are traveling.
If I am booking a hotel, motel, lodge, or something similar, I will ask for a room that is on the first floor and at the end of the building or hallway whenever possible. This reduces the likelihood of unexpectedly running into other people or dogs in narrow stairwells or hallways as well as helping to reduce sounds from neighboring rooms.
Once I’ve arrived in my room, I place the “Do Not Disturb” sign on the door and leave it there for the duration of our stay, unless my dogs and I are all out of the room and away for a while. This reduces the odds of someone knocking on the door or housekeeping unexpectedly coming by – surprise knocks can be startling for both us and our dogs!
On my essential list of travel items when my dogs are with me is a comfy dog bed and a blanket or two. A dog bed provides a familiar place for my dogs to rest in a new environment and blankets can be used as an additional resting spot or to cover furniture and reduce how much dog hair we leave behind!
There are a ton more tips and tricks, plus a comprehensive travel packing list in the complete guide, which you can check out over on the High Tail Hikes blog here!
Liz and I also did a fun and informative Instagram Live together where we chatted about all things travel with dogs, which you can watch here.
And did you know that there is a lot we can do during training to prepare for a dog-friendly vacation? Whether it’s building your pup’s confidence in new places, getting them comfortable in a pet carrier, or preparing for hotel or camping stays, Rover Rehab can help you feel ready for vacay. Book your consultation today or send us a message to see how we can best prepare you and your pup for adventures together!