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Permalink Reply by Nancy Geddes on July 20, 2009 at 10:54am

Wow! That's gonna be a long one! Yes, have vet documents, clear photographs of your dogs, dogs collared with IDs, big supply of their dry food, bottled water (I always make room for a supply that my dogs drink at home to prevent tummy upset), poopie bags, fixed leads, and, if you are lucky, you might be able to squeeze in a bag for yourself. You will have to make many, many dedicated safe stops for walking your dogs (I stop at least every 150 miles). Now, I have never used seat restraints (only rent a significantly larger SUV for my trips, i.e., no dogs in my SVT Cobra Mustang, and use their crates) so other folks will have to give you their input there. For your safety and continuity of some kind of routine, do try to do overnights in a hotel so that you are safe on the road! With all best wishes, Nancy, Bear, Tasha and Linus

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Permalink Reply by Shelly on July 20, 2009 at 12:03pm

Road trip -- how fun! They have harnesses that attach to your seat belts that are great. They secure you dogs yet allow them to sit, lie down and move around a little. Check your local pet stores, make sure they fit your dogs properly. Use them before you start your trip so the pups are comfortable having them on. Generally there is no problem. I keep a picture and a copy of their shot/vac records and chip # in my glove compartment. That way no matter what -- short car trip or long, the info is always available.

I've found taking water is a must or get bottled water for the road. Believe me (I've learned the hard way) that there is a difference in the water in different locations of the country and puppies tummies notice the difference. Have a little bowl in the care if they get thirsty. Always take enough food, treats and poop bags. There are numerous rest stops (some very nice that provide poop bags) others do not. We play and give them extra exercise before we hit the road each morning (so they'll sleep) and then again after feeding in the evening. Tired pups travel well.

If you haven't taken a long trip before, you may want to get some doggie dramamine (from your vet) just in case. Sometimes they do get a little car sick and it's a good thing to have on hand.

Crates are a must. We don't use them in motels because are dogs are well trained and its a pain to unload and load. However, very important if you're not sure how your parents dogs (or your dogs) will react to each other. Better safe than sorry.

Good luck. I'm sure you'll have a great time. Happy Vacation!!

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Permalink Reply by JH on July 20, 2009 at 1:42pm

OK, we've had some experience in traveling with a corgi for yearly or semiyearly trips between NY and Fl for about 12 years. We did a palen trip once...NEVER again. I hope your car is big enough.

Get copies of all their shots and vet phone numbers, just in case you loose the papers. Make sure they have some sort of ID on their collars and that the collars can't come off to easily.
I can't say enough about bringing bottles of your OWN water. By this I mean the water your dogs are used to. We learned the hard way with our first corgi. She had a hard time each time we traveled between NY and FL when we didn't have the water she was used to drinking. She would get severe diarreah. The times we brought our own water she had no probs with nasty poops. When we got to our destination we would gradually add water from the new place to the water we brought and made sure we had some left for the trip home. Everyone knows how misearble it is to clean a "muddy" butt on a corgi. We also brought along paper towels and baby wipes for the inevitable gross nervous poopy butt

Check out the pet hotels before you leave and get reservations. Some hotels only allow a few at a time. We had a large SUV and would travel straight through with stops only for food, gas and potty breaks for us and the dog. Since we had a large vehicle and only one dog, we didn't need to worry about stay overs and hotels that allowed dogs. We'd switch off driving and sleeping with a 2 hour sleepover at a truck stop. .
Definatley bring enough food that your dogs eat, especially if it is a brand that is hard to find. You don't want to have to switch foods for your trip given the way corgi digestion doesn't always agree with certain foods. Don't give them any of the fast foods you may be eating yourself. We made a mistake and gave ours part of a burger. We'd never do that again. ugh.
Be prepared for the car to smell nasty by the time you get there. The dogs will be musky from their nervousness about the long trip and if it rains they will be wet for a bit longer than usual. Be sure to have several towels.

Make sure that when you stop, you have the leashes on the dogs BEFORE you open the doors. No matter how well trained your dogs are, they will be having enough real fast and want out. We always checked the area we stopped at to see if there were any other dogs around before we let ours out. It isn't a good idea to let them get close to a strange dog far from home. It is hard to find a vet when you are at a pit stop in the middle of nowhere. There aren't any phone books or phone booths at these places anymore. I can't emphasize on holding onto that leash really tight. Truck stops are noisy scary places for dogs. Their natuaral instinct is to bolt, usually right into another car. Don't let stranges come up to the dogs either, especially those with children The dogs may react differntly to them then usual. No matter how gentle the dog, if they feel the need to protect their humans they will.

I'd also put on some kind of flea/tick preventative. You'll be stopping at places that aren't sprayed for bugs and other animals will have been there before yours. Since you will be in the south, watch out for fire-ant mounds. If you don't know what they are, you will soon enough. They are red ants that sting over and over and hurt like fire. They swarm really quick and are hard to get off. They can give nasty welts and some people and animals are allergic to them like beestings.
It may be a good idea to bring some sort of first aid as well, gauze, tweezers, tape old socks. You can never be sure that the dog won't step on broken glass. We've gone to many rest stops that people seem to have found it fun to break bottles where they know people walk the dogs. Also, ask your vet for advice on what to give them for diarreah or travel sedatives. Some dogs get too excited for long trips and tend to pant a great deal.
We let our corgi have full control of the back of the SUV without restraints. When we let her have the seat, we were afraid she'd fall off when she tried to get into the front seat with us. She would get wound up/nervous after she realized it wasn't a quick trip and needed the space to pace and lay down when she wanted. Bring some toys and chewies that they like to occupy them, although they probably won't care about them.
Enough said, I know I am forgetting some vital things. I hope that your trip is a good one, pleasant, uneventful, safe and fun. If you have any other questions, feel free to drop me a note.

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Permalink Reply by Sam Tsang on July 20, 2009 at 2:16pm

I too travel from FL to NY in a van. Most of the tips already been covered, so here's a few more from my experience.

1. use flea dip, follow the instruction on the bottle. I don't do this often, only on road trips.
2. avoid cheap motels, they are infested with fleas. I've had good experience with La Quinta.
3. avoid tall grassy area, fleas and ticks = no fun.
4. bring record of shots and other important medication info only, no need to bring the entire history. Most dog places only need the crucial ones.
5. microchip your dog if you have not already done so, collar can be taken off, but not microchip.
6. pre measured your dog meal in zip lock bags or cheap disposable containers, it saves time and avoid contamination from critters like ants.
7. Febreeze
8. anti bacterial hand wash for you, just incase there's no water
9. tiny led headlamps, pick up in the dark.
10. practice a 20 second PR speech for Freya. yes, you'll be asked the same questions by strangers :) Have fun and take lots of pics!

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Permalink Reply by Karen Dadisman on July 20, 2009 at 3:13pm

Seatbelt harnesses are great. Rocky likes to sleep in the car on a pillow but Rosie doesn't. Don't know why but he is much happier and more relaxed on the pillow. Microchip! Put ID on their collar and put their microchip number on the collar also so people realize they are chipped. Don't forget your heartworm preventative and flea/tick stuff. Take shot records and photos and vet phone numbers. I make reservations at pet friendly motels ahead of time so I know I have a room when I get there. Some places only have a couple of pet rooms in the motel. Check to see if there is an extra charge for the dogs. Some do and some don't. Have a bowl in the car for water where you can easily find it. My dogs like those baby carrots for treats and they are easy on the tummy. Be sure you have their own beds for their crates. That's like Linus's security blanket. They don't need many toys. Plenty of their food. The serving size bags are great for motels, saves dragging in the entire bag of dog food. Wet wipes and paper towels and a raincoat for you.

Enjoy

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Permalink Reply by Corgibyassociation on July 22, 2009 at 9:49am

Thank you very much. I think to be cost efficient (as we're going to spend loads on gas to get there) I'm going to get an attachment to put on Freya's harness as her restraint in the car. Initially, I was heavily leaning towards a booster seat but only one brand is adaptable to the back seat and that's about 50 dollars and I don't want to spend that much on one thing when I can split it and get 2 or 3 things that will suit both dogs.

I'm debating on a hammock. I'm not sure if the Weimaraner will do well with it--in that he paces excitedly in the back seat (which is partly why I leaned towards the booster to give her more designated space.) Can anyone tell me about Rescue Remedy?

On top of the items suggested, I'm also going to look to purchasing/creating a first aid kit for the doggies too--just in case.

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Permalink Reply by DR, Nala & Simon on July 22, 2009 at 11:35am

That's it! With all the tips in this page and your last ones, you are ready to go!!!! Have a safe trip. I am going to NC at the end of August. I have done the trip several times before. Another thing to add, have lots of patience with the dogs, they will be very excited at first, wondering later, tired, confused, bored, and at some point annoying. Also be very careful on the road, and enjoy the trip!

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Permalink Reply by JH on July 22, 2009 at 4:17pm

Are you planning on using your back seat for anything other than the dogs? On one of our trips we did not have an SUV and had to keep the dog in the back seat. We had placed a suitcase, cooler and a sturdy box we knew we didn't need until we got to our destination on the floor. On top of that we placed a piece of wood that went on the seat and over the boxes (we also attatched a set of legs to be safe). On top of this we placed a couple of beach blankets and a foam pad. It gave the dog more room in the back seat. Recently we've come across folding tables that have adjustible legs that would have worked just as well.

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Permalink Reply by Corgibyassociation on July 23, 2009 at 8:48am

As far as I know, I think the back seat will be all there's. We may place a cooler back there, but then again, I may be able to keep it in the front with us. I'm really hoping my trunk will be big enough to keep everything back there outside of necessities in the front with us.

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Permalink Reply by Sunni A. on July 22, 2009 at 5:18pm

Most non-chain pet stores sell snacks with ginger and / or mint for tummy problems, which may occur even though you plan on covering a lot of bases. Those snacks can be given periodically as preventative maintenance. I highly recommend them. I use them for Eddy even though he has never been car sick, sometimes he is very stressed out in the car during the longer trips, and I worry anyways.

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Permalink Reply by Corgibyassociation on July 23, 2009 at 8:50am

That's a good idea. I think mint tea should work too, right? I may just need to make some as our other dog has allergies to almost everything. I know I'll be talking to the vet about sedatives/tranquilizers to keep them not so excited. The Weim is the one I mainly worry about on that note--Freya, although excitable, is not nearly as crazy as Cloud will most likely get. I wish I could place a divider between them. It will be like two kids in the back seat doing the "mom, he's touching me" game the entire trip until they get super, super tired.

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