Making Car Travels Safe For You and Your Pooch

Every once in awhile, you need to give your dog a ride. Before you get behind the wheel with a hound on board, know that there is a list of safety guidelines you should keep in mind. It doesn’t matter if you will be travelling intercity for a holiday, or just driving him to his health checkup at the local vet.

Point one, teach your dog to remain in the back seat whenever he is inside the vehicle. Doing so will lessen the probability of him disrupting your driving, and this can potentially force you to make a car insurance claim. When your dog is situated at the right position, get him to stay put by asserting the command whenever he tries to wiggle his way out. Time and persistence will persevere.

Take several measures to make it less stressful the canine commuter. Ensure the dog has adequate space to stretch a bit every once in a while, which some vehicles like the Ford Explorer is more up for the task. Try and minimise his boredom by loading some of his favourite nibbles, toys, or that towel of which he is very affectionate of.

Remember, it is not uncommon for dogs to get car sick. Disorientation may be mitigated if the dog can allow himself to look at the frontal view. If you will be on the road for a long time, allow the dog to take a break from travelling once every couple of hours. Some dogs will also be naturally inclined to get car sick no matter what you do, in that case you will need to get some appropriate sedatives like Dramamine from your vet.

On the night before a very long road trip with your pet, cut down his meal size and never offer him any food right before the journey. Doing so can make things easier on his stomach, which is very likely to become agitated as he is travelling. Only give your dog treats inside the car on a seldom basis.

Since a dog is more susceptible to a heat stroke than us, be wary of the air flow issue. Under certain conditions, a vehicle’s interior temperature can become twenty degrees hotter than the outdoors. Depending on the weather, this can kill both animals and minors alike. If a dog becomes too restless over an open window however, it might be better to use the air con instead.

If car travel will become a regular occurrence for your canine, you might be interested in searching for some dog seat harness, some of which are constructed to work directly with your car’s seat belts. Using a specialised dog seat belt no only keeps him still, but it can also keep him alive if you have an unfortunate vehicle accident.

Whether you drive a modified Holden or a Toyota van your dog can be comfortable.