From the day you bring your new puppy home, to visiting family or vacations with your dog, puppy travel is likely to be involved. Traveling by car with a puppy or flying with a puppy can come with challenges. We’re here to make traveling with a puppy a breeze with our top tips for a stress-free journey from A to B, whether it’s long or short, road or air.
Before we take you on our traveling with a puppy journey, have you downloaded the Zigzag puppy training app? It’s full of everything you need to know about raising a happy, healthy, confident puppy. We even have a team of experts available 24/7 to answer all your questions or help you deal with any puppy dramas.
The basics of traveling by car
Car travel with a puppy can be pretty scary for them. Their first experiences of traveling by car can cause puppy car anxiety, going to the vet for a first vaccination or moving to their new home are scary. It’s therefore important to introduce your puppy to the car slowly making it a positive experience for future car travel with your puppy.
Here are our tips to prevent puppy car anxiety.
- Don’t rush – Spend some time just sitting in your stationary car, letting your puppy explore their traveling crate or area giving plenty of rewards to prevent puppy car anxiety.
- Short Journeys – Start with really short journeys, keeping it positive and giving plenty of praise and rewards
- Keep it slow – Don’t scare your puppy with speed, keep the drive smooth and steady to avoid puppy car sickness.
- Sing – If your pup gets upset and maybe can’t see you from where they travel, sing and talk to them to offer reassurance and so they know you are there.
The basics of traveling by plane
So can puppies travel on planes? Flying with a puppy happens often in the US. So the short answer is yes, but it will depend on a few things such as which airline you are flying with, how far, and how old and big your puppy is. You’ll need to check all this with your airline when you plan your trip.
Some airlines allow pups to fly from 8 weeks whilst others require them to be 12 weeks old. If your puppy is over 16 weeks old they will likely require a rabies vaccination to fly. You will also need to provide a health certificate for your dog within 10 days of travel. There may also be regulations around where they travel on the aircraft, in the cabin with you or in the cargo hold.
Top tips for traveling with a puppy
Whether you are traveling with a puppy by car or flying with a puppy, here are our top tips and things you’ll need to bring for a safe and stress-free trip.
- Prepare your puppy for travel
Do what you can to prepare your puppy for their trip, make sure they are used to their travel crate and are happy and content in it well before you travel. Our guide to crate training will help you.
- Be organized
Have all your puppies’ travel documents organized and ready to travel. Even if you are traveling by car within the same state, it’s still a good idea to have your pet’s vaccination certificate and any medical information with you, should you need to access a local vet.
- Ensure your pet is microchipped
Microchipping is a legal requirement for flying with a puppy outside of the US. If for whatever reason your puppy isn’t microchipped, have this done before you travel? Should the worst happen and you get separated, it’s much more likely your pup will get returned to you if they have a microchip.
- Bring a portable water bowl
It’s vital that your pup has access to water whilst travelling so you’ll need some form of water bowl and a bottle of water with you to help them stay comfortable.
- Have chews and treats
You don’t want your pup getting bored or hungry on their travels. Providing your dog isn’t prone to puppy car sickness then giving them small amounts of food is fine. Stuffed kongs and chews can help relieve any boredom or agitation your pup might feel.
- Bring toys
You won’t be able to start playing fetch up in the air or on a road trip, but if your pup likes soft toys and finds them comforting then bring them along to help them settle.
- Schedule potty breaks
Not possible if you are flying with a puppy but if you are travelling with a puppy in a car then potty stops for long journeys will be essential. Have puppy pads with you and bring plenty of baby wipes, wet wipes, and paper towels, with younger puppies accidents can and often do happen.
- Keep your pup comfortable
If your journey is long or if you are flying with a puppy then your pup may get too cold, have some extra blankets for if they get too cold, or if they are hot have a fan to hand to keep them cool.
- Don’t let your puppy travel in the car with their head out the window
We know how fun a road trip with your pup looks but it can actually be quite dangerous to let your pup do this. So keep them safely restrained in the car. If it’s hot use the A/C instead.
How can Zigzag help with your pup’s training
Zigzag is a complete step-by-step guide to all your pup’s training needs. The chapters build upon each other so your pup is always learning exactly the right skills at the right time. It’s also tailored to your pup’s breed type so those breed-specific traits are taken into account too. For extra guidance, we have a team of experts available 24/7 to help you back on the road.
FAQs
- Can puppies go on long car rides?
If your pup is comfortable in the car and doesn’t suffer from anxiety or car sickness then there is no reason why they can’t enjoy a long road trip. Follow our tips above to keep your pup comfortable and schedule regular breaks.
- How do I take my 8-week-old puppy in the car?
Try to introduce the car to your young puppy slowly. Avoid long trips until they are comfortable in the car. Take short rides initially and reward and praise them along the way to make the experience super positive for them.
- Is it a good idea to travel with a puppy?
It really depends on your puppy’s confidence and how long and essential the journey is going to be. A nonessential very long journey with a puppy is probably not a good idea until they have done some shorter trips and got used to travel.
