What is Your Dog’s Travel Style?

Choosing places to go with your beloved pet largely depends on the kind of dog you have. And by that I don’t mean only breed, but their personality.

Some dogs are social and love the connection of finding and meeting other doggies on their travels, but some could be anxious and shy.

When you have a social dog, the opportunities and places are endless, but when you have more anxious doggies, things are not that easy.

Understanding the signs of travel anxiety

Some doggies show signs through heavy panting, shaking, salivation or pacing in the car, but some have a true fear and may be expressed through more severe signs such as:

• Vocalisation
• Vomiting
• Not wanting to be touched
• Crouched down
• Urination and defecation

In the latter case, they may need a little extra help.

How to lessen travel anxiety

One of the first things is to uncover why your dog may be feeling anxious and try to counter those feelings with good ones or even distractions. Do they have bad memories of being in a car or associations to vets and other situations? Try to change it through positive reinforcement through taking them more frequently to places they enjoy – like a hike, the beach, or a getaway. If that doesn’t do the trick, helping them with other coping mechanisms such as distractions like a bone, favourite toy, words of encouragement or through treatment like anxiety meds like CalmEeze or Rescue Remedy.

Places and situations that will enforce a dogs sense of security will greatly assist them to feel more confident and through that, less anxious. You can help them to get there through a lot of patience and building their confidence in little things and places time and time again.

Start small by taking them for short trips in the car around the block, and praising them and rewarding them when you get back home. Then extend the periods and places of travel until the severity of the symptoms has passed.

Best places to go for more anxious pups

When choosing places to go on holiday with your dogs, try to find places that either enhances what they love, or will help them feel secure in similar surroundings to their home environment. For example, if you have an anxious dog, the worst possible getaway for them is a place with no boundary walls and other dogs, where they constantly feel like they have to defend themselves. Instead, choose a getaway where you have your privacy and the place to yourselves; secure boundary walls or fences and no other dogs where they can learn to build their confidence away from their home environment, and learn to have fun.

At Holidawgs we try to review and list places according to what both the pet-parent and furkid’s experience will be like, so both can have a relaxed experience on holiday.