How to travel with a dog by car?

Are you ready to create an amazing summer trip by traveling around with your furry friend by car? Before starting your adventure, check out 10 tips below to know how to travel with a dog by car and take a look at top 5 best cars for you and your canine friend.

Tips to know how to travel with a dog by car

1. Visit your veterinarian

Before a road trip, you need to bring your canine friend to the VET for a check-up. Make sure that you dog is up-to-date for all vaccinations. Also, don’t forget to ask the VET if additional vaccinations are needed for the adventure as your dog may face different threats, such as Lyme disease along the way or at your destinations.
You also need to buy a copy of the medical records and extra medicines needed for your canine friend, just in case there are some problems that make your adventure being delayed. Another thing you need to do is programming contact information in your phone, including the address, for a 24/7 emergency dog veterinarian at your destination.

2. Make a clear route

In order to make your pet feel comfortable and happy, you need to ensure that your schedule contains time for regular breaks. Your canine best friend needs time to relieve itself and also walk around, discover and experience the new environment. To do this, you should plan to take a 15 to 30 minute break every 4 hours. Also, your trip will be more enjoyable for you both if you stop at pet-friendly attractions, even if it is just a nice small dog park.

3. Update weather report

To avoid bad weather situations like rain or potential natural disasters such as floods, tornadoes, and hurricanes, you need to update weather report regularly before traveling. Taking the weather into consideration when packing for your canine best friend. If the weather is colder, you may need to wear some clothing for him/her.

4. Turn off power windows

If your car has power windows, it’s quite easy for your canine friend to accidentally open the power window with a lightly press of its paw. Maybe you can think this is relatively harmless, particularly if your canine friend likes to stick its head out in the breeze. But it is said that some over-excited dogs will jump out of moving cars, which is too dangerous. Also, if your pet takes a wrong step, its neck will get stuck and being choked by power windows. Therefore, turning off power windows is the best way to prevent all bad situations.

5. Use crash-tested crates

Using crates is one of the most important things you need to know about how to travel with a dog by car. To ensure the safety of your dog, you need to select a right size crate for her/him. A good crate for a dog requires good air circulation, bringing the comfort for your furry friend in 4 seasons. In order to make your dog transportation safer, select a crash bags inside the crate to give your puppy with extra protection just in case of emergency braking.
Finally, getting a ramp or steps designed specially to help your furry friend climb in and out of the car easily is the thing you might think about.

6. What to pack when traveling with a dog by car

Besides 5 tips mentioned above, here is a list of other things you need to bring during the adventure with your lovely dog by car:
– A bowl, a first aid kit, water and medicines
– Plenty of poop bags
– Stain and odor remover, paper towels or anything else that help you clean up after any accidents.
– Seat covers (protect your car from hair and stains).

Top 5 most convenient cars for a car camping trip with dog

Every pet parent loving travel knows that going a trip with a 4-legged friend requires a right vehicle to make all family members and your puppy comfortable. If your lovely dog is a big-sized one, you will want something with a bit more room. If your furry friend is a senior dog, you may want a car that is easy for your baby to come in and out of. And if you go car camping with a lot of furry kids, a car with plenty of storage space and rear climate control can be the best choice for your family.
If you are planning a trip with your lovely dog by car, here is a list of vehicles recommended for you.

1. NISSAN ROGUE 2018

How to travel with a dog by a Nissan Rogue? Well this car is a perfect compact SUV designed for anybody who is looking for a comfortable ride with more space for passenger and cargo and good safety scores. This SUV is sold at an affordable price. To illustrate how pet-friendly a SUV of Nissan branch can be, Dennis McCarthy – car coordinator for Fast and Furious films, designed the “Rogue Dogue” – a car created to customize with particular dog-friendly features, including: custom removable dog bed, water dishes, built-in food, 360 degree washing shower for dog and an integrated dog drying system.
Check out this cool Nissan SUV here:

2. SUBARU CROSSTREK 2018 

Subaru crosstrek 2018 is the perfect choice for adventurous dog owners. All Crosstreks are designed with all-wheel drive making them well-outfitted to take dog owners and their 4-legged friends off the beaten path. With Subaru Crosstrek, you can easily fold down the rear seats, add kayak rack, bike or a roof basket or you can load up camping equipments for an adventure with a dog.
Check out this video about SUBARU CROSSTREK 2018 here

3. CHRYSLER PACIFICA 2018

Whether you are planning a trip with your dog across town or across the country, comfort and roominess are the 2 first priorities you care about. The Chrysler Pacifica 2018 finely offers both, this car brings to customer an easy access and has plenty of room for all family members.
Additional thing can make you feel good in buying a Chrysler is that this automaker is a member of Canine Companions for Independence, a non-profit organization for assistance dogs, in a campaign named “Give a Dog a Job”, to raise fund and awareness for supporting programs that help disabled people. In other words, Chrysler is a supporting company that support dogs, therefore, dog lovers also love this company.

4. BMW X5 2018

How to travel with a dog by BMW X5 2018? BMW X5 2018 offers ultra comfortable seats, rear climate control, and lots of space bring the convenience of home to the road. This car is well-equipped to not only take you anywhere, but get you there in style. BMW X5 2018 will be a best car for you and your furry friend on luxury adventures.

5. VOLVO XC60 2018

VOLVO XC60 is designed with tons of cargo space and headroom, a fuel-efficient 4 cylinder engine, seats customized for convenience during even the longest family excursions.
The weakness of VOLVO XC60 2018 is lacking in fancy features and modern amenities.
This car also cates to dog parents with accessories and genuine parts to make sure a safe arrival at your dog-friendly place such as steel reinforced crates, a crash-tested safety harness and protective seat covers.

We hope this information above will help adventurous dog lovers know how to travel with a dog by car and all they need to prepare for this exciting trip. If you have any question about how to travel with a dog, don’t hesitate to leave us a comment below.