Traveling With Your Dog

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When you decide to go off traveling with your dog, there are things you need to get & do before you take him with you. The first one is making travel arrangements for your dog with the airline in advance. The cost of traveling with your dog tends to be at around fifty to hundred dollars depending on the place you are traveling to and time of year. It is best to travel with your dog at a time of the year with a mild temperature if he has to travel in the baggage area of the plane.

You will need to have an airline approved crate to put him in while he is traveling. For long distance flights and for dogs who are not potty trained, a doggy diaper can be useful so you don’t have a mess to clean up later.  If your dog happens to be small enough, and quiet, you could probably have your dog travel with you in the cabin. You might be able to have him sit in your lap or seat…if approved by airline personnel.  Another thing that is helpful to keep your dog entertained during the flight and out of trouble is bringing his favorite toy.

Before you get on the flight, the airline needs a copy of your dog’s health record to make sure that he has gotten the vaccinations he needs. When you arrive there, make sure to have a collar with his identification tags. And once you get on the plane, a good idea is to tell one of the flight attendants, if your dog happens to not be in the cabin with you, that he is on the flight. Most of the time they will update you on how he is doing during the flight.

Unless you really want to go spend time with your dog while you are on your trip, the easiest thing to do is to board him at your local boarding facility. This can be much cheaper, and you may be able to get your dog groomed and trained there while you are away. And your life while you’re traveling may be a bit easier while you are away…not to mention, your dog will be have a good time hanging out with his buddies and having fun running around instead of being confined to a crate and/or a hotel room.

Which Is Better, Vets Or Grooming/Boarding Places?

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Which is better? Deciding to board your dog at a vet clinic or at a local boarding place? The vet can take care of serious sicknesses, can board your dog and in some instances groom them. At your local groom/boarding place, you can have him boarded and groomed for about the same price or less usually…but you must get his vaccinations from your veterinarian. 

Price varies between a veterinarian clinic and a boarding place…many have basic rates and then there  may be “add-ons” at either facility. You may be able to find more special offers and coupons to get a discounted price at boarding facilities. You will need to tour all facilities to ensure quality care, adequate exercise space, comfortable spacious sleeping areas, and friendly/caring caretakers.

But even with the prices being lower at the boarding place most of the time, there are a couple things a vet tends to be better at. If your dog has a chronic illness or has a history of becoming extremely sick, you would be better off bringing your dog to the vet for this. And if he breaks something like a bone, your vet would be available to tend to it quickly. However, there is a downside to boarding at a vet…your dog may be exposed to sick dogs as a vet clinic because along with being a boarding facility, it is a medical facility focused on the treatment of illnesses.

When it comes down to deciding between the two, the boarding/grooming place may be cheaper for boarding, grooming, and may offer training as well. A veterinarian clinic has the medical expertise onsite to take care of  extreme sicknesses, broken bones, administrering vaccines, etc. So when picking a place to board, think about primary needs of your dog.

 

A Few Tricks a Dog Should Know

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A few tricks that may seem small can be big in different situations. One of those is “sit”. A simple trick, yet can be useful for different things. If you are having a guest or your boss over for dinner or the night, sit can be very useful. If this person comes in dressed nice, a dog jumping up onto him can be the difference between getting a promotion or having them stay over again. Or getting on your boss’ bad side or having some friends avoid your house. Having the command “sit” will help keep your dog from jumping up onto your guest.

Another command that can be useful is “come here”. If your dog happens to get away, or you lose your grip on him/her, you can call that command and get your dog to come back to you. This can be a very useful command if you live near a busy street.

“Stay” is another useful command. If your dog likes to attempt to sneak out the door every time you go out, this command can be used. It will help keep him from running out and causing something bad to happen, and will keep you from having to go through the trouble of finding him. This command should be taught with “come here” in cause he does get out after he has learned “stay”.

These three commands which don’t seem like they can do much, can be very useful. They can be taught by your local grooming place and boarding place most of the time. This can make the process go faster by having someone else who has had experience training dogs. But for just a little fee, this can help you get multiple things done at once. You could get him trained while you’re at work, or out of town, or just getting him groomed. Those three commands should be taught to your dog to make sure that whenever you need them, he knows them already.

Shots Needed For Puppies

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Vaccinations for dogs are needed for the safety of your dog, other dogs, and the people around him. Your dog needs to be vaccinated most is when he is a puppy. There are eight different vaccines needed when your dog is a puppy. Your puppy needs to get vaccinated at about six to eight weeks of age for the first shot. Then about every three weeks later he will need another vaccination. The five major vaccinations they get over this time are for: distemper, hepatitis, leptospirosis, parainfluenza, and parvovirus.

A few other vaccinations are needed too. One of the important ones is for rabies. This vaccination should be given to your dog at about four to six months of age. Yet if you have a full grown dog that has not had a vaccination to prevent rabies, it is recommended to get one shot for rabies every year.

The bordetella vaccination is needed at about eight to sixteen weeks of age, and protects against respiratory infections. And lastly there is the coronavirus vaccination which is given at about the age of seven and sixteen weeks old. Coronavirus vaccinations should be given annually.

Getting shots for your puppy or older dog is necessary to keep your dog healthy. These vaccinations helps protects your dog from fatal diseases and harmful sicknesses. Yet these vaccinations do not keep your dog from never getting sick ever again. They will decrease the chance of your dog getting sick by having those eight vaccinations. These shots will be required for your dog at all reputable boarding or grooming facility. They should be administered by your veterinarian.  Just remember to get your dog the shots he needs, and the other shots that are needed annually to keep your dog healthy.

Boarding your dog

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While traveling during the holidays or for a vacation no one looking after your dog, consider boarding your dog. Your dog should stay with a boarding facility designed for dog. There your dog can be feed, exercised, cared for, and sleep while you’re away.

But when looking for a good place that will take care of your pet, you might wonder what to look for in a place, and what questions to ask the people.

You want to make sure they will let you take a tour of the place before you decide if you will board your dog or not. If they are not willing to let you take a tour, then you should decide to look for another place.

If there is a yard behind the building or in front of the build, look for if there is a wall around this area. Look to see if the wall is sturdy and does not have any holes or cracks in the wall. And from this you may be able to decide if you want to board here. While inside the building, look in back at where your dog will be kept while he is sleeping. If your dog is sleeping in a crate, make sure to check if the crate is sturdy and safe. If it is rusty and squeaky, then this is a sign you make not want to board your dog here. Also check if your dog will be sleeping with other dogs in a same crate or area. When your dog is being feed during the day or night, look and see where your dog will eat, and if your dog is eating around other dogs. If your dog is being exercised, look for where is your dog exercising.

Now asking questions about what will happen with your dog’s stay will help you get a better understanding on what will happen. Questions to ask are: Will my dog be exercised or not? And how often for how long? What will my dog be eating during his stay? Will my dog interact with other dogs during his stay? What will happen if my dog gets sick or gets hurt while he is in boarding? How much is my dog’s stay going to cost? There are many more questions that can be asked when finding a good boarding place, but these questions will help get you a basic idea of what will happen while your dog is staying.

If you end up deciding that your dog is going to be boarded, make sure your dog has everything he needs.     ( And when are boarding your dog, remember to take a copy of your dog’s current vaccinations. This is needed to board your dog.) Make sure you give the boarding place any foods your dog should eat, or medicines, or another other special orders (like not eating near dogs due to being protective of food), and so on. This means that when he is in boarding while you’re away, you will know that your dog is in safe hands and is doing well because you picked the right place for boarding.