long drive w/ dogs - have you done it?? Need advice.

[ottopunk]

We are thinking about taking the dogs w/ us on a 2 1/2 hour drive to visit relatives. We are debating on a few things.

First, is 2 1/2 hours too long for the dogs to be in the car? Obviously we'd stop and let them out to stretch their legs & go wee. Then we are concered about the safety issue. We don't know if we should use crates or a barrier gate? They love going for rides around our house but we have never had them in there for that amount of time.

To top it off we will have our toddler boys in the van as well. Everyone gets along but we don't know if we are biting off more then we can chew when it comes to transporting everyone out of town.

If you have driven long distance w/ your pets and have any advice, please please share.

 

[mobrian]

My two go on a 4 hour trip once or twice a month. I have an SUV with a pet barrier to keep them in the back and stop twice on the way. Jesse and Buster always behave perfectly in the car. I am having a baby in November and will continue to travel.

 

[Super Boo]

We drove 9 hours with Boo when she was only about 6 mos old. We had a blast. Took her out for breaks to stretch her legs and do her business. We put her bed in the back seat and gave her some chewies. We also have a collapsible water dish and we bring a jug of water. I think 2 1/2 hours should be a breeze. Usually our dogs just go to sleep--but we have been doing roadtrips since they were pups.

 

[abby's mum]

2 1/2 hours, that is nothing! We travelled several times a week that long. Now we go to horse shows up to 6 hours and Abby loves it. she even has a travel water dish and she whines when she would like a drink en route.I hihgly doubt you would even have to let them out during a 2 1/2 hour trip.

 

[Clover's Mom]

We do mini-road trips with Clover all the time, and living in LA, well even if it's only 20 min drive, it takes an hour or so She does great - we have a special seatbelt for her, where she can sit up, lay down...etc. sometimes though I sit in the back with her and take it off. She does great - with in the first 15 mins she is asleep, and only wakes if we stop.

 

[holm9201]

super travelers

Ottopunk,
Boomer (11.5 mo) and Switzer (6.5 mo) love to ride in the car. We make the 6.5 hour drive from Columbia, MO to OKC without even stopping once. We tried stopping at first, but they just sniffed around. All they like to do is sleep and occasionally look out the window. We just throw down a dog bed and let them go!

jgh

 

[Shotze's Mom]

Im also taking a road trip to the beach. YEA! We are taking the kids to Sea Rim State Park on the gulf coast Fathers Day. I have a problem though. First, I drive a mitsubishi eclipse and only have room for two kids...no room for the crate. One kid already has to ride with my parents. Would it be ok to buckle her short lead around the kids seatbelt in the back seat??? Also, she gets carsick after 30 minutes in the car. What can I do to avoid this? Puking on the kids in my car would be bad. Any advice is always appreciated!!
Thanks

P.S. Its only about an hour to an hour and a half depending on traffic.

 

[douma]

Like Abby's mum said ...2 1/2 hours is nothing We have a van and we go for camping with it.Last year we were traveling for 15 days and Avra was great
Then,we travelled all over the country and some times we drove 5-6 hours without stopping.

Sophia and Avra

 

[Diesel'sMoma]

Long Distance

We took Diesel with us on an 8 hour trip and he was great. Just hung his head out the window and let the window blow through his hair...ummm I mean ears, and lips and eyelids. It was the funniest thing you have ever seen. They have so much loose skin it just flew everywhere...he slept alot of the way. Then I would lean my seat all the way back and he'd lay his head on my chest and I would sit there and talk to him. He is such a good boy. We brought lots of toys for him to play with and chew on. And plenty of water.

 

[prosas]

i've taken zeus on trips that were as long as 7 hours. he does good. sometimes he's in the cab w/us and sometimes he's tied down in the bed (that's when the weather is nice). we make frequent stops so he can stretch his legs and do his business. he seems to be happy, especially when he's in the back. you can see where he's facing the wind and his lips are flopping all over the place....i wouldn't worry about it...just make sure you stop at least once every hour or two.