Dog Tested. Dog Approved.™ Tips for Driving with Dogs

I have been traveling a lot lately, and with that comes traveling with the two pups, Teemo & Raynor. They are a huge part of our little family, and we love being able to bring them along on vacation. Subaru has a lot of dog friendly car tips in their new campaign which inspired me to write about some of my own. They have a little Facebook app with helpful tips for choosing a car specifically available here, but these are my tips for actually getting them on the road with you!

Learn Your Dog's Style
Teemo is a lap dog / needs to be with the humans. Raynor is a backseat sleeper. My mother in law's dog panics and does circles on the passenger seat floor or is in a crate. Each dog will be different - try a few short trips with your dog before a long trip, maybe to a far away dog park, so see where they do best in the car.

Lint Rollers / Mini Vaccuum

Let's talk about how TERRIBLE our car looks after we drive in it with Teemo. Our Fiesta looks like we sheared a sheep in the front seat with all the corgi fur across it. This tip is so true but easy to forget - this little Subaru video bring it up - this is totally how I am EVERY time I get out of the car with Teemo. Dogs shed - and it isn't so easy in the car!

Use Dog Beds as 'Car Seats'
We take a nice bolster stlyle dog bed from Frontgate (I used to work there and got stuff on the outlet since it was a few steps away from my cubicle) and use it as a sort of car seat for the dogs. It helps Raynor stay stabilized and in one spot, and it keeps Teemo on even ground and from running around the car.

Keep Stops To a Minimum
One of the main reasons you never find me coming back with photos taken at scenic overlooks or cool places off the road is because we love our dogs, and that's not what is best for them.  Keeping stops to a minumum means less stopping and going, and less getting excited and worked up. Our pup does very well if she can stay on smooth drives and sleep for longer, then get a nice walk and potty break every 4 hours. Any drives like Cincinnati to Akron where we can make it in one fell swoop, we do.

Water / Food
This is ALL depending on your dog. For Teemo, I would bring along snacks he could eat with me (like puffed rice or something) and feed him with me so he wasn't starving by the time we got there. I also brought along water and maybe a bone for him, keeping the water in a specialized pet bottle like this one. For Raynor, any food or water makes her sick, like the bad way that ruins your car sick. So for Raynor, it's no food until we get there, and minimal water towards the end. Depending on your dog, you will know whether or not to feed them while in the car, but having a pet water bottle is great for a long trip.

Let Your Dog Influence Your Car
Subaru does a really god job of selling cars to dogs. I love this commercial where their sales guy Grant sells to the dogs instead of the humans - it's really brilliant ad quite funny. Seriously though, there are definitely some things I wish I would have considered more in choosing a car, but alas, things come up you wouldn't have thought of.  I suggest really looking into flat folding seats, gear shifts that have a button you have to press in order to change gears in automatic cars, and windown up/down buttons that are not easily accessed by dog paws.

I hope these help for those of you who travel with your pets. I wish I could give tips on cats, but since we are allergic and I've never owned one, I'm not a good resource! Guinea pigs though are easily to travel with - we've brought our two up and down the coast a few times now. Just pick up their cage (or travel cages as we used to have) and put them in the car.

This post was written on behalf of Subaru. While I received payment for this post, the opinions and ideas expressed are my own. For more information - read the disclosure of this blog.