Driving to Florida with my dog..
 

I am thinking about my move the The Villages and am a bit anxious about driving three or four days with my Boston Terrier. I have never driven more than a couple of hours in the car with her. Any experiences with long drives with your dog would be appreciated.

Bathe him real well ( for you ) & Valium ( for the dog )

Like you, I'll be driving to TV with my older sheltie for about 2 days. Plan to talk with my vet about sedation and also plan to stop often to exercise her. Also have to find a motel that accepts dogs which I think is more acceptable in the south then it is here here in the north.

Or the other way around , lol
Seriously, I will have the same problem later this year with 2 dogs---50 mg of trazadone works wonders

How is just a short drive. Our old dog would vomit just looking at a car.

We have driven many time from Pa to the Villages with our dog. Straight through 16 hours. Stopped about every other rest area to let him do hid business. He slept most of the way and had no problems. When he was awake he just sat looking out the windows. There are many hotels that accept dog, many charge a small addition fee. Google to find them. BTW he weights 16 lbs.

When I last drove down I put them in a doggie car seat. It looks like a dog bed. Goes in the back seat. They are fastened in. It is high so they can see out. But the seat belt and padding is there incase of a accident.

Made lots of trips from NJ to Florida over the past 10 years with our 2 mini pins. Once the car was in constant motion they slept. We usually drove straight through and stopped at each states welcome center for them to do their stuff and walk a little. We usually started out our trip in the very early morning so they always started out half asleep. Sorry but I dont believe in drugging them unless it it TOTALLY necessary.A good soft dog bed helped them also.

Dog friendly.com, bringfido.com. We travel at least once a year with our 2 dogs. Car seats& Benadryl for the one that gets carsick. Lots of good advice on the web. Just be sure they are well secured on leashes before opening car door at rest stops.

We drove straight thru from Northern VA in December. Stopped for gas 4-5 times and that's when she got out to do her business.

Our dog loves riding in the car or the golf cart. He even went cross country with us from Massachusetts to California and back down to Florida when we bought here. We then returned to Massachusetts. He never gets upset or sick riding. He just likes being where we are. Despite his begging we never let him drive.

We drove from CA to FL wh.en we moved here. My wife and I in the lead car with our black lab, and my mom in her car with her Rottweiler. We stopped every two hours or so at a rest stop to let the dogs out and stretch our legs, staying at least 15-30 minutes. We used pet friendly places for the night and drove no more than about six to eight hours per day. Since we used a chain motel with the same room layout, it got so the dogs would go to the same place in every room to sleep. Never a problem with them.

For the last 7 years we have driven from northern Wisconsin to our properties in The Villages 3 X's a year
with our 2 dogs. In those 7 years we never had one negative experience with our dogs, they love that trip !
Google pet-friendly motels with dog park areas nearby on your route, also all the rest stops have pet exercise areas to accommodate travelers. Make sure you carry a current vaccination record of your dog in the glove box, and most important, attach an ID tag to the collar of your dog.
FYI~ A dog can sense it's owners anxieties, so relax and safe travels.

Thanks to everyone for your advice. It's comforting to know that others have been in the same boat and survived.

Agree with Barefoot. La Quintas take pets. When we drove down we found the LaQuintas near our route and booked ahead. Never a problem and no pet charge which made it even better.
As some else mentioned be sure to have your dog on a leash BEFORE he /she gets out of car.

I, too, traveled w/ 2 min pins from NY to TV. Never a
Problem. Harness always on, only had to attach leash
At stops. I put the back seats down and filled in gap
With soft suitcases,and of course blankets. FYI- exit 33
In Virginia has 24/7 Starbucks, gas, snacks, can walk pups,
Clean & safe.

We will drive with our Lab. In the SUV we will fold the back sets down and put her dog bed in. Also have her stuffed toy or something. Will stop every three hours or so. Drury Inns allows dogs.

Good luck!

You can go to ihg.com (holiday inn family hotels). Click "advanced search" below "find a hotel". Then click on "find hotels along a route", click on "dog friendly" and it will give you every hotel along the route that accepts pets.

This is all good advice. We travel with two Shih-Tzus and have had experience with others. My first experience with medicating them was horrible so I would not do that until it looks like they need it. With two medicated it can make the feel like they are out of control and they may fight each other when they never have before. That was my bad experience. If they have been for rides with you before and did ok they will likely do well on the trip even though long.

Drury Inns & La Quinta Inns are very dog friendly

When we moved to The Villages in 2002, my mom and I drove from Carson City Nevada to The Villages with her dog Gizmo and my Boston Terrier Dixie. Both dogs were exceptionally well behaved and a joy to be around. We booked motels that were dog friendly...but usually for one dog. I remember walking through the lobby after Ma had checked us in with Dixie and I followed with Gizzy under my jacket....didn't realize his tail was waving behind us for all the world to see! We had a great time and a good laugh over it. Unless your dog has a carsick problem, he'll do just fine. Just give him/her breaks and the baby will sleep most of the way. Enjoy the journey!

Our dog gets carsick. She's great in the golf cart but even small distances in the car are a problem. Would appreciate suggestions.

LaQuintas are the best. Please don't drug your dog unless it is absolutely necessary. I once drugged my Great Dane because he was terrified of fire works and ended up with a dog that peed all night where ever he was. Frequent stops are the key for you and your fur friends. We recently had to make two trips from northern Georgia to The Villages in 10 days and our fur kids did fine. FYI we stopped at the LaQuinta in Valdosta a few times and they are great. Ask for a room that faces the pool and you will be away from the noise of I75 and have a patio door to let your dog out for a quick trip to do their business. P.S. Outback delivers if you can't leave your fur kid alone.

La Quintas and Drury Inns allow two pets free. When we switched to them it was the first time in 7 years our Cockatiel was legal. Before then he was a stowaway in-room. Not paying $25 for a 7-ounce bird.

Even as puppies, our goldens would go 4 hours between stops. When we first got them we began tossing them in the car and taking them everywhere. By the time we left for the drive from MI to Key West, the second one was 11 weeks old and riding calmly in a soft crate. By the time we came back he was 45 lbs and had outgrown the crate but rode like a champ in the backseat.

Start early to get your dog acclimated to the car.

Good to know, Rickg. Holiday Inns are nice because a lot of them have restaurants, and consequently room service. We don't like to leave our dog alone in the room (and the hotels don't want you to), so it's either someone goes for takeout, have pizza delivered, or be lucky enough to have room service.

Going back out after a long drive is a pain, and we don't like to eat pizza en route as it's too heavy. So the Holiday Inns with restaurants are a treat.

PLEASE . . . do NOT tranquilize your dog! 99% of the time, it isn't necessary. They will adapt and settle down.
You might want to stop every 4-5 hours to let them go to the bathroom and give them a drink.
We mostly had fast food because it was easier.

We travelled 2,700 miles with our dogs with no problem.
It's usually the humans who are anxious and not the dogs.
There is nothing better than an alert pet when you stop,
as opposed to one who has been drugged.

Please don't do it!!!

Does motion sickness medicine work for dogs?

Your vet should have suggestions for car sickness, and would know the personality of your dog well enough to suggest medication for that or for anxiety. When we flew our dog overseas, our vet suggested a collar that gives off pheromones (or something like that). It's calming. This also comes in a spray (you can spray the crate if he's traveling in one) and a kind of stick-on deal that gives off the pheromones (also for inside a crate). The brand we used was D.A.P.

I think she did it for me rather than for the dog!

We've made several long trips with our Morkie and Cairn Terrier; they're asleep in in the back seat by the time we've gone 1 mile and don't wake until we stop for gas. Perfect dogs to travel with.

All of my Shih Tzus have been great travelers. However, if your pup gets anxious after a couple of hours, you may need to lightly sedate. Check with your vet. It is very important you have all your pup's medical info with you. Having just the rabies tag won't do. La Quinta, Holiday Inn Express, Staybridge Suites and many others accept pets. Try this website. Pet Friendly Hotels for Dogs and Cats - TripsWithPets.com

Here is how I would do it.

http://blog.modernmechanix.com/mags/...g_car_sack.jpg

Or go the Romney route!

I think my wife would put me outside before the dog.

Speaking as both a wife and owner of a precious dog, I think your wife has her priorities right!:laugh:

Somehow I knew that would be your opinion. [emoji23]

:wave: