Is Your Pet Ready for the Big Road Trip?

By Kim Salerno
Planning to hit the road with your best friend? Before you do it’s important to plan ahead and always keep the best interests of your furry, four-legged, or feathered friend in mind. Traveling with your pet can be a wonderful and bonding experience or a not so pleasant one. It’s all function of proper planning and preparation.

Your first decision is whether to bring your pet along with you on your trip. Not all pets are suited for travel. While it may be very tempting to bring your pet with you, keep in mind that not all pets are happy travelers. Things to consider include your pet’s temperament, any physical impairments, or if your pet suffers from an illness. If you’re uncertain whether your pet is suited for travel, you may want to consult with your veterinarian.

If you determine that your pet is up for the trip, then it’s always best to have a healthy start. The last thing you need is a sick pet when traveling. This means a visit to the vet for a medical checkup and to ensure that your pet is up-to-date with all necessary vaccinations. The veterinarian can also issue a health certificate for your pet. If you and your pet will be traveling across state lines, you must obtain a recent health certificate and a certificate of rabies vaccination. If your plans include traveling with your pet from the United States to Canada, you will need to bring along a certificate issued by a veterinarian that clearly identifies the animal and certifies that your pet has been vaccinated against rabies during the preceding 36 month period. Be sure to contact the government of the province you plan to visit as each province has its own requirements.

Have a plan for how you’re going to properly restrain your pet in your vehicle. This is a crucial element of pet travel that is not taken seriously enough. The reality is that hundreds of pets are injured or even killed each year because they are allowed free reign in cars, trucks, RVs, and SUVs. Even more real is the toll in human life and property damage caused when an "enthusiastic" animal distracts a driver, leading to an accident. Vehicle pet barriers, pet safety harnesses, and pet carriers are all excellent ways to keep your pet (and you) safe when traveling in your vehicle. It’s important to familiarize your pet with the vehicle restraint of choice weeks or months before traveling so that they are comfortable.

In the unfortunate event that your pet runs off while you’re traveling. A temporary identification tag, along with a photo of your pet will help ensure their safe return. Attach a temporary ID tag to your pet’s collar in addition to their permanent tag. Include the address and phone number of where you’ll be staying along with your cell phone number and perhaps your email address. This is one of the most important aspects of traveling with your pet, but also one of the most overlooked. In addition, bring along a current photo of your pet. A photograph will make it easier for others to help you find your lost pet.
When packing for your pet include an ample supply of your pet's food. Don’t rely on stopping along the way to pick up their food or picking it up at your final destination. Their particular brand of food may not be readily available and it is not advisable to introduce your pet to a new brand of food while traveling. Other essentials to pack for your pet include collapsible travel food and water bowls, bedding, litter and litter box, leash, collar and tags, favorite toys, grooming supplies, a pet first-aid kit and any necessary medications. And of course…be sure to always have an ample supply of water available for your pet.
If you’re planning a long journey and will need to stay in pet friendly accommodations on the way to your final destination, be sure to secure these accommodations BEFORE you hit the road. Map out where you'll be spending the night and arrange for lodging along the way. TRIPSwithPETS.com provides an online directory of pet friendly accommodations across the U.S. Pet policies do change and accommodations may be limited so it's recommended that you contact the property in advance.
In case of a medical emergency while traveling you can find a directory of pet hospitals on the TRIPSwithPETS.com website. Research this before your trip and bring this information along with you. It is also advisable to bring along your own vet’s contact information should they be needed for consultation.
Careful preparation is the key to ensuring that you and your pet have a happy and safe trip. Check back next month when we talk about “Rules of the Road” when traveling with your pet!

Choosing Pet Clothes for Different Seasons and Occasions

After a hectic and busy day, you will feel good when your pets with pretty gestures welcome you. Pet lovers always consider their pets as one among their family members and take a lot of care for their needs. One product which all the pet lovers show interest is the Pet clothes. When you clothe them, you protect them from the changing weather conditions. Even though the pets have natural fur and hair for protection from cold, clothes adds more beauty and the pets also look very cute by wearing varieties of pet clothes.

The pet clothing for your pet depends on your living environment. If you are residing in a cold region your pet may be exposed to cold climate for a long duration and hence you have to choose thick clothes for your pet. When you are residing in a place with temperate weather condition, you have to unbutton your pet clothes and so you have to buy thin coats for your pets.

Though there are multiple reasons for dressing your pet, you don't have to be worried about your pet clothes if any of the following fits with your pet. When the density of hair and fur is more on your pet, you don't have to additionally burden them with pet clothes. When you live in a hot climate your pet will not enjoy getting dressed. Lastly, if you’re pet refuses the pet clothes offered to it, don't force such clothes on it and don't ever try to make it wear pet clothes that it does not prefer. You can always beautify them by other means like hairstyles, jewelries etc.

Pet clothes are having increasing popularity as a lot of stores and suppliers now offer different ranges of pet clothes. Pet clothes are available in different varieties and styles for pet dogs when compared with other pets. This may be because the dogs show more of cooperation in getting dressed. Mostly sale of the pet clothes are focused towards pet owners who are fashion conscious and clothes are marketed with the multiple benefits your pet attains out of using them. Normally after winter walk, pets get tired and their body temperature undergoes sudden change and pet clothes can prevent them from catching cold. Another important benefit of providing clothing for your pet is to safeguard the pet's skin from scratching or aggravating any itching area. If your pet has undergone an invasive operation, then the pet clothes will protect the wound till it's healed. Some pet clothes are exclusively available for preventing family way in pets. Though it may look awkward but it prevents the number of pets in your home from increasing.

Most of the pet lovers choose sports style pet clothes like hooded tops, faux leather jackets, trendy vests, T-shirts and colorful knits as they add more of uniqueness in their appearance. Other fashionable clothes are pet's shoes and boots with matching pyjamas and there are also trouser suits that are waterproof available for your lovable pets. On special days if you don't want your pet to be left out, you can buy fancy costumes. The famous fancy pet clothes are bridesmaid outfit, wedding gowns, tuxedos, and seasonal costumes. When you love your pet and can afford more budgets you can buy fashionable pet clothes as a gift for your pet.

10-Week Basic Dog Obedience Training Formula

Learning new things can be stressful for your dog especially in the beginning when concepts and teaching methods are new. If your dog refused to eat during the early stages of training, stop the program and have a play session or calm your dog until it is relaxed and begins to accept treats again. This process may require 3 to 4 sessions but it is worth going through it to develop your dog’s positive attitude towards obedience.

Conduct 3 training sessions a day, each session lasting approximately 20 minutes while allowing at least 1 hour rest in-between sessions. In a 2-week period, there should be a total of 30 sessions.

Week 1 And Week 2

1) Teach your dog the “heel” command. Repeat a series of 3 to 5 circles and perform 5 series of 4-step “heels” per session.
2) Teach the “sit” and “release” command. Command your dog to “sit”, let it stay in the sit position for a moment then give the “release” command to release your dog from the “sit”. Repeat this series 5 times per session.
3) For each session, work on a series of 1 exercise and move to another exercise (i.e., work on one series of 4-step “heel”, then a series of “sit” and “break”, and finally a series of 4-step “heels”’).

Although dogs need repetition to learn a skill, you need a variety of exercises to keep them interested as they bore easily.

Week 3 And Week 4

1) Reinforce the “heel” command. Test the “heel” command from lessons learned from week 1 and week 2.
2) Reinforcing the “sit” and “release” command. Begin training your dog to hold the “sit” position starting from 5 seconds and gradually stretching the time to 10 seconds.
3) Begin teaching your dog the “down” command (use treats to lure your dog to teach it the command). Repeat the series 2 times per session in week 3 and 3 times per session in week 4.

Week 5 And Week 6

1) Continue to reinforce and test the “heel”, “sit” and “release” commands. Begin to include distractions when training “heel” and “sit” to train your dog to continue focusing on you even there are distractions.
2) Extend the concept of holding position to build patience by extending the “sit” from 5 – 10 seconds to 30 seconds – 1 minute before releasing the “sit” command.

When you test your dog, you should repeat each test until it passes the test 3 consecutive times.

3) Start to reinforce the “down” command in week 5 by removing the treat and shoulder help. During week 6, begin reinforcing without any bodily assistance. You can reintroduce treats as the reward but do not tempt your dog. Only reward your dog after it has successfully completed the “down” command.

Training sessions may become more stressful for both you and your dog as you progress from the teaching phase and enter into the more difficult reinforcing phase. If you find a particular test too tough for both of you; stop the exercise and continue to practice the skills individually, you can repeat that particular test a few days later.

While the length and regularity of the sessions remain unchanged since the first week, the sessions are becoming less predictable and require varieties to make them as interesting and effective as they can be.

Week 7 And Week 8

1) While continuing to reinforce and test the “heel”, “sit” and “release” commands, don’t forget to reinforce the “down” command as well. In 1 of every 3 sessions, add distractions to your basic commands. Improve “down from a stand” exercise with the “down” command.
2) Extend the time-span of the holding position and begin teaching the “stay” command.
3) Begin combining the different commands when training. Teach “sit” and “down” from your front and testing motion “down” and motion “sit”.
4) Start teaching the “come” command. Put your dog on “sit/stay” position, while walking backwards monitor the position holding skills. Body language plays an important role in teaching this command and sending the wrong signals sometimes causes your dog not to hold the position.

Week 9, Week 10 And After

1) Reinforce “stay” and “come” command. Always practice a short leash recall to reinforce the final finish position. Repeat at least 10 times per session. “Come” is the most important command but the least practiced of all the other commands.
2) Conduct test and reinforce all obedience commands. Practice all commands equally, working on each command as little as 1 or as many as 5 repetitions per series though you should avoid creating patterns.

Make exercises targeted towards your practical obedience application. Include distraction training in at least 1 out of every 3 obedience practice sessions.


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