Susanna Smith (00:10):
Over the years, Ronnie and I have traveled from the Canadian border to the Mexican border hauling dogs, thousands and thousands of miles. We have some recommendations for traveling with dogs that we’d like to share with you. First, whenever you’re planning a trip, it’s important to get your dog comfortable with the crate or the trailer that they may be riding in. We want them to feel like that is their safe place, that is their den. One of the rules that we follow every day, but particularly when we’re on the road, is that we don't ever want our dog to push past us at a door or a gate. So when I open this door to the crate here, Red’s not going to push out. Say I have to stop at a truck stop, and there’s a lot of traffic. I don’t want to risk my dog getting out on the road. So by just minding the manners here at the door, we can keep ’em safer. When you are preparing to go on your trip, something to think about is making sure that you have plenty of water on board for your dog. When Ronnie and I are on the road, we usually have big tanks of water on our hunt truck or on our dog trailer. That way they have consistent water as they travel across the country.
Ronnie Smith (01:28):
Right. And another thing to consider, we’ve been in situations where we had to tie dogs. Obviously we have tie outs around our truck and trailer, but you need to get your dog comfortable with being tethered on a short lead because there will be situations that arise whether you’re doing chores in the evening, or maybe you break down and it’s hot, and you need to tether your dog on a short lead underneath a shade tree as you’re waiting for help.
Susanna Smith (01:56):
Another thing to consider when you’re preparing your trip with your dog is feeding time. If your dog is at home nibbling all day long, when you take that dog on the road, they’re probably not going to be able to take in the calories they need on a daily basis. So it’s a good idea to start changing your dog’s daily routine so that they eat one meal a day, and a reasonable amount of time might be about 15 minutes. That way when they’re on the road in an activity that might last a few hours, whether it’s a hunt or just a hike, they’re not missing out on that opportunity to get that calorie intake.
Ronnie Smith (02:34):
And we also, on trips like this, we’ll add water to our kibble. And the reason for that is, is it can entice them to eat better. It assures that they get hydrated.
Susanna Smith (02:46):
One more thing to think about as well is when you’re on the road with your dog, they’re going to be encountering new experiences, new smells, meeting new people, and new environments. So they’re going to be more distracted than they are at home, and it may be harder to enforce commands. So think about having positive control over your dog at all times when you’re on the road, whether that’s a tie out like where we’ve got Law right now, so he’s safe and secure down there. Or if you’re going to air out your dog, make sure he is on a lead or a check cord.
Ronnie Smith (03:18):
Lastly, when we travel, we give every dog FortiFlora probiotics for their digestive health. And what that does is that helps combat this stress-induced diarrhea, and that will give you better performance in the field on your trip. And just remember that a healthy gut is a healthy dog.