I travel with my dogs in all places. It’s certainly one of my favorite things to do!
But I don’t want my happiness to be on the expense of theirs. I do my best to respect their preferences and make them as comfortable as possible.
I find that one of the vital stressful travel experiences for my dogs are after we stay in a hotel room (or similar like Airbnb).
Through the years, I’ve developed a routine for keeping them comfortable and blissful.
I do know I’m not the just one who stays with dogs in hotels so I would like to share my suggestions to assist make vacation a more enjoyable experience for all.
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1) Only Stay Where Dogs Are Allowed
I’m against people sneaking dogs right into a hotel room once they know pets aren’t allowed there.
It’s disrespectful to the hotel, can trigger future guests with allergies, and might get you fined or kicked out when you get caught.
Should you sneak your dog right into a hotel, you will probably be overly concerned with not being spotted so you could not take your dog out to potty or for a walk as often as it’s best to.
Making your dog hold it for long periods isn’t only uncomfortable but may result in a urinary tract infection (UTI) or kidney issues.
It will probably weaken the bladder muscles and potentially contribute to incontinence down the road.
Not giving your dog enough exercise could cause them to get irritated and stressed.
Also, YOU will little question be stressed or a little bit on edge since you don’t need to get busted breaking the principles.
Dogs can often sense how we’re feeling even even before we do.
Your dog will pick up in your emotions and turn out to be stressed themselves.
You and your dog will probably be more comfortable and relaxed when you stay at an establishments that enables pets.
2) Ask For a Room on the Ground Floor
Asking for a ground floor room, and one preferably near and exit, will make potty breaks quick and more convenient.
On the bottom floor, you won’t need to spend time waiting for an elevator. or climbing up and down flights of stairs, together with your pooch.
It also means you will probably be back snoozing in bed sooner in case your dog must exit in the course of the night.
3) Let Your Dog Explore Their Recent Surroundings (With Supervision)
The very first thing a dog will need to do when entering an area not familiar to them is to smell around.
They need to get accustomed to the room before they calm down.
Let your dog do that but follow them around, preferably scanning the realm before they stick their nose and mouth there.
All of us expect a hotel to be clean after we check in, right? Well, let me let you know from expeirence, this isn’t all the time the case.
Hotel room cleaners are similar to us, sometimes they make mistakes and miss something.
There have been several times my dogs have disappeared under the bed only to return out gobbling some type of old, gross, food.
If the food is rotten, it could upset your dog’s tummy.
If it’s something that dogs absolutely shouldn’t eat, like sugar-free gum with Xylitol, you possibly can be spending your vacation on the emergency vet.
4) Bring the Comforts of Home With You
The #1 key for keeping my dog’s comfortable during a hotel stay is to make it feel like home away from home.
The perfect approach to try this is to bring their favorite dog blanket.
But ensure that you haven’t washed it recently!
You don’t want it to stink but you actually want it to have the smell of your own home, you, and their very own smell on it.
We’ve been using the Tall Tails fleece dog blankets for years.
The dogs love how plush they’re and they appear practically latest even after a hundred washes.
My all-time-favorite is their sherpa dog bone blanket but I’m also loving their latest cowhide pattern fleece dog blanket.
5) Bring Toys to Keep Your Dog Busy
Dogs that aren’t given something to do will find ways to entertain themselves.
There are advantages to every different dog play type.
Bring along toys you need to use to have interaction together with your dog, and expend their energy, like this Natural Leather Bone Tug Toy.
Bring toys you possibly can put treats in to maintain your dog busy when you’re working, showering, or need to run out of the room for a minute.
The licking can create a soothing effect too.
And don’t forget to bring a plushie toy.
A soft, squeaker or crinkly toy is mentally stimulating and the soft fabric will retain scents from home, helping your dog to feel comforted.
This baby owl with squeaker or crunch alligator toy are good options.
Should you bring toys that make sound though, just hope that the partitions aren’t paper thin in order that your neighbors can hear it.
It’s also an excellent idea to limit noise-making play to typical non-quiet-time hours like between 9 am and 9 pm.
6) Attempt to Maintain Your Dog’s Normal Routine
Maintaining an identical routine to the one you will have at home can reduce stress because your dog isn’t coping with several changes without delay.
For instance, my dogs have a dog crate at home that they will use as a “den” to retreat to in the event that they need a little bit alone time.
I bring a light-weight, collapsible dog crate with us after we stay in hotels so that they have this same opportunity there.
I make it a welcoming nest by placing a crate pad (we’re currently using the Dream Chaser dog crate bed from Tall Tails) and a fleece blanket in it (one which smells like home as mentioned in tip #1)
Also, at home they eat at 7 am and 430 pm. I attempt to be on the hotel during those times so I can provide them their scheduled meal.
Speaking of eating, attempt to feed your dog the identical food you do at home when you’re on vaccation.
Should you can’t try this, at the very least experiment with the food you’ll be feeding your dog before you allow home.
Start mixing it together with your dog’s regular food at the very least every week before your vacation and possibly try giving your dog a full meal of the brand new food to see in case your dog will eat it.
7) Exit the Room Before Your Dog
Encountering strange dogs or people within the hall can stress your dog out.
You may avoid this by sticking your head out of the door before your dog is allowed to cross the edge.
Ask your dog to take a seat before you even open the door and make them wait until you say it’s clear to return out.
In case your dog isn’t trained to attend behind the door, you possibly can have another person contained in the room hold the leash or tie it to something solid like a bed leg.
8) Make Sure Your Dog Gets Loads of Exercise
You’ll have heard the phrase, “A drained dog is an excellent, blissful dog.”
While this may increasingly not be 100% true depending on the dog, it mostly is.
Sometimes on vacation we’re so busy driving around to benefit from the sights that we forget to take the dog for a walk.
Ensure that you might be walking your dog at the very least once a day if you’re staying at a hotel so that they are less more likely to be on edge once they hear little sounds.
This rule applies to arrival day too.
In case your dog has been riding within the automotive all day, make sure you stop at a neighborhood park or trail to let your dog expend some energy before settling into your room for the night.
A drained dog is less more likely to bark, pace, or chew things they shouldn’t.
9) Don’t Leave Them Alone (for Long Anyway)
There are occasions when it’s unavoidable to go away your dog in your room.
Sometimes you want to make use of the communal washer and dryer and might’t juggle your dog’s leash and your laundry at the identical time.
Sometimes it’s worthwhile to grab something from the lobby and also you don’t need to disturb other guests checking in by bringing your dog.
Sometimes it’s worthwhile to pick up food from a non-dog-friendly restaurant to bring it back to your room.
Nevertheless, consider that even probably the most relaxed dogs may be on edge once they are in unfamiliar surroundings with strange smells and noises and also you’re nowhere to be found.
Leaving your dog alone in a brand new situation can trigger separation anxiety, which is able to stress your dog out.
This can lead to messes on the ground, costly damage to the room, or nuisance barking that disturbs other guests (some hotels will even ask you to go away in case your dog is disruptive).
Be courteous to other guests and keep your dog’s barking to a minimum. If the hotel receives a criticism, you and your dog bay be kicked out.
To be protected, it’s best to not leave your dog within the room alone in any respect or only for brief periods.
10) Know Your Dog’s Stress Signals
Knowing how your dog looks or behaves once they’re stressed can provide help to catch any issues early and take a look at to repair them.
While not all dogs exhibit the identical signs and symptoms, they usually don’t all the time display the identical ones in all situations, VCA Animal Hospitals lists some common signs your dog is stressed.
These include:
- Pacing or shaking
- Whining or barking
- Yawning, drooling, and licking
- Panting
- Hiding or cowering
When you likely can’t end your vacation early and go home if your dog is stressed, noticing these signs can result in you making changes that put your dog comfortable.
If doing things like going for a walk, petting and talking softly to your dog, or giving your dog a stuffed treat toy don’t help, you could want to contemplate giving your dog a natural calming complement.
My go-to for stressful situations is HempMy Pet Organic CBD dog treats.
Final Thoughts
Taking a vacation together with your dog may be an incredible experience.
It will probably even be stressful in your dog..
Following the following pointers at hotels that allow dogs stay will help ensure that the experience is enjoyable for everybody.
Should you’re staying in an Airbnb, take a look at the following pointers for staying in a dog friendly Airbnb from Travelnuity.
There are some essential differences, and things to contemplate, if you’re not staying one together with your dog (as an alternative of a hotel).
