Thursday, May 19, 2011

Driving Your Dog While Keeping It Comfortable

By Frank Anand


Every once in awhile, you need to give your dog a ride. Before you get behind the wheel with a hound on board, know that there is a list of safety guidelines you should keep in mind. It doesn't matter if you will be travelling intercity for a holiday, or just driving him to his health checkup at the local vet.

Begin by teaching your dog that whenever he is in a vehicle, he needs to know that his place is exclusively in the back. You do not want him to climb his way onto your shoulder to get your attention, all the while you're navigating through the traffic. Repeatedly issue the stay put command until he grasps the concept, which might take some time, but it can also save you from having to make a vehicle claim as a result of him causing you an accident.

Dogs are not born for riding vehicles so you need to provide him with the necessary comforts. Your dog should have enough personal space to stretch his legs if he wants to, and it doesn't have to involve an SUV or truck like a Ford F-150. His boredom of the journey can also be reduced if you provide him with his most cherished toys and blanket. Whether or not music also helps depends on individual dogs.

Care must be taken to prevent car sickness in your dogs. Wooziness can be minimised if the dog can be taught to look at the frontal view. If you will be on the road for a long time, pull over every 2 to 3 hours to let the dogs out and relief themselves. For certain dogs it might seem as if they are just born get sick in a moving car, in that case you will need to get some appropriate sedatives like Dramamine from your vet.

On the night before a very long road trip with your pet, cut down his meal size and never offer him any food right before the journey. Doing so can make things easier on his stomach, which is very likely to become agitated as he is travelling. Only give your dog treats inside the car on a seldom basis.

Since a dog is more susceptible to a heat stroke than us, be wary of the air flow issue. Under certain conditions, a vehicle's interior temperature can become twenty degrees hotter than the outdoors. Depending on the weather, this can kill both animals and minors alike. If a dog becomes too restless over an open window however, it might be better to use the air con instead.

If car travel will become a regular occurrence for your canine, you might be interested in searching for some dog seat harness, some of which are constructed to work directly with your car's seat belts. Using a specialised dog seat belt no only keeps him still, but it can also keep him alive if you have an unfortunate vehicle accident.




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