If you are thinking of traveling with your dog, we give you a series of tips that can help people and animals enjoy that space and achieve an entertaining vacation for everyone:
- Make sure you know the regulations according to the means of transportation you will use for the trip. Most families that travel within Chile do so by private vehicle, for which they must have a safe method of transporting their dogs Houston dog training for aggressive dogs. You can use a seat belt or transport box. In either case, it is important to accustom the dog to the use of these, weeks before the trip. You can consult with a professional trainer or a clinical veterinary ethologist who will guide you through the process.
A friendly handling for transporting animals is the application of synthetic canine appeasement pheromone inside the vehicle and also inside the transport cage. Also offering water every at least 2 hours and on long trips (over 6 hours) it is recommended to stop in a safe place and take a short walk so that the animal can stretch, urinate and even defecate.
- If you travel outside of Chile, you must know the particular requirements and regulations of the destination country regarding the entry of animals, as well as those of our country for the departure of the dog. In general terms, to leave the country you must have at least a permit from the Livestock Agricultural Service (SAG) and an up-to-date health card signed by the primary veterinarian, where the pet’s details are clearly expressed: name, species, age, breed, weight, reproductive status and microchip number. Without this identification device, you are not allowed to leave the country or enter another.
The use of some type of medication for the trip should be discussed with the primary veterinarian.
- When you arrive at the destination, make sure to keep the dog inside the place where they will stay for at least a couple of hours, so that the dog can recognize this new environment with its sense of smell. If you are going camping, you should keep him on his leash while you set up camp and then take him out for a walk so that he can explore the surroundings.
Use synthetic appeasement pheromone within the new environment in a spray or diffuser.
- Engage him in activities that are enjoyable for his species, such as hiking or swimming in a lake, if he enjoys this. It is not necessary for the dog to accompany them in each of the activities they have planned for the holidays, since there will be some that are not suitable for animals, for example a recital or traditional festival can be a rather aversive space for animals, mainly because the number of people attending, as well as the very loud noises to which they are subjected.
- Take advantage during the holidays to practice training some skills that improve the animal’s behavior and the human-animal bond. Working on obedience commands such as sit, lie down, stay, becomes a fun interaction space for animals and people.
- Motivate and guide your children to make environmental enrichments for their dogs. An easy and entertaining alternative is to do nutritional enrichment through the manufacture of ice cream, which can be prepared with a small portion of your usual food, water and chicken, meat or fish broth, which are placed in ice cube trays and given in cubes. frozen in the hottest hours. Also, with recycled fabrics, you can make braided rope toys, and food dispensers with plastic bottles.
- Do not let your dog roam without supervision, since it may cause inconvenience to third parties and negatively affect the environment and the wildlife or livestock that may be found in that place.
- Prevents the infestation of fleas and ticks, external parasites common in hot weather, respecting the application of external antiparasitics according to the product instructions.
- Finally, if you can’t take your dog on vacation, take time to decide who will be left in his or her care. Care by relatives or neighbors is also a possibility, ideally choosing a person associated with the dog. Another option is choosing a dog hotel, for which it is important to visit the place beforehand, learn in detail about the daily operations they carry out and be able to describe your dog’s tastes and routines to the managers.
Another alternative is to hire a pet sitter , which is a service that offers supervision and care at your home. It is very useful for dogs that do not socialize correctly with other dogs (an issue that could become a problem in a dog hotel) or that are fearful in new environments.