Traveling Tips for Your German Shepherd Dog Continued

by Dean | Adult dog, Adult Dogs, AKC Champion, breaks, Champion, diet, feeding, food, health, traveling, Uncategorized, vitamin | 0 comments

Exploring the vast prairie of the Washita National Wildlife Refuge

Hi Everyone,

Traveling with your German Shepherd Dog can be easy and enjoyable when you and your dog are prepared for the trip. German Shepherd Dog, puppies or adults can be extremely sensitive to the water that they drink. Water from different areas contain different chemicals and hardness, and can cause your German Shepherd Dog to get diarrhea. Therefore, it is well worth the effort to travel with water from your house for your German Shepherd Dog. An alternative to this is to purchase distilled water. When we are traveling to dog shows, we may have as many as eight adult dogs in our van. This many dogs makes it impossible to carry enough water from home for a four or five day trip. We have found that the dogs do well on distilled water and they never get runny stools from the water.

Enjoying a Break while on the Road

I discovered this years ago while at a dog show with seven German Shepherd Dogs in West Texas where the local water was high in sulfur. I as well as all seven German shepherds had upset stomachs. I purchased distilled water and everyone got well within one day. Also, if your German Shepherd Dog does develop runny stools while traveling, four or five table spoons of Dannon plain white yogurt added to their food will calm their upset stomachs.

Traveling with your German Shepherd Dog’s food is easy with a little planning and preparation. I recommend bagging daily rations of dry-food in Ziploc baggies. This way you will not run out of food before your travels are done and you are not hauling extra food. You also can precook carrots and eggs and place these in Tupperware and keep them cool in a small doggie ice chest along with your yogurt and canned meet. Vitamins and cod liver oil also be premeasured and placed in smaller containers so you are not carrying extra while on your trip. We prefer to feed canned salmon or mackerel when traveling. One 15 ounce should be enough for 5 days. Be sure to bring a food bowl; we prefer stainless steel because it is durable and very easy to clean in a hotel sink. Also, you should bring a pail that you can hang onto the side of their crate for them to drink from.

Taking Time to Explore While on a Travel Break

Where does your German Shepherd dog ride while in the vehicle? For adult shepherds the front or back seat may suffice. If your dog is not crated, please use a dog seat-belt. This will protect you as well as your German shepherd Dog if you have a car accident. Even a minor fender bender can propel your unsecured dog into or through the windshield or into the back of your head killing you and your dog. For traveling with German Shepherd Dog puppies, I recommend a crate that is just large enough that they can stand up and comfortably turn around in. The crate should be secured to the vehicle so that it cannot become a projectile in case of an accident.

If you are staying overnight in hotels, you should bring a crate that you can place your dog in while he is in the hotel room, especially if you leave to go to eat and leave the German Shepherd Dog behind. This is because if hotel staff opens the door, they will not be greeted by a German Shepherd Dog and possibly let your dog out of the room when they leave the door open while running away. This happened to one of our customers while at a dog show in Biloxi, Mississippi.

Finally do not forget to bring a couple of your German Shepherd Dog’s favorite toys. Traveling is stressful to your dog and having a couple of their favorite toys in evening will allow them to unwind while you watch television to unwind. Enjoy your travels with your German Shepherd Dog and be safe on the road.