There he was now, the plan to go on a world travel. But what did we have to think of? And most of all, what about the dog? Six months before we started the tour, our little sunshine called Laika came to us. This meant two main things: First, frequent pee breaks at the beginning and later a lot of changes. What we have to thought of, we want to tell you today.
Preparations with and without dog
Before one goes with his Wuff (or even Meow, as we have learned on the way), you should get used to the idea that you could check off a lot of things, that were possible as an animalless traveler. And that it takes a lot more preparation than traveling alone.
But how did we prepare? Honestly, our dog was quite young (7 months) when we started, so the time of preparation was peppered with dog school, practicing basic commands and taking basic veterinary visits. How to prepare such a small dog for something that you only knew vaguely about yourself.
The most important thing was:
- Think about where to go
- Inform yourself about entry requirements
- Necessary vaccinations / veterinary precautions
- Teach the dog to ride a car and to be cute at border crossings
The choice of destination
When choosing your destination, you are tied to your four-legged friend from now on. You should ask yourself:
Do I want to expose my dog to a long car / train / bus / flight trip?
Is my dog physically (still) fit enough that he can do it with a clear conscience?
Does the dog enjoy traveling with you?
Can you entertain your dog enough during the trip (can you also take care of the demands of the breed) and take care of him?
So our trip around the world was supposed to go east from Berlin to Boston. Through countries where neither we nor acquaintances ever have been. So the absolute way off the way. This meant that on the one hand, we can not speak the language and just can not learn the entry requirements or that people we meet can for example not understand that the dog is healthy. In our case, we tortured all of the forums, government pages and the Google translator until we got the entry regulations for almost all countries. Our planned travel destinations were the EU, Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tadjikistan, Kirgisistan, Kazachstan, Russia, Mongolia, Japan, USA, Canada. By clicking on the respective country you will come to the conditions we found.
Now that you know where we are going, and what the dog needs to get in hassle-free, the next trip leads to the vet. Tell him about your plan! Our vets in the veterinary clinic Oerzen found this all very exciting and stood by our side with words and deeds. So if you live in Northern Germany,we invite you to go there, they’re great and specialized in dogs! For our travel countries, Laika only needed a valid rabies vaccine, and we also received a worm cure, which we use every three months and flea, mosquito and tick protection (in tablet form) which have one month of effectiveness. Before we left, we had an EU-pet-passport issued (he is in different languages, unfortunately not in Russian) and requested a so-called rabies titer test and registered it in the EU-pet-passport. The latter is not really cheap, but a certified lab will determine the effectiveness of the rabies vaccine. This is recognized almost everywhere in the world and helps to travel back to the EU.
The Dog Pharmacy
As the mother of the little Woof, I was worried that something would happen to the dog on the way and that we would not be able to give him any quick help, as other countries may not have a well-developed veterinary network. So I put together a small first-aid-kit. The following things have landed in it:
- Diarrheal tablets
- Calming Drops / Rescue Drops
- Quick Bandage
- Saline solution in small bottles
- No Love Spray
- Wound Closure
- For blunt injuries
- Desinfection
- Against coughing
- Dermatitis
- Ear Cleaner
- and a First Aid Bag
Master Border Crossings
Although one has dealt sufficiently with the entry requirements of the individual countries before the trip, it usually happens to be different at the border anyways. At most border crossings Laika passed as a sweet passenger dog. The border guards caressed her and found her cute, but nobody asked. But sometimes it’s controlled. Then they want to know if the dog is really the dog, as described in the EU pet passport. That is why you should definitely stick a photo of your four-legged friend in the passport and he must be chipped or visibly tattooed. Mostly nobody has a chip reader at the borders. For longer trips I recommend you to get yourself a cheap (like this one). So there is no trouble at the border.
Training
If you’re traveling with your furry fellow, remember that it’s a big change for him as well. He is away from his usual environment, the daily routine is different and everywhere he goes there are new smells and impressions that he has never noticed before. Maybe you are in an area where dogs are not liked or even feared. There are also countries where dogs are considered impure (Islam). Pouncing, licking or just touching is considered an affront. Give your pet time to get used to the changed circumstances. Maybe he does not hear well the first few days, sleeps a lot or does not carry out the simplest commands, which otherwise worked out wonderfully. Be patient! Go back a few steps. But above all, keep him on a leash if he can not conduct a reliable recall.
Daily Life
Just like at home, the dog should have a routine on the go. This does not have to be punctually on the minute, but the morning walk after getting up or certain commands before he gets his food. That helps him to orient and settle in. Our routine is to go with the woof right after getting up a little round. When the human breakfast or dinner is ready, the dog gets his food. At noon or – if it is too warm, in the evening – we go a big round. But we always do that when it’s still bright, otherwise Laika is a bit insecure. Before going to sleep there is another quick pee-round. Whenever possible we take her with us. In supermarkets and in climbing gyms, of course, she (unfortunately) is not allowed, but otherwise our maxim is: Without a dog, without us! Since then we also skip sights.
Put yourself in daily life in his position, too. Different climatic conditions are sometimes perceived by your caregiver as unpleasant. Laika, for example, has long, dense, black fur. As soon as she is lying in the sun while driving (and may it be freezing cold outside), she feels immediately too warm. That’s why we have a fan that’s just for her. In addition, you should always (even while driving) provide the dog with enough water. We always have this bottle and this drinking bowl in the storage compartment at the front. When driving, make sure that your dog has a safe place, so he is strapped in, can not slip and otherwise can not get hurt when having stupid thoughts. Laika sits in front with us in the middle seat, always has a harness (this one) and is strapped (with this). It is also important that you can calm the dog when the car rumbles unfamiliarly and moves. Human closeness is will let him feel sooo well.
And the most important point comes at the end: Have fun! You love your four-legged friend, so grab him and his ball and take off to the next meadow, beach, mountain, whatever is nearby. As much time to build a bond, as during the journey you will never again have with your fur-nose and he will love hooman-time !
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