Level 3Experienced
Travelling with your dog: arriving well takes preparation
The answer
For you, the journey leads to a show. For your dog, it's mainly a change of scene, a few hours of transport and lots of new smells!
The aim is to let it arrive rested and ready. A well-prepared journey is already part of a good show day.
Here are three tips per level to travel together more calmly.
Beginner: build good habits
- Introduce it to travelling before the big departure
Avoid making its first experience of the car or a travel crate a journey of several hours.
Start with short sessions, then small trips to somewhere pleasant. Let your dog gradually discover its spot and reward calm moments.
This is a learning tip: go at its pace, without trying to skip steps.
- Plan a stable, suitable set-up
In the car, use a properly secured crate or a restraint system suited to transport. Your dog should be settled comfortably and unable to interfere with the driving.
By train or plane, check the carrier's conditions before booking: the accepted container, dimensions, lead, muzzle and booking for the animal may depend on the service chosen. [1][2]
A crate accepted by one company isn't necessarily accepted by another.
- Keep its useful things within reach
Pack a small bag with water, a bowl, a lead, poo bags, a towel and the necessary documents.
Add its usual bedding if possible. Finding a familiar smell can help it get its bearings.
The detail that changes everything: don't pack the bowl under the suitcases and the grooming table!
Intermediate: manage the journey with care
- Plan breaks according to its needs
On a car journey, arrange stops to offer water and let your dog walk and relieve itself. The French Ministry of Agriculture recommends regularly offering fresh water and taking the dog out during the journey. [1]
Adapt the breaks to its age, its condition and the conditions of the journey.
Before opening a door or the crate, secure it with its lead: a motorway service area is not a place for a free run.
- Take the heat seriously
Never leave your dog alone in the vehicle. Windows left slightly open and a bowl of water aren't enough to protect it from the heat. [1]
When you can, choose cooler times of day and check that air circulates to where it is, particularly inside a crate.
During breaks, look for a shaded spot and watch out for scorching surfaces.
- Plan ahead for journeys it finds hard
If your dog drools a lot, vomits or seems very worried while travelling, talk to your vet before the next trip. The official guide recommends doing this when the animal tolerates transport badly. [1]
Describe what you see and when it starts. The vet can suggest suitable treatment.
Don't try a medicine or calming product on your own initiative on the morning of the show.
Advanced: prepare the whole trip
- Check the whole international route
Leaving France, a usual trip within the European Union requires, among other things, recognised identification, a European passport and a valid rabies vaccination.
Some destinations impose additional treatments. Outside the European Union, entry and return formalities can require more preparation. [3]
Also check the countries you pass through: the final destination isn't always the only territory to take into account.
- Choose the route that suits your dog
The shortest trip on a map isn't necessarily the one your dog will cope with best.
Compare the real duration, connections, opportunities for breaks and waiting times. By train, check the rules of the exact service: TGV INOUI, OUIGO, TER (French rail services) and international links can have different conditions. [2]
For a flight, ask the airline about the conditions that apply to your dog and the planned flight before buying tickets. [1]
- Allow time to recover before the ring
After a long journey, allow a quiet period: a short walk, water and rest somewhere calm. Avoid going straight into an intensive presentation session.
If the journey is a long one, arriving the day before can be useful. It's an organisational choice, to be adapted to your dog and your budget.
Also keep the contact details of a vet clinic near where you're staying, as the French Ministry of Agriculture recommends. [1]
The habit to remember
Prepare the trip for the dog you're travelling with. Its age, its experience and the way it recovers matter as much as the miles.
The learning and organisation tips in this article are practical recommendations. Health requirements and transport conditions depend on the route and the carrier.