Hey! Any advice for taking our lab to a hotel? Mine is 1.5years old and has never slept away from home. We bought a travel kennel and have been having him sleep in that... he isn’t the biggest fan but he settles down and goes to sleep. We introduced him to a lot of new things as a puppy but he is still insecure and unsure of new things.
It seems like y'all are starting off right. I have heard many people recommend bringing pureed pumpkin bc that calms the stomach. I would also bring his favorite chew toy. Cheers!
He's got such a sweet face in your avatar photo. The travel kennel is a great idea. You've probably already figured this out, but if he doesn't like new things, then try to keep everything besides the location as consistent as possible. Bring a favourite blanket, a toy...whatever he usually sleeps with. Also try to keep to the times you'd normally do things such as a last walk, dinner and bedtime. Have a kong or something similar to distract him with if he decides to serenade you in the night. Finally, it would probably be best not to leave him alone in the room even in the kennel, so that may mean making alternative dinner or breakfast plans where he can come with you if that normally isn't allowed by the hotel. I really loved traveling with my own dog and have such good memories. I hope you have the first of many wonderful times with your boy!
Homer has stayed with us in a number of different hotels, Holiday in Express, ibis Budget while travelling and independant dog friendly hotels for weekend breaks. We take spare dog towels, a piece of vetbed and his blanket to put on the bed (as he will jump up) along with his bowl and food. We usually feed him in the bathroom and then use his food bowl for water. He'll start the night on the floor but usually come up between us. We make sure that his tummy has had an extra rub to make sure that he's not muddy. We have started leaving him in the room depending on the hotel and how settled he is while we have a quick breakfast together but we used to tag-team breakfast when he was younger. We've always had good experiences so far and hotel staff and guests have been friendly.
We've stayed at hotels and lots of rental accommodation with our dogs. Top tip is don't leave him alone in the room. If he starts to bark while you are out having breakfast or dinner it can seriously piss off other guests and the hotel staff.
Take a few throws for the bed and furniture, even if the hotel allow dogs on the bed you don't want to leave it dirty in case you get hit with a deep cleaning bill (not that he's dirty but his paws or tummy might be after a walk). And if they don't allow it then you won't get found out! You may want to associate him with going up and down in a lift if he hasn't already. Take some long lasting chews for him, these were handy for us when we were eating in a pub and Maisy just wanted to play!
I took Harley to a hotel for the first time last October. She’s 4 years old. I was so surprised that she was so well behaved. We took lots of her things with us such as toys, blanket etc. Because we were out walking much longer than usual she was exhausted by bedtime and slept really well. She had me up twice to go to the toilet, but settled well.
We stay in motels and hotels with Tilly and Cooper when we travel by car. Most all the places we stay require that you never leave the dog alone in the room, even for a few moments. At breakfast, one of us goes down and collects breakfast and brings it back to the room. The biggest problem we have is that sometimes they will react to hearing/smelling people walking by the hall. We always make sure we have Nylabones or other chews to help keep them occupied. We don't take crates with us, because we don't use them at home anymore. We did crate training when they were pups, but don't crate now. Cooper will usually sleep on a bed, and Tilly on the floor. We just make sure they are cleaned off as well as possible before we bring them into the room.
Oh dogs in hotels! This was Benson and Casper's first night in a hotel. The receptionist looked a bit surprised when 2 large labradors came through the doors. It wasn't until way after we realised they only allowed 2 "small" dogs!
Thanks everyone! Our hotel does allow dogs to be unattended in the rooms. (They even set up a dog bed). If he seems comfortable we will leave him in the travel kennel for short increments... but if he seems stressed at all we will stay with him. If he had a confident buddy it would be so much easier!
@Beanwood they look like two kids excited to be in a hotel and jumping on the bed!! So lovely! The first time we slept away, we made the mistake of not taking Snowie’s bed - too big for the car. He spent the whole night wandering around, unsettled, even though we’d made him a comfy sleeping spot with cushions and blankets. Thereafter we’ve squeezed his bed in the car and on arrival, we find a place for it, settle him on it, and he’s settled for the rest of the holiday.
After the French trip, we used soft crates with beds inside. First, we set up at home and made the area really exciting and fun. It worked a treat when I spent time in Cornwall last year with Benson. Dogs weren't allowed on the bed or the kitchen/dining areas (ha!) Really good value, easy to carry and set up. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ellie-Bo-F...21534181&sr=8-12&keywords=soft+dog+crate&th=1
I once ordered a taxi for me and Maisy and they asked if the dog was small, I said yes of course because she was a pup - small to me. The look on the driver's face was not very friendly and he told me off because he was told it was a 'small' dog! Probably expecting a chihuahua or something.
Yes! We just bought something similar. He doesn’t love it like his crate but he tolerates it and isn’t barking
