In a couple of weeks we are going to a friend's house to stay overnight, and taking Pongo with us. It is the first time he has come away with us overnight (he is three years old) and I am trying to think through what the problems might be and how to get over them. The biggest issue is that they live in an urban, terraced house with a postage stamp garden. So I'm not sure how to replicate Pongo's usual routine of going round our big garden last thing at night for a pee and poo. For a start, he is not used to being on lead, he has never really seen a town or pavements, and he is reluctant to poo or even pee while on lead. Apart from that, I hope it should be OK; he will sleep in their kitchen and we will take with us his bed (not that he always sleeps on his bed, he prefers the sofa), and his food and water bowls. We'll get there early enough so that he can have his dinner there (so he associates it with food). These are very good friends so they will be willing to forgive misdemeanours! But they are also quite house-proud so I'd like it not to be a complete disaster. Any thoughts / advice? What more should I be considering? Any suggestions about the late-night peeing trip?
As long as he has a garden he will probably be okay for last peeps. Lilly s a bit the same, but will go in longer grass on the lead, just not on pavement etc. unless she is in extremis. If he needs to go, he will, I am sure. Good luck!
Jake would definitely be challenged to find a spot to go with out any grass or wooded areas to run off too. Is there a park or grassy lot nearby that you can take him for a quick walk before bed?
Harley won't go for a wee or poo on anything other than grass mud. Are there are small patches of grass nearby?
Pongo's having an adventure! For the pee-poo thing, he may well just go on strike. Brogan went from a large fenced garden with the backdoor always open to a 4th floor studio in Paris and it sort of blew his mind. He definitely went on strike, lol. Didn't pee for a day and didn't poo for two. My suggestion would be to hop on Google maps satellite view and check out if you can find a small patch of green in the very near vicinity of your friends' place and walk him there. Even a bit around a tree or as @drjs@5 said, ANY bit of grass (or even bare dirt vs pavement) can help. If you are going by car and have room, here was my bag of tricks when traveling with Brogan that might help you too: (1) supply of paper towels, Nature's Miracle or other odour neutraliser, plastic bags (for accidents) (2) anti-diarrhea medication if you have it on hand (travel changes tend to make for loose stool) (3) towels/old large sheet (good for lots of stuff, including keeping hair off where ever you don't want it in your friends' house or putting under his water bowls to keep drips off the floor) (4) in addition to his regular food, if he's got a tendency for dodgy tummy, also bottle up some water from home for him (5) curry brush for a good morning and evening brushing outside (will help reduce hair fall indoors) (6) lint roll brush or roll of duct tape to pick up stray hairs (7) if you already have a doggie first aid kit, you could pop it in your bag too (8) even though it's 99.9% sure you won't need it, Google and jot down a local vet name, address, phone - just for peace of mind (9) and last, totally optional... a favourite toy that says "home" - Brogan always traveled with his faithful duckie. And mainly, have a fun time!
The first time we stayed in Gerona with the dogs, J took them out for their morning walk while I sorted out the bags and stuff. It was the first time they didn't have the chance to go on grass and it took them a while. Willow eventually got it - right in the middle of a zebra crossing, right in the middle of rush hour. Oops!
We stay at different places with Ella quite often. The only thing I'd be ready for is Pongo not wanting to sleep in the kitchen. He could be different to Ella and completely fine but it's the one thing I've found that we have trouble with. Ella will sleep in any room at home but when we stay at someone else's house, she gets upset if she's not sleeping in our room with us. Good luck, hope it's a successful sleepover
Ditto here with Cooper. He sleeps anywhere at home BUT, when away, he wants to be with me. Makes sense since they are in a "strange"home and you are their comfort human!
Coco, when away, HAS to sleep with us. Even though there WAS a "no dogs in the bedroom" rule at OutLaws, he gets to sleep on "our" bed. Belle could never pee/poo on concrete/flags/tarmac - In my old house, the back garden was flags but with borders - she always went in the borders. On a street walk, as she got older & couldn't go for our off-road walks, she would find moss or dropped leaves & that would do for toiletting. Hopefully Pongo will find a space he is comfortable with to toilet.
I am sure Pongo will LOVE his sleepover! It's a new exciting place! And you'll be there with him. I second Emily's suggestion of lots of sheets and towels. You can't have enough! You'll want to give him a rub down before he comes inside and clean his paws every time he goes out. And you'll need plenty of towels and sheets to protect their furniture. I'd also suggest giving him a bath before you leave so that he's nice and fresh, particularly if they're house proud. We don't always know that our dogs have that certain doggy smell! If you're worried while you're there that he smells, you could rub some of your perfume on your palms and then stroke him down to give him a nice smell, too! For the wee/poo, a night-time walk in the neighbourhood might solve this problem (hope it's not too cold for you!). You mention you're taking his bed, which I think is very important. It should be the first thing you put down so that Pongo knows where his place is. If he has a blankie he sleeps on during the day in a particular place, take that, too. The first time we went away, we didn't take Snowie's bed. Well, the poor thing paced around looking for his place. Now, as soon as he sees his bed, he knows exactly where to go and relax. We usually make up two beds for him: one in the living area for the day, and one in our bedroom for the night. For the day bed, we find some flat cushions at the place we're staying at and wrap them up in our towels and sheets for him. And we always take his two fluffy toys. All of this makes Snowie feel instantly at home. If you're needing Pongo to lie down and stay quiet a lot, I'd suggest various chew things for him to keep him busy. And don't forget the poo bags!! I must confess that Snowie's stuff takes up a large proportion of our car when we go away!! Enjoy it, I am sure it will be fun!
Thank you, thank you, thank you to @drjs@5 , @PawPrints , @Naya , @Emily_BabbelHund , @snowbunny , @Emily , @Yvonne , @edzbird , and @MF... OK. Here we go. On Pongo's Packing List: Lead Poo-bags Food Treats (possibly including CHICKEN) Special-bedtime-treats Bed Fleece Cover that is usually on sofa and is currently very filthy and doggy....mmm delicious Towel Another towel Food bowl Water bowl Lint roller Spray cleaner for carpet in case of accidents J-cloths Oh yes, and mustn't forget to put Pongo in the car too. Googlemaps reveals some grass verges round the corner from house. Wish us luck! Rosie xxx
Missed this sorry, when we travelled to Scotland I took lots and lots of towels, you can never have enough towels when you have dogs. Also a toy/tug and ball, a bottle of water to top up his bowl whilst travelling (not sure how long your journey is). Have wonderful time and Pongo too x
Enjoy! We only take one bowl which serves as food and water bowl. When he's done eating we fill it with water for the rest of the time. One less thing to take! Let us know how it goes!
What about some cowboy magic or other "spot cleaner" for adherent smelly rolling episodes or is that not on Pongo's holiday wish list?
Actually they work for our benefit - they've charcoal in them and they've pretty much completely eliminated any....er.... emissions since he started having them. But they are also obviously quite delicious because he'll do anything for them....
It may be on his wish list but unlikely tonight.... apart from a couple of on-lead trips round the block this will be an indoor event...
