Hi everyone, I just had a quick question - Barkley is now 7 months, off lead and working on his recall which (even though it still needs a bit of practice when there is distraction) is very good! He has travelled for short periods in the car and is getting better- BUT - for Christmas Myself and my partner travel down to my hometown in Lancashire, England from Edinburgh, Scotland. So the journey is around 3.5 - 4 hours in the car - Or 2.5 hours on the train. I have never taken Barkley on the train and this would be the quicker option for Christmas as it halves the journey time but my worry is he barks/needs the toilet etc - The car would obviously be okay if we built the time up but I am a bit lost so was hoping o get peoples experiences on that... My second question is: Barkley has never been to my dad's house in England but loves my dad from his meetings when he has visited Scotland - any tips for staying a few days in a new home to the pup? He is still in his crate as sometimes when he gets over excited or over tired he starts nibbling but (being young still) doesn't understand how hard he bites so we pop him in - and he likes to sleep in there. (He also may get bored and chew things). I guess - my main point of this post is understanding the travel aspect of this and if any one has had any successes/fails in longer car journeys or train trips? Many thanks in advance Stephanie
We've taken Homer on long car journeys, recently London to the Lakes and previously London to the Alps in France. Homer has the whole back (boot) our Volvo and all our luggage, which once included two bicycles, and his crate all go on the back seat. We stop very 2 hours and give H a walk and some water or his dinner at service stations. Homer loves the car and settles very well. We have a soft sided cage that we take with us. if he's used to sleeping in his cage then its a good idea to take it with you unless your Dad has one or has a safe space for him. We have done shorter trips by train but stations are too noise for Homer so the car is better for him, otherwise I'm sure he would be fine. At 7 months Barkly (love the name) should be fine with holding his pee. Does the train stop along the way, you might be able to give him a quick walk up and down the platform while the train is at a station but this might unsettle him. You may want to try out a few shorter train journeys to see how well he'll settle.
I haven't ever done a train journey with dogs , apart from a local steam train trip of 20 minutes so it doesn't really count ! Mine travel well in the car , as long as we stop for tiddle/water breaks every couple of hours or so . I always give them a good run prior , and only light food, just in case, but on the whole, they treat the car as an extension of our home . I have also stayed over with relatives and find that as long as we are with them, they are happy . We recently took a short break about three hours from home , in a cottage . Our rescue dog Nell has only been with us for four months , so I was a little concerned about her settling , I needn't have worried , she was brilliant .
Hi Stephanie, we have done two very long drives from Hampshire to Scotland with our two. Hattie & Charlie have the whole boot of our Volvo and they are super comfy on a double duvet topped with a large piece of vet bed. We stop every 3 or so hours during a 12 hour road trip, they are adult dogs so have no problem holding on. We stop at the services go for a little walk, wee, food and drink. We have not had any problems as our dogs travel really well. If you decide to go by train I would definitely take Barkley on a few dry runs so that he and you know what to expect. Take him for a good walk to tire him out, go to the loo and he should be fine. If you have trained a settle on a mat/blanket then take that with you. As for going to your Dads house, are you taking a fabric crate with you? If so just use it as you would his crate at home, take his favourite toys, blanket etc. he should be fine. Bet your Dad can't wait Good luck, glad you are preparing so early! Christmas, we are not allowed to use that word in our house until the end of September at least xx
Stanley is 16 months and I think I'd definitely prefer to take him anywhere by car. It would be too hard to keep him chilled on a train I think - he would be too interested in what was going on. He settles really well in the car. We give him the back seat. He just settles down. The longest he's done in one day was 6 hours - we only stopped once. He was absolutely fine. As long as Barkley is OK in the car, I think he'll be fine
Thank you everyone for your comments and helpful hints and tips I think I will definitely opt for the car in this instance - regarding the soft crates - Do you have one you would recommend at all that doesn't break the bank?! Thanks again! Stephanie
Thank you for your advice - Thank you - I love the name too! I love homer - what a great name!... I think the car would be the best option to be honest he is getitng used to it now and doesn't whine as much - just on the corners as he feels insecure but i'm looking at getting a hammock style cover for him als
Hahaa he can't wait - he loves seeing him. Each time he comes up though Barkley is much bigger!! I am looking into the soft crates just now - are there any that you would reccomend that aren't too pricey, please? Thank you for your advice - I think the car would be the easier option for both us and Barkley - at least he could settle Usually, my house is the same but it's crazy how organised I am now with the pup! xxx
Hi when Bailey was about 14 weeks old we took him down to my dad's (Northampton to Taunton). We put his cushion bed on the back seat, had a harness on him attached to the seatbelt. We planned stops every two hours to give Bailey a drink and a walk and toilet break - a journey that used to take us around 4 hours took us about 5 and a half hours. However, each time we stopped Bailey was too interested in all the different sights and smells around he only had one wee and a bit of water the entire journey. We offered him some food but he wasn't interested in it at all. Mind you when we got to my dad's he did a wall of death run around the garden - almost caused a tidal wave of wee as he let everything go at once! and then scoffed down a portion of kibble and was looking for more! We took his bed, his toys, his blanket, food and water bowls, plenty of towels (knew we would be going to a couple of beaches while we were there) and his food. We had de-crated him by then but he was good about staying on his bed at night. The main difference is that he is allowed on the furniture at home and he would not be allowed on the furniture at my dads - I just sat on the floor most of the time with him curled up next to me - my step-mum also sat on the floor as she loves dogs and they used to have two one Golden Retriever and one Golden Retriever Labrador mix (the son of their GR and a black lab hussy at kennels lol). When we left both dad and my step-mum said Bailey could go back any time - it was me and my OH that they weren't sure of Well done you for your forward planning - but you are right it is best to get ready for things like this.
