Everything we do over the next 2 years is geared towards traveling around australia indefinitely when our youngest child leaves home for uni. We are soon to get a new dog. We have already have a mature maltese that we will be taking on our trip with us. We are tossing between a german shepherd or an english staffy, but are looking for suggestions of other dog breeds that people are travelling with . Also advice in travelling with a dog ( or 2) .We are thinking our maltese may like a canine companion, and we would like the companionship and security. One thing we are going to do with our new dog prior to our big trip is socialise it and get them used to travel as much as possible.We will have a medium sized motor home with undercover outdoor area. We are looking for a dog that will be adaptable to travelling with us, and is also friendly, however will be there for us as a protecter if we need them to be. We will have regular romps and pitstops for weeks at a time. I am a nurse and will be with a nursing agency, so we will stop and work as need be, hopefully not too often...
Hi Jatals Welcome to the forum, as you can see from my avatar I will be traveling with my best friend Gracie, I have asked a lot of questions re traveling with pets, if you go through some of the old post on traveling with pets there is a mine of information to be gathered Try entering topics in the search bar at the top of the page. Again welcome, just watch out for lurking wombats on this forum they seem to pop up everywhere LOL
I travel with 2 small dogs and have few issues. I would seriously be considering a small dog and one with less coat than more.
Whilst I love GSDs, used to breed them in fact....I do think the breed is a bit big and the temperment not suited to being confined a lot, especially a puppy or young dog. The like wide open spaces to run about or at least lots of exercise.
The Staffy I think will give you problems in regard to other peoples ignorance of the breed and whilst they are great 'people' dogs in general, they are also often anti other dogs.
Small dogs are more acceptable in CPs and I am sure there will be times when you will need to stay in a CP. Some CPs will stipulate one dog only, so be aware of this.
Public opinion in regard to the breed of dog you choose should be seriously considered too. There was a time when all GSDs entering WA had to be desexed, not sure if this is still the case or not.
To the anti dog brigade, a dog is a dog irrespective of how well behaved it is.
I too travel with a small dog and would recommend if you want a companion for your current dog, like breeds get on best together. That said, if you are looking for a dog that will give you some perceived protection, I would suggest large dog. Lab, Golden Retriever, Great Dane. or my choice... Irish Setter!!! Love them. Its the perception of other people that would make it difficult travelling with the ones you are considering.
Thanks for the suggestions. I tend to agree with the staffys. Some people may be wary of them, even though they can be very friendly when bought up properly, as with any dog. I will keep searching the rescue pages. Hopefully just the right dog will leap out at me! The most important thing I guess is a dog that wont get travel sick!
Enjoying reading the forum. Inspiring and informative.
Hi there, I love all. animals. We have three rescue dogs that will be travelling with us, they are all small. Have you thought about a shihtzu they are very good little watch dogs. Poodles are fantastic very intelligent. Tibetan spaniels, or some of the mixes found at pounds. aussie dog com lists dogs for adoption.
They don't shed hair everywhere, but on the other hand need grooming. They are small enough for the van and car, but not too small for walks and swims. The are intellegent and train easily, have enough bark to alert me to trouble, but silence on command. They also wee on command which is useful in bad weather etc.
Always desex, micro-chip and vaccinate - and travel with the documents.
Don't assume 2 dogs will always like each other or naturally be friends and companions- like humans it doesn't always work that way. You need advice and support in choosing another dog if you want them to be friends. My advice would be pick like sizes and similar breeds, and make sure the new one has no aggression/anxiety issues. Always introduce the dogs on neutral territory before you commit.... and be willing to back out (no matter how cute) if the current dog isn't delighted.
HI agree with Rip and Rosie Whatever you go with ,,it is a must to carry their doggy / vet papers etc.. We are also finding C/Ps that now only accept dogs up to 10kgs..eg lap dogs. My Kelpie/lab is not impressed. Keith
welcome to the forum. Like others have mentioned staffys can be problematic simply because of their breeding and character. i have a Portuguese Water Dog who is similar to a big poodle. He has a beautiful nature is non aggressive and has pleasantly surprised me by being protective in a very mature and non-aggressive way. My other dog is a Belgian shepherd. When I got them I did not intend going travelling with them so they will have to adapt to life on the road. I know they will love it. In terms of breeds I reckon you'd be hard pushed to go past a retriever - they are magic dogs, excellent travellers and big enough to provide protection if needed.
If you do a search on old threads here you will see lots of advice about having dogs on the road.I've been gathering my supplies for months now -brushes, clippers, extra towels, toys, tethering devices, ear and eye drops, tick control, flea and worms stuff and ensure I have lots of spare. They have an annual heartworm injection and 3 year vaccinations. I also picked up 3 interlocking dog pen panels which I can set up outside the door so they have a good space to walk/lay around in outside of the van. I would never rely on the pen to keep them in unsupervised and will combine it with a long tether. I also bought some soft muzzles which i will use for the first exploration of each new campsite just to make sure they don't chomp on any suspicious bones or scraps before I have a chance to clean up the site. Additionally i bought harnesses and seat belts. As the others said, keep a copy of their vaccination papers handy.
Thanks jatals for raising this issue. I have thought it over many times(travelling with a gsd, as I enjoy them so much) and haven't yet been able to imagine how to make it work. I hope you find a dog that fits your travel plans really well.
dogs are individuals, I'm sure you could make it work with your special gsp. Many people would attest to my Portuguese Water Dog being a maniac but I'm confident he will settle down very quickly once he is on the road.
Just had a look on pet rescue nsw area. There are some beautiful dogs up for adoption, check out ziggy,simba and china and beau just go to Pet Rescue fill out query dog, size medium area nsw.
Hi Jatals, We have 2 Golden Retrievers who took to the road like a duck takes to water! We used an annexe to begin with but now they lie quietly under the awning only, at night. They are on separate chains which are attached to the van. We walk them 3 times a day and feed them on dry dog food and scraps if there are any!
-- Edited by scottynbulldog on Tuesday 13th of March 2012 10:01:39 PM
We will be travelling with our black ****er spaniel. Got him all shaved off so it would be easier to check for ticks. Purchased a large crate for travelling in back of car. He is fully vacinated and microchipped. Am going to get him a tag with my mobile number on it so that if he escapes(unlikely) I can be contacted straight away.
Our Miniature Foxie used to get car sick and I give him 1/2 a ginger tablet half an hour before we are due to go out in the car and it works a treat.
Cheers!
Chris
Chris, when you say half a ginger tablet.....can you be more specific please? Brand, where purchased and size. I have a friend in Toowoomba who has 2 dogs and one of them is a terrible traveler due to car sickness. I am sure she would love to know of this possible remedy.
we have a standard bred schnauzer abt 23kgs and he is part of the family more like a son than a dog but seriously very faithfull love affection and like any dog get em young and train them.that is my dog but everyone is different enjoy your trip.
