Traveling Todo Training Part 2: What your Dog Should Know for the Road

Traveling with a dog comes with its challenges, but there are a few strategies that can keep your dog safe and happy! Whether you travel for work, fun, or vacation; training is vital!

January has been all about training your pup for travel. Last week we discussed how to find a reliable trainer on the road, this week we discuss skills your dog should know! If you’d like to do something fun, the Barking Embarkers facebook group is having a training competition this month. Post one photo of training your pup every week, and receive a free photo of your choice from the photography gallery!

A huge shout out to Megan Wutzke this week for her awesome suggestions. If you’d like to teach your pup some of these skills, check out this post for resources to train your pup! As I mentioned last week though, I do highly recommend having a reliable, professional trainer who has your back in teaching these skills.

**Disclaimer: I am not an animal trainer or behaviorist. I am a traveling occupational therapist, who is also a crazy dog mom. I’ve researched and experienced a TON while traveling with a dog and want to share that knowlege. I am also trained in human behavior and human behavioral change. Due to the fact that I’m not a dog trainer, I’ve linked videos of each skill to a source from a reliable dog trainer, so you all can learn from a professional.

Important Skills to Teach Traveling Pets (and yourself!)

Reading Canine Body Language

There is so much to learn about the body language of your pet. When are they stressed? Wait- do dogs feel stress? What about walking past a dog makes Chloe so crazy? What is play and what is aggression?

Yes, dogs feel stress sometimes. Trigger stacking is when a dog mom or dad unintentionally do too many things that increase your dogs stress. For example, walking Chloe through a busy park with crowds everywhere (1) on a super hot day (2), in a group of people instead of 1:1 (3) after spending the day in an unfamiliar environment (4) and then crossing a crowded bridge with rushing, loud, water underneath it (5). Well walking past a little tiny dog might be too much right now. Honestly, any dog with that many triggers might just be upset about the situation, right?

As a dog parent though, it’s important when you’re traveling to recognize those triggers and change the environment to allow optimal happiness. Here is a reliable video discussing dog body language and recognizing when your pup just needs a break for the day.

Desensitization

Dogs who travel rely on you to expose them to scary things in a safe environment. Things like a muzzle, shots, nail trimming, brushing, bathing, cats, other dogs, crowds, and traffic are all important to consider while traveling. Does that sound like a lot? It’s really not too bad. Spending some time everyday on training, even 10-20 minutes makes a huge difference when it comes to desensitization. I’m an occupational therapist, and firmly believe that dogs are extremely sensory sensitive animals. What I mean by that, is they explore their world with their senses, but they’re amplified to what we know by like a million. People have sensory issues too- the bouncing knee, chewing pen habits that help us focus, compared to the person who can’t stop focusing on the incessantly clicking pen. Training a pup to adapt to sensory experiences and recognizing signs of sensory overload are priorities while on the road!

Part of this is a safety issue. In a car accident, and EMT might muzzle your dog for safety. If that’s a totally new experience, can you imagine how stressful that might be? Here’s a brief video example of what a husbandry training session looks like. Should I do some of these with Chloe sometime? Comment if you think you’d rather see Chloe on video!

Recall

This one may seem obvious, but reliable recalls are HUGE when you are constantly changing environments. Instead of a basic ‘come!’ Consider something extra alerting, such as a clap or whistle. This can help bring your dog’s focus back to you in an extreme situation, such as a deer across the road, or a coyote stalking you.

Follow this link for Zak George’s video on recalls, and work on that long leash more than you might think necessary! I use a 50ft clothesline, which can cause burn injuries if you grab it, but is VERY cheap and effective, and helps me dry clothes sometimes too!

Emergency U-turn

You know that moment when you are walking past a dog, and then another puppy is frolicking up from behind you, and a baby is crying over there and you just KNOW your dog needs a quick break? That’s where this is a handy skill for your pup to learn. Chloe knows ‘touch’ and she touches her nose to my hand when asked which is a great way to start teaching u- turn! Follow the link for a training video!

Ignore / Leave It

This skill is ALL ABOUT self control, practicing the pause, and controlling those impulses! Some trainers use leave it, but that’s been Chloe’s cue to drop objects from her mouth. We use a very clear “ignore” with a palm in front of the object to block it from view briefly. Chloe practices this CONTANTLY because it is so difficult for anyone to have self control with a squirrel around. Even I like to look at squirrels and I don’t have a habit of chasing them.

I attached a video about training to ignore here, but it’s truly all about rewarding when your pup chooses to look at you and stand next to you, and stepping away from whatever is drawing so much attention when they aren’t able to focus.

Chloe LOVES other dogs, and when she sees a friend she used to actually freak out, crying and pulling and sometimes even lunging. So we’ve worked diligently on this, even taking some classes to help and it makes hiking and being in public places so much easier when she has this skill of ignoring. This is also applicable for food (restaurants!), people, dust bunnies, brooms and anything else your dog enjoys playing with!

Of course you have your basic skills of sit, stay, down, etc. But are those skills really going to help you be safe and happy, exploring the entire world with your dog? Yeah, a little bit. But the skills above will absolutely help you train an amazing travel companion!

What other skills do your dogs know that help with traveling? Who else has noticed triggers stacking, and realized the importance of doggie body language? Thanks so much for reading and enjoying! As always have happy trails and happy tails this week and all weeks!

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For More Info…

Check out this blog called Growl Snarl Snap especially this article about stress in dogs!

Christine Collins has some awesome info on Canine body language in her 2017 article called the Gift of a Growl here.

Dog Training 101 Facebook group has some great files focused on positive reinforcement training and canine body language. The file below was one if my favorites, though the author seems to be unknown.

Helping-the-Canine-Stress-Head Download

For more training tips, check out Zak George’s YouTube channel here, with this extremely applicable ‘training your dog in public’ video

Barking Embarkers

Traveling Todo Training Part 2: What your Dog Should Know for the Road