Dogs are commonly referred to as man’s best friend. Popular breeds include Pomeranian, German shepherd, and Doberman etc. Different dogs have their own characteristics and need to be taken care of. However, many owners don’t consider their dogs when selecting their car.
Before going to see what the important cars for taking your dog out, let us see what the dogs really want while they are being taken out for a ride. You have to consider many things before taking a dog out in your car such as the following…
You have to ensure the safety of both yourself and your dog. If your car is an estate then this is best. If not, you have to travel with the dog sitting on the back seat. That is not safe, because the dog may damage the seat of the car either intentionally or unintentionally. In playing mood, it may scratch the seat and tear it apart. Hence you have to take care of this fact.
You have to install a wire grid for between the boot and the back seat. Dogs are curious animals and they tend to jump out if they see something inviting on the road. If they jump directly into the road from window, that could be fatal as it could directly land beneath the tires of some other vehicle or get itself injured by hitting the road.
It is better to have carpets on the floor of car for making your dog sleep comfortably on the floor. Dogs usually have motion sickness. I.e. when you take them for a ride in cars, they feel restless, but if they are made to sleep, they can feel relaxed.
No dog will be comfortable with travelling at first. You have to take him for short rides, say a few kilometers at first. It takes some days for him to get acclimatized to the car. As the days pass by, it gets acclimatized to the journey and you can take him to long rides.
Don’t feed the dog just before the trip. This is an important thing that you should always keep in your mind, because during journey, the dog may vomit. Hence don’t feed him just before the trip. Even if he feels quite hungry, give him just a few pieces of biscuit, that’s all.
It is better to keep some toys for your dog to play with. Playing is a favorite pastime both for the children and dogs. If dog is kept involved in chewing game, he wouldn’t restless. Along with that, he won’t disturb you when he is totally absorbed by the chewing game.
There are belts called pet safety belts which help you to keep the dog in place by tying him up to the seat. It prevents him from rambling inside the car restlessly.
It is better to keep the dog collar around his neck all the time while travelling. This is very important as despite all your precautions, there is always a chance of the dog getting out of the car. In such cases, if there is no collar around his neck, he will be considered as a stray dog!
Dogs can get sunstroke very quickly. If you are going to shopping or for some other purpose and the car will kept on road for a long time, in such cases, it is better not to allow your dog inside the car, unless your car has a AC, because inside of the car can get unbearably hot very quickly.
Even if you are away from your car for long hours due to some reason in a strange place, make sure that you visit the place often to watch for your dog. Visit the car for at least once in an hour to see whether the dog is in place or not.
Go for your vet before starting any long trip to ensure that your dog is 100% healthy and fit for a long journey. If he is suffering from any problem, don’t take him with you. A journey may aggravate certain diseases, both among men and dogs!
Personally, when I go shopping for discount new cars I always try to an estate car with the biggest boot possible, giving dogs enough room to stand up and ensure that they’re not too cramped. I don’t particularly like windows right round the boot area – it’s important that the dog gets a little bit of shade as well.
Finally, I like recommending car drivers with dogs to take a non-spill water bowl with them. It’s a fabulous invention which makes sure that your boot doesn’t get soaking wet, and your dog doesn’t run out of water.
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