May 24th, 2009 by admin

Car Travel

You should accustom your St. Bernard to riding in a car at an early age.

Early age. You may or may not take him in the car often, but at the very least he will need to go to the vet and you do not want these trips to be traumatic for the dog or troublesome for you. The safest way for a dog to ride in the car is in his crate, though most vehicles cannot accommodate the St. Bernard’s great crate! On every St. Bernard owner’s wish list should be a large utility vehicle or van so that the dog can be included in road trips safely.

MOTION SICKNESS

If life is a motorway..your dog may not want to come along for the ride! Some dogs experience motion sickness in cars that leads to excessive salivation and even vomting. In most cases, your dog will fare better in the familiar, safe confines of his crate. To desensitize your dogs, try going on several short jaunts before trying a long trip. If your dog experiences distress when riding in the vehicle, drive with him only when absolutely necessary and do not feed him or give him water before you go.

TRAVEL TIP

The most extensive travel you do with your dogs may be limited to trips to the veterinary surgeon’s office—or you may decide to bring him along for long distances when the family goes on holiday. Whichever the case, it is important to consider your dog’s safety while traveling

Another option is a specially made safety harness for dogs, which straps the dog In much like a seat belt. Do not let the dog roam loose in the vehicle-this is very dangerous! If you should stop short, your dog can be thrown off balance and injured. If the dog starts stepping on you and pestering you while you are driving , you will not be able to concentrate on the road. It is an unsafe situation for everyone – human and canine.

ON THE ROAD

If you are going on a long motor trip with your dog.. be sure the hotels are dog friendly. Many hotels do not accept dogs. Also take along some ice that can be thawed and offered to your dog if he becomes overheated. Most dogs like to lick ice.

For long trips, be prepared to stop to let the dog relieve himself. Take with you whatever you need to clean up after him, including some paper kitchen towels and perhaps some old toweling for use should he have an accident in the car or suffer from travel sickness.

AIR TRAVEL

While it is possible to take a dog on a flight within Britain, this is fairly unusual and advance permission is always required. The dog will be required to travel in a fiberglass crate and you should always check in advance with the airline regarding specific.

Requirements. To help the dog be at ease, put one of his favourite toys in the crate with him. Do not feed the dog for at least six hours before the trip to minimize his need to relieve himself. However, certain regulations specify that water must always be made available to the dog in the crate.

EXERCISE ALERT

You should be careful where you exercise your dog. Many countryside areas have been spreyed with chemicals that are highly toxic to both dogs and humans. Never allow your dog to eat grass or drink from puddles on either public or private grounds, as the run-off water ma contain chemicals from sprays and herbicides.

Make sure your dog is properly identified and that your contact information appears on his ID tags and on his crate. Animals travel in a different area of the plane than human passengers so every rule must be strictly adhered to so as to prevent the risk of getting separated from your dog.

BOARDING

So you want to take a family holiday—and you want to include all members of the family. You would probably make arrangements for accommodation ahead of time anyway, but this is especially important when traveling with a dog. You do not want to make an overnight stop at the only place around for miles and find out that they do not allow dogs. Also, you do not want to reserve a place for your family without confirming that you are traveling with a dog because if it is against their policy you may not have a place to stay.

Alternatively, if you are Traveling and choose not to bring your St. Bernard, you will have to make arrangements for him while you are away. Some options are to take him to a neighbour’s house to stay while you are gone, to have a trusted neighbour pop in often or stay at your house, or bring your dog to a reputable boarding kennel. If you choose to board him at a kennel, you should visit in advance to see the facilities provided, how clean they are and where the dogs are kept. Talk to some of the employees and see how they treat the dogs—do they spend time with the dogs, play with them, exercise them etx.? Also find out the kennel’s policy on vaccinations and what they require. This is for all of the dogs’ safety, since when dogs are kept together, there is a greater risk of diseases being passed from dog to dog.

TRAVEL TIP

When traveling, never let your dog off-lead in a strange area. Your dog could run away out of fear or decide to chase a passing squirrel or cat or simply want to stretch his legs without restriction –you might never see your canine friend again.

IDENTY CRISIS

Surely you know the importance of good nutrition, good training and a good home, but are you aware of the importance of identification tags for your dog? If your dogs ran away or got lost,ID tags on your pet’s collar would provide crucial information such as the dog’s name, the owner’s name and address, making it possible that your dog would soon be returned. Every morning before taking your dog out, make sure his collar and tags are present and securely fastened.

IDENTIFICATION OPTIONS

As puppies become more and more expensive, especially those puppies of high quality for showing and/ or breeding, they have a greater chance of being stolen. The usual collar dogs tag is, of course, easily removed. But there are two widely used for identification.

The puppy microchip implantation involves the injection of a small microchip, about the size of a corn kernel, under the skin of the dog. If your dog shows up at a clinic or shelter, or is offered for resale under less then savory circumstances, it can be positively identified by the microchip. The microchip is scanned and a registry quickly identifies you as the owner. This is not only protection against theft, but should the dog run away or go chasing a squrirrel and get lost, you have a fair chance of getting it back.

Tattooing is done on various parts of the dogs, from its belly to its cheeks. The number tattooed can be your telephone number or any other number which you can easily memories. When professional dog thieves see a tattooed dog, they usually lose interest in it. Both microchipping and tattooing can be done at your local veterinary clinic. For the safety of our dogs, no laboratory facility or dog broker will accept a tattooed dog as stock.

IDENTIFICATION

Your St. Bernard is your valued companion and friend. That is why you always keep a lose eye on him and you have made

Sure that he cannot escape from the garden or wriggle out of his collar and run away from you. However, accidents can happen and there may come a time when your dog unexpectedly gets separated from you. If this unfortunate event should occur, the first thing on your mind will be finding him. Proper identification, including an ID tag, a tattoo and possibly a microchip, will increase the chances of his being returned to you safely and quickly.

DID YOU KNOW?
You have a valuable dog. If the dog is lost or stolen, you would undoubtedly become extremely upset. If you encounter a lost dog, notify the police or the local animal shelter.