Vacation Travel With Your Dog in a City

Cities can be hard places to visit with your pets, in this case our dog, Shana.  As it is, Shana has never really warmed up to crowds of people especially with dogs.  I do train a lot with Shana, but city area training somewhat limited due to automobile troubles.  Nonetheless, Shana is trained to an extent, and we felt it would be far more stressful to have her with a strange pet sitter.  Cities are consumed with noises, crowds, and actually far more wildlife than you might see in the country on a daily basis.   One thing did not think of is the amount of harmful objects that can be on the ground during your exploring in the city, especially off main roads or those that tourists know of.   The cars drive aggressively, which can be a danger to you and your dog, if you don't take that into account.  Often there are celebrations going on to attract the tourists and their money as well (in our case we went to a Jethro Tull Concert on our last evening).  This post is about a few things that I learned, and a few things I considered while getting Shana ready in the short-term for our trip.

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Waiting in the Subway Station.

Checking in at The Verb.

Watching a juggler at Faneuil Hall.

Walking by the iconic teapot, which is now a Starbucks, ironically.

Hanging out at our trailer at The Verb.

Some special considerations for my very active dog:

1.   Toys for play on leash or in confined areas.  So I brought a puzzle toy, tugs, her favorite soft toys, flirt pole (we did not use), nylabone (for relaxing), and her favorite ball (also for relaxing with).
2.   Very prepared to do long walks each day with Shana.   So no fussy clothes for me or fussy shoes.   I had a fanny pack to carry her extra leash (extra leashes come in handy for self defense or for comfort), conditioning muzzle attached, tug balls, poop bags, treats, and my cash plus phone.
3.  Pre leaving for Boston, Shana had as full a day as she could take of playing with her Kong Frisbee) and walking in specific.   I did not want her all hyped up and then have very little space to put that energy.  This actually worked out very well.
4.  Shana has a leaky tumor (non cancerous, so we are trying to avoid surgery) and nipple that fills up, so we were sure to pack napkins and stuff to take care of that if needed.   
5.  Heart medications need for there, and also to be here when we got back.   That can be an adventure that I will blog about at some other time.
6.   Conditioning muzzle (has hole for treat delivery) for tight situations where I might not see an oncoming dog before she does.   
7.   She is 10 1/2, so we were sure to bring her fluffy blankets for comfort and security (smells like home).
8.  Transitional leash to be able to walk Shana safely in tight spaces where surprises could crop up.
9.   We did bring a Wyze camera so we could check on her in the room if we were gone.  The problem being that the internet setup at the hotel did not allow for a password for it, so it didn't work.  We will have to consider that in the future if we stay at a hotel again (versus a house that would have their private internet).  Shana did fine in the room, because she was pooped! 
10.  Bells to put on the hotel room door.  Shana is trained to ring these if she needs to go out.  I wanted her to be able to let me know if I was sound asleep.

The normal things packed for dogs:

1.  Food and treats
2.  Bowls for food and water
3.  Crate (ours is collapsible which is a bonus)  ***Note I would link my model to this, but I don't think it is made anymore.  You do have to be careful of the quality of the crate.  Bars can get loose and choke your dog (not with my model as far as I know) if they attempt to get out.  
4.  Leashes (not specialized) consisted of a 6' leather convertible (means you can set it up different ways like over the shoulder) and a 15' Long Line to let her out a little on the hotel grounds.
5.  Collars included her normal leather collar and a metal slip collar (not a collar to use without proper training and instruction) as well.  
​6.   Dog Bed to protect back car seats when traveling.
7.   A harness designed to work with the seatbelt in the car for safety.

The one (of a few) thing I will need to remember in the future is DOG BOOTS.  There were a couple roads we walked on with glass from smashed in car windows.   That stuff gets everywhere.  Otherwise on the main roads, Boston roads were very clean.

Also, while not necessary, a collapsible dog bowl or dog water bottle would have been nice.  I say not necessary, because stores and other places do put out water bowls for the dogs, and Shana can walk for 1 to 2 hours without needing or wanting water.

Also in case of an accident, a knife would be good to bring to cut out of any human and dog seat belts or harnesses.

Some suggestions for staying at hotels or rented homes when traveling with your dog:

1.   Keep it clean.   Try to avoid accidents in the room that will cost your host money, time and labor.   Also clean up after yourself inside and outside (dog poop and such).  You don't want to affect the establishment to change their dog friendly policies.
2.   Continue your training management before you go, or begin training months before you go.  Our areas of training were calm and redirection for triggers, plans for handling in unexpected situations, "quiet" command for no barking (which weirdly was not an issue, perhaps because we had been training for it), the ability to walk with you on the leash within a space (heeling or loose leash on a 6' leash), crate training, and, if you have a fearful dog, muzzle conditioning and training.
​3.  Work on calming behavioral exercises before you go on a trip as well.

If you want to do the work and make your dog an important part of your vacation, it can be done.  It does take work beforehand and during the trip.  For instance, I was more alert on vacation for things that could scare, concern, or trigger Shana.  Luckily, I had been doing some work handling her around these things before hand, so it is better if you are familiar getting your dog through these situations.   Without a doubt, our training work came (and behavioral work) came through to make this vacation a good time for all.   Never discount the benefits that come with training and working with your dog (for both of you).