Traveling with a reactive dog can be incredibly stressful. Fortunately, preparing ahead of time can greatly reduce that stress and result in a wonderful vacation for you and your reactive dog. Here are our own tips, from personal experience, for traveling with a reactive dog.
WHY ARE SOME DOGS ANXIOUS AND REACTIVE?
While reactivity can lead to aggressive behavior, reactivity is not the same as aggression. Reactivity is merely overreacting to certain stimuli or situations (such as by barking excessively, lunging or growling), and most often stems from fear. Triggers can include a strange person or dog, being in certain environments, or being on a leash.
A reactive dog isn’t necessarily trying to cause harm; rather, they are so stressed or overstimulated they can’t control themselves. Managing the environment for your dog and avoiding triggering stimuli can help reduce your dog’s anxiety and make traveling with your reactive dog a less stressful, and even fun experience.
Before You Go
Just because you can bring your dog on vacation doesn’t always mean you should. Depending on your plans or where you’re heading, think first about whether it’s really the best environment for your reactive dog.
The best shot at a successful vacation or traveling with an anxious and reactive dog is to prepare beforehand. This includes both packing everything you will need as well as making strategic choices before you leave your home.
Conduct Basic Training
Build in desensitization and counter conditioning training before you leave. This involves gradually exposing your dog to a stimulus while pairing it with a desired reward. For example, I work on gaining Nico’s attention with the “look” command as dogs pass from a distance at the nearby park and reward him with a treat. The training has helped reduce the distance by which we can pass other dogs safely without a reaction, which has been especially helpful in unfamiliar places when other dogs are around.
Muzzle train. A properly fitted muzzle can be a vital tool when facing potential triggers with your reactive or anxious dog. A muzzle can protect both your dog and others if stressed to the point of nipping. This can be especially important in populated areas or those where you might run into dogs off leash, such as hiking trails or town parks. Moreover, a muzzle can serve as a clear signal to others to give you and your dog space.
Crate train. Crate training, when done properly, gives your anxious dog a safe space. It further provides safety by preventing your dog from chewing, swallowing or breaking anything in their environment. Many hotels also require dogs to be crated if you need to leave them in the room.
Bring Comfort Items With You
Packing your dog’s bed, blankets and/or toys can have a calming effect by bringing familiarity to a new, unknown environment. Puzzles, a treat ball or a frozen Kong filled with peanut butter can also give your dog something to focus on instead of new noises around them.
Sticking to routine (as much as you can) can also bring comfort to your dog. Stick to that pre-breakfast walk or mid-afternoon treat to help ease into the new surroundings and routine.
Avoid Accommodation Triggers
If you can, choose accommodations with as few triggers as possible. Staying at a hotel? Request a room at the end of the hall, away from the elevator and constant foot traffic. Staying at an AirBnb? Choose a standalone unit without close neighbors. Camping? Choose a site away from the bathrooms and where brush or trees might provide some privacy. Camp on private property through Hipcamp, or disperse camp at free sites for more privacy than family campgrounds.
Obviously financial constraints and other circumstances might prevent us from booking the “perfect” accommodations for our reactive dogs. You can also modify the environment to give your dog a safe space.
Did you grab the last site at the campground and it’s in the most high-traffic area? Drape a sheet over a clothesline to block your dog’s view of neighbors and passersby. Sharing a house with all of your extended family? Set up a corner upstairs with your dog’s bed where he/she can retreat to. Modifying the environment to create a safer, less anxiety-inducing space can make your dog’s, and also your own, experience much more enjoyable.
Once You’re There
Once you’re at your destination and you’ve created a calming environment with positive distractions for your dog, take into account the everyday routine and potential triggers you may encounter.
Consider Your Dog’s Needs When Planning Activities
Try to avoid the most popular spots where you’ll run into other people and dogs. If hiking, filter by trail traffic on Alltrails to find quieter trails. Check out state parks rather than just national parks. We’ve seen some absolutely stunning locations by looking for alternatives to similar crowded spots.
If you absolutely need to visit a high traffic area with your dog, visit during less popular times, which often means going early. I honestly love the peacefulness and solitude that comes with hitting a trail or seeing the sights first thing in the morning before the crowds.
If you can’t avoid the crowds, consider whether you really have to go to certain spots with your dog. Check out local daycares/boarding for a couple of hours if you can’t leave your dog at the accommodations. Just make sure to bring the appropriate paperwork/proof of vaccines.
It’s important to remember that our dogs are reactive because they are anxious or stressed. We shouldn’t put them in situations or places where we are making them more anxious and uncomfortable just because we want to go there.
Keep Up With Regular Exercise
Make sure to take out time to exercise your dog each day, even if it’s just a walk around the block. Does your dog like to run but you can’t take them to a dog park? Consider renting a Sniffspot nearby. The self-proclaimed “AirBnB for dogs” lets users rent out private yards. I paid $15 total for my two dogs to rent out a fenced-in dog park bar for an hour before they opened during a road trip and it was well worth it.
Remember that exercise doesn’t have to just be physical. Provide mental stimulation by letting your dog sniff on their walk. Even if you’re spending a lot of time indoors, puzzles or snuffle mats are also mentally stimulating and can help your dog ultimately de-stress and relax.
Advocate For Your Dog
Do little kids keep trying to come over and pet your clearly anxious dog? Are you on a leash-required beach or hike and somebody keeps letting their off-leash dog run up to you? Dogs aren’t able to speak up, so it’s our responsibility as owners to be their voice. Let people know your dog needs space or remove yourself from a situation if necessary.
People with even the best intentions can quickly create a dangerous situation. Avoiding such a situation is worth far more than the inconvenience or disappointment of changing your plans.
Be Prepared To Change Course
Be prepared in the event things don’t work out, and this doesn’t have to mean turning around and going all the way home. We once grabbed the last spot at a first-come, first-served campground only to find ourselves right next to the bathroom and a neighboring dog practically in our site. Knowing the level of anxiety it would bring to all of us, we drove back to cell service and immediately booked an amazing, completely private Hipcamp site nearby. The $25 and a couple of extra miles was well worth the peace of mind and relaxation we would not have gotten at the free campground.
It can be a bummer for plans to change last-minute, but I see every “failed” or rather, “modified,” trip as an opportunity to learn what works and what doesn’t. Sometimes being prepared comes with a little bit of trial and error, and that’s okay!
Did We Miss Anything?
We always love hearing about other dog owners’ experiences traveling with a reactive or anxious dog. Any tips, tricks, good or bad experiences you want to share? Let us know in the comments!