Dog on long car journey

Tedette

Can anyone give me any advice on bringing a dog on a long car journey.

My CKC is 6 months old and I'm bringing him from Bray to Donegal - about a 4 hour journey. I have a crate which he sleeps in that I will put him in for the journey but what I really want to know is should I feed him before we set off, or leave early enough that I can skip breakfast and feed him when I get there?
Anything else I need to know would be appreciated.

Thanks.

mymo

I regularly bring my dogs on long car journeys, and have done from pups.
Give a small bit of breakfast, then a walk to make sure he goes to the toilet. I usually stop after 2 hrs for a short walk to stretch our legs and have a drink.
If he's used to car he should be fine, just make remember to stop for toilet breaks depending on how long he can hold it. Also keep eye that he doesn't get too hot in the car.

Acoshla

Our dog used to vomit for entire journeys when she was a puppy, her normal diet is always royal canin dry food but before long journeys we would give her a slice of dry toast or a pitta, did the trick everytime.

We always bring a big bottle of water too.

Top Dog

Ginger nut biscuits! Seriously!

They're fantastic at settling a dogs tum in advance of any journey. We've had our 2 in the car for countless long journeys (over 3 hours - with pee breaks of course) and they never throw up.

star-pants

Must try the ginger nut biscuits myself actually, my older dog is a terrible traveller - but I think that's from the previous owners. If she gets any food anytime close to being in the car she'll throw up. She won't drink any water until she gets home.

So good advice My advice would have been to not feed them too close to before you leave in case they got sick, as others have said make sure you have a stop where they can get out n stretch their legs/do their business/have a drink. Also make sure there's enough ventilation around them, mine get hot really quickly.
Keeping the dog secure is another - if it's in the crate, make sure that's secure, don't want them scared inside if it's sliding around at all.

Tedette

Thanks for the advice folks.

rockonollie

we often bring our dog on trips with us varying from 2-4 hours in length. As best we can we try to keep to her regular feeding times and take her for a walk before we set out to make sure that she has her energy out (and she has alot of it), and to make sure she goes to the toilet. She has taken to the car very well and mostly lies down or looks out the rear window. Generally on the longer journeys we'd stop after about 2 hours to give her a chance to walk around and take some water.