5 mistakes I made on my first road trip with my puppy

• I took my dog, Rory, on her first road trip when she was just a puppy. 
• It went well, but there were a few things I won't be doing on our next adventure.
• Pillows in the backseat, longer stops, and pre-trip exercise made a big difference for her.

I adopted my dog in the summer of 2022, and I took her on her first big road trip later in August of the same year.

In June 2022, my partner and I adopted our lab mix Rory — the most perfect dog in the world in my completely unbiased opinion — when she was 5 months old. 

For the first few weeks after Rory joined our family, we stuck close to our home base in New York, letting her explore our neighborhood as she got used to her new life and got the hang of potty training.

But by late August when Rory was clearly thriving, we felt comfortable enough to take her on a road trip to the beach with my partner's family, which included multiple six-hour days in the car. 

We were both a bit nervous about how Rory would fare in the car, and her comfort and safety were our priorities.

The trip went well overall, but there were a few things we decided to differently in the car after that first journey to make her time in the car is as positive as possible. 

I also spoke to Dr. Stacy Choczynski Johnson, a veterinarian who goes by Dr. Stacy online, about why Rory had a few issues throughout the ride.

I wish we hadn't skipped her long morning walk before hitting the road.

Most days, we take Rory on a long walk to a park in the morning so she can exercise, get some of her abundant puppy energy out, and socialize with other dogs. 

But when we set out for that first trip trip, we left around 6:45 a.m. after Rory had her breakfast. She went on a short walk to the car, but we sacrificed her more rigorous exercise so we could beat traffic.

We would soon come to regret that decision.

Rory was OK during the ride, but her energy was off the charts when we got to our destination.

I could tell Rory was a bit nervous in the car, as she wouldn't sleep or play with the toys we brought for her.

Unfortunately for us, it turned out she was saving all of her pent-up energy for our arrival. 

She spent hours running around our rental house, barking at us, and jumping all over the furniture. Multiple walks did nothing to calm her, nor did treats and cuddles. Rory was on the move nonstop until she collapsed in bed late that night. 

Dr. Stacy told me there were a few reasons Rory's energy was so high upon our arrival.

"Sometimes when they get into a new environment, there's just so many enriching things that they want to go around and explore everything. So sometimes dogs get amped up about that," Dr. Stacy said.

She said in general, the stress of a road trip is likely to get a dog's endorphins going and make them overly excited, and for Rory, her intense energy may have been a sign she was anxious.

"Sometimes if they have an underlying anxiety order, their anxiety comes out of the woodwork and they start to act kind of hyper that way" when arriving at a new place, Dr. Stacy said. 

Since that first trip, my partner and I always make sure Rory goes on a long walk before a car ride, and we know to anticipate that she'll be a bit anxious when we arrive in a new place. 

We emptied the backseat for her, but that made Rory nervous and uncomfortable.

Ahead of the trip, we made sure my partner's backseat was empty aside from a towel and a few of Rory's toys, as we wanted her to have room to spread out.

But Rory seemed ill at ease with all the space, pacing and trying to get to the front seat to sit with me and my partner. 

She was much happier with pillows around her.

The next time we jumped in the car, we took two pillows from our bed and put them in the backseat with Rory, positioning her in the center of them.

She was obviously more comfortable, immediately cuddling up with one and falling asleep. 

"If the pillow came from her house and then smelled kind of similar to what she's used to, maybe it created a more home-like environment in your car," Dr. Stacy told me of why the pillows made Rory feel safe.

She also said it's a good idea to have a pillow or bed for older dogs in the car in case they deal with any pain.

Now, my partner and I bring Rory's dog bed with us on road trips, so she feels as comfortable as possible thanks to the plush material and the scent of home. 

Frequent, short stops didn't seem to do much to put Rory at ease.

On that first trip, we thought it would be a good idea to stop often as we drove, as we wanted Rory to be able to stretch her legs and use the bathroom. We started out by stopping every one and a half to two hours. 

Although Rory was glad to walk around and relieve herself, it seemed like the stops actually made her more nervous. 

"It probably goes back to having all those new sites and smells at each different rest stop," Dr. Stacy said, pointing out that in addition to being unfamiliar to Rory, many rest stops smell like other dogs, which may have put her on edge.

But stopping for a longer lunch so she could walk around tuckered her out.

On our way back, we decided to try stopping after three hours. Rather than making it a quick pit stop, we had lunch at a restaurant with a dog-friendly patio and let Rory walk around. 

The new schedule worked wonders for our pup.

Because we were driving steadily for an extended period of time, Rory was able to fall asleep soundly on the first leg of the trip. And when we stopped for lunch, she walked for about 20 minutes, so she was sleepy for the second part of the ride as well.

Dr. Stacy said it's good to make sure your dog goes to the bathroom on a regular schedule on a road trip to avoid urinary tract infections, and she recommends mapping out dog parks or dog-friendly restaurants along your route ahead of your drive.

We didn't pack enough water for the first part of the trip.

We packed one bottle of water for Rory to drink in the car, as she usually consumes a little less than a bowl full of water throughout the day at home. 

But she went through the water more quickly than we anticipated, probably because she was nervous and it was hot. 

We ran into trouble after our longer lunch stop, as we were out of water and she was panting pretty intensely. We had to make an extra stop to grab her another bottle of water while we were already in traffic, which meant not only was our dog uncomfortable, but our trip took longer than we wanted it to.

Dr. Stacy said Rory was probably thirstier than normal because she was anxious.

As we spoke, Dr. Stacy asked me if Rory drinks a lot of water when guests come over or when something new happens. 

When I said yes, she explained that Rory was displaying anxiety in the car.

"I'm guessing that was an anxious habit," she said. "That's probably her coping mechanism for stress. Sometimes dogs will chew on pillows when they're nervous or they'll eat others' foods."

She said other dogs want more water in the car because they feel car sick, and if that's the case for your dog, there are medications your veterinarian can prescribe to help.

"I always try to keep some kind of water bowl obviously, and if you have an extra nervous dog that doesn't like to drink, maybe bring his normal water bowl or get him used to his travel water bowl in advance," she said of her own approach to road trips.

Dr. Stacy also recommended having medications, an emergency kit, and a cooler if your dog has food or medication that needs to be refrigerated with you for any road trip. 

In addition to providing Rory with water, my partner and I also give Rory ice cubes to chew on during road trips, as it keeps her cool and provides her with an activity. 

The car definitely wasn't the time to skip out on treats.

We packed a bone for Rory to chew on in the car on her first road trip, as well as some treats, and we were surprised by how quickly she went through them.

"I think it just makes it a positive experience," Dr. Stacy said of why dogs love treats in the car. "You're providing positive reinforcement to be in the car and enjoy the time."

She recommends putting treats in food puzzle toys like Kongs to make the enjoyment last longer, and she advises not to give your dog treats they don't usually eat in the car, as they may eat more than they typically do and their stomachs could become upset. 

My partner and I brought more treats for Rory to enjoy on our return trip, and we even stopped for a pup cup. She loved it, which made her happier in the car overall. 

As we've gotten more comfortable traveling with her, we try to time Rory's meals with road trips so she can eat in the car, which helps pass the time and gives her a positive association with the car. 

The more we made the car a fun place for Rory, the better the road trip was.

Rory had access to plenty of toys during our trip, and adding pillows and special treats ensured she was comfortable in an unsettling environment. 

Plus, she got to do fun things once we arrived at our destination, which taught her that the car was an exciting place to be.

Once Rory got a chance to play fetch on the beach, she was sold on the car as a way to get to something exciting.

She still prefers walking to car travel, but a year after she joined our family, I know my partner, Rory, and I are prepared to make any road trip a breeze for her. 

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7o8HSoqWeq6Oeu7S1w56pZ5ufonyutdKtmKSdo2K2brnAnZxmp55iv7Ctw2arq6GgYsSqwMdmm6ifXWd9c36McQ%3D%3D