Question: Should I take my house-trained, crate-trained dog with me on vacation?
Answer: It depends. If you do, make sure to set them up for success!
Recently, I took my two dogs on vacation to a dog-friendly vacation home with a group of friends. They did really well, but we were prepared!
Here are some of the things I thought about in advance:
House-training It’s wise to plan on a house-training refresher course in a new environment. This means: Being prepared to reward your dog every time they go outside, in the right place, in a new place for at least the first few days. Not letting your dog have the opportunity to make mistakes: taking them outside frequently and not letting them roam alone in a new house. Have them with you on lead or in a crate unless they’ve recently voided both functions (pee and poo, to be less formal!).
Crates (and crate-training, of course!) Not all dogs need crates or will prefer them, but for house-training and for vacation travel they can come in handy–providing the dog a place to chill out and relax and a place where they will not have accidents when you need a break from keeping an eye on them and keeping them close. Before travel do a crate-training refresh. Have the crates out. Hide treats in the back of the crate for the dog to discover. Give your dog a chew or frozen Kong or Toppl toy in the crate. Remind your dog in advance that the crate is a great place for them to be and make sure to outfit the crate with your dog's favorite blankets and pillows.
Escape artists, prevention and a recall refresher Don’t expect your dog to have perfect recall in a new environment, especially if you haven’t practiced this recently. Before travel, in the weeks or days prior, is a great time to do a couple sessions of your emergency recall cue (reward with an amazing jackpot!) and practice coming when called (bust out some novel, extremely motivating treats). This is also a good time to be more vigilant about your equipment (it can be a good idea to clip a harness to a collar on walks for example or walk using two leashes). You can also let your dog drag their leash inside to prevent door darting and/or secure doorways with pet gates, exercise pens etc. Anticipate that in a new environment, there may be many things to distract your dog! Do a walk through of the location (inside and outside) to check for ways your dog could get out and make it as safe and secure as possible.
Alone time/trigger stacking Crates are also a great place to ensure your dog gets some alone time and a chance to decompress from all the newness and new interactions. Be aware of the possibility of trigger-stacking (or what I sometimes call “the party effect”). Lots of small stressors can build up and lead to some unexpected, out-of-the-blue, unwanted behaviors (think growls, snarls, snaps but this could also be increased mouthiness, jumping, zoomies, frantic attention-seeking, or barking -- whatever kind of silliness your dog tends to get up to). Bring some chews and treats your dog enjoys and let them snack on these out of sight. You can even use a blanket to cover the crate to make it more cozy and cavelike. Make sure people know that the dog in the crate has out their “do not disturb” sign.
Resource-guarding Insecurity in a new place and, perhaps, access to some novel snacks can lead dogs to be more protective (including growly, snarly, or snappy) of good stuff offered to them. Prevent this by giving the dog a safe space to enjoy their treats in a crate or behind a door where they don’t have to worry about anyone taking away their treat.
Walks
In a new place, there may be off-leash dogs, enticing new smells, the surprise appearance of interesting animals on walks, etc. It’s a good idea to be prepared for your dog to be extra-excited. Again, make sure your dog is safe in their equipment (harness secure!). Brush up on their leash walking skills (1-2-3!). Brush up on your leash walking skills –be prepared with your "happy, talk, turn and go" for example. Have your treat pouch handy and ready for games of touch and find it. Reward your dog when they potty on leash. Reward your dog when they check in with you. Be aware of your surroundings and set your dog up for safety (if your dog sometimes wears a muzzle due to reactivity or eating inadvisable things on walks –be sure to use the muzzle on trips!).
My pre-planning paid off and it was fun to see the dogs enjoying a new environment. They could use more practice with large groups of new people (there's always more to train!), but overall did well.
Do you need help with your dog's house-training, recall training, crate-training, muzzle-training or leash skills? Would you like a pre-trip training refresher or consult to plan your dog's outing? Book a consult!
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