Puppy Adventures – Oscar’s first holiday

May 25th 2022

There are lots of “fun firsts” with a puppy – first night at home, first bath, first walk and what is more exciting than the thought of your first family holiday. Your adorable, cute pooch accompanying you for a break of endless sunshine, carefree walks and chore-free evenings to cuddle up and enjoy time together? …maybe …but only if you plan ahead, and with a chunk of good luck weather-wise!

As well as being one of the many who acquired a puppy over the Covid period, I also sought to escape the lockdown blues with an impulse purchased caravan (yes, my friends all laughed!). So, over the last few months, we have been away on lots of trips and I have been finding out the potential pitfalls when travelling with a puppy. Sometimes I have learnt the hard way, sometimes I have picked up tips from friends, sometimes I just seemed to forget that common sense prevails…so to save you the same troubles here are my top 5 tips to making your trip away much more enjoyable. 

1.       Make a Puppy Packing List

I love making lists so it was inevitable that Oscar would have his own list of things to pack for holiday. Write it out, test it on a few trips, and tweak it until you have nailed what works for you. On my first trip I forgot bowls (Oscar looked very unloved eating out of take away tubs), his blanket (daughter had to sacrifice her bed cover!) and I had one poo bag to last three days (I did not “make do” on this one…fellow campers lent us some until we could find a shop).

Here are the key items on my list:

·         Food and bowls

·         Lead / harness / long line

·         Toys / Kong

·         Treats

·         Crate, Bed & Blanket

·         Poo bags (3 times more than I need)

·         Towels (bank on it raining)

·         Shampoo (in case the rain continues, and dirty dog smell becomes overwhelming!)

·         Brush

2.       Prepare and pre-weigh food for each day

It is even more important to prepare the dogs food than your own, as you don’t want to risk having to buy whatever is available locally and change their food suddenly. Any change in diet could cause an upset tum, which is bad enough in your well-ventilated home with Febreze at the ready, but in the small, enclosed space of a caravan or tent? Just make sure you’re prepared!

At home, I weigh Oscar’s food straight from the bag to ensure he gets the correct amount of calories. For holidays however, I pack his daily allowance into food bags. You could of course, take the 7.5k bag, the scales, the scoop and the bag clip but we have to keep the wobble box within a strict weight limit, and I would rather take the extra weight in wine!

3.       Test your pups “road-worthiness”

Before setting off for the big adventure, you need to know if your pup can travel the distance. Oscar unfortunately suffers from travel sickness, and whilst he is more than happy to clean it up as an extra meal, it has left him nervous about getting in the car. So, before the first big outing, I tried to build him up by taking lots of short and a few longer trips with something fun like a new park or a puppy party at the end of each trip. To try and overcome his anxiety, I have also been feeding him his lunch in the car or tempting him to jump in himself with a trail of treats.

The good news is that if you do have a sicky puppy, the vet can help by prescribing some motion sickness tablets. I am hoping that Oscar will grow out of it but have decided to try the tablets to try and break the cycle of feeling unwell leading to anxiety which may also be causing him to feel nauseous. And in the meantime, I have become a sick-bowl ninja, able to catch a dog vomit with a contortionist-style manoeuvre from the front seat. Best add a sick bowl to your list!

4.       Think about the Sleeping Arrangements

Does you puppy sleep in a crate, on a bed, in your bed, or even outside? You will need to consider how to make your dog feel comfortable and secure whilst on holiday so that you don’t end up with a grouchy, tired pooch and a grouchy, tired family! If like Oscar, your dog uses a crate, and you are lucky enough that it will fit in your car, caravan or tent then I would suggest taking it with you to try and maintain some of the same routine that your dog is used to. If you are staying in rented accommodation, you will of course need to check any rules which apply to pets.

Oscar loves his sleeping arrangement in the caravan more than home as we leave the crate door open so that when he stirs at dawn he can jump onto my daughter’s bed, leap all over her, lick her until she wakes up and then he snuggles down for a few hours of blissful sleep. As a dog who isn’t allowed upstairs, let alone on the bed, I am sure this is one of his favourite parts of our holidays.

5.       Get in the mindset for dirty paws and soggy spaniel ears!

As with any UK break, the weather can play a key role in shaping your experience, so I suggest that the best approach is to embrace the fact you may get wet. Be prepared with towels, shampoo, brush and even a coat if your dog likes to wear one.

But most importantly, get into the mindset that is ready to shrug at dirty paw prints on your clean jeans, to indulge in the damp dog aroma that surrounds you and to laugh at indoor puddles forming from soggy spaniel ears.

Sunshine may make you smile but your first puppy holiday, no matter what the weather, with good planning and the right approach will make fantastic memories that last forever! Enjoy!

By Laura Shears, Vet’s Kitchen.