Car Travel
Start with how your pet rides. Dog seat belt vs booster seat covers keeping a dog in place in the back, and dog hammock vs seat cover covers protecting the seats. A seat cover, hammock or booster is not a crash restraint.
Planning a longer drive? The road trip with a dog checklist covers the car, the stops and the night away. Cat owners will find carrier-first advice for vet trips and long drives in this topic too. The covers, tethers, boosters and carriers mentioned are in dog car and travel accessories.
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How-to
How to Clean a Dog Car Seat Cover Without Ruining the Coating
Hammocks, bench covers and cargo liners all fail the same way: a hot wash destroys the coating that made them waterproof. This covers the hair removal that has to come first, what the care label is really telling you, and how to restore water repellency when it stops beading.
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How-to
How to Measure a Pet for a Carrier So It Actually Fits
Carrier sizing catches people out because the weight limit and the internal dimensions are separate constraints and a pet can fail either. This covers the three measurements that matter, the height mistake almost everyone makes, and how to test the fit before a journey.
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How-to
Traveling With Two Dogs in the Car: Seats, Tethers, Loading and Stops
How to set up one back seat for two dogs: a seat each with a gap between, tethers short enough that the dogs can't reach each other or tangle, a booster for a small dog beside a big one, which dog loads first, rest stops on two leashes and what to do if they squabble.
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How-to
Traveling With a Dog and a Cat in the Car: Seating, Stops and Hotels
How to set up one car for a dog and a cat: the carrier wedged in a footwell away from the dog, a tether short enough to keep a nose off the mesh, who goes in and out first, stops where only the dog gets out, and a hotel room that keeps the cat behind a closed door.
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How-to
Taking a Dog on Public Transit: Rules, Carriers and Practice Rides
How to get a small dog onto the bus or subway calmly: what to look for in your transit agency’s pet policy, choosing a carrier by your dog’s size and your own back, carrier training at home, short off-peak practice rides, stairs, crowds and heat, and how service animal rules differ.
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How-to
How to Stop a Dog Barking in the Car (and Why It Starts)
Most car barking is excitement, frustration, alarm or worry. Learn which one you have, cut what your dog can see with seat position and tether length, teach quiet in a parked car step by step, and settle two dogs who set each other off.
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How-to
Staying in a Hotel With Your Dog: A Calm Room and Quiet Hallways
How to keep a dog calm and quiet in a hotel room: the policy questions to ask before you book, a quiet corner, hallway noise and knocks, elevators and late-night potty breaks, and when you can leave your dog alone.
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How-to
How to Protect Leather Car Seats From Your Dog
Claws, grit and wet coats are what mark leather seats. Fit a waterproof cover that stays put, keep nails short and smooth, clean paws at the car door, tether your dog so they lie down on turns, and wipe the leather the right way after muddy rides.
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How-to
How to Make Vet Visits Less Stressful for Your Dog
For a dog who shakes, pulls for the door or won't get out of the car at the vet: happy visits, handling practice at home, what to tell the clinic, waiting in the car, a lick mat for the exam and when to ask about medication.
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How-to
How to Install a Dog Car Hammock So It Stays Put
Fit a back-seat dog hammock so it stays put: prep the seat, clip the rear then the front headrest straps, tension them evenly, bring the buckles through the seat-belt openings for a tether, use the zipper for a passenger and fix sagging, sliding and gaps.
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How-to
How to Fly With a Small Dog in the Cabin: From Booking to Landing
From booking the pet spot to the first relief stop on landing: whether your dog suits the cabin, carrier and settle practice at home, what to pack, airport relief areas and water, the TSA checkpoint on a harness and leash, and a dog who barks under the seat.
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How-to
How to Fly With a Cat in the Cabin, From Booking to Arrival
A step-by-step plan for flying with a cat in the cabin: reserving its spot and checking carrier limits, carrier and harness practice, when to feed and offer litter on travel day, getting through security without an escape, a cat who cries on board and the first hours after landing.
