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
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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Checklist
Staying With Family or Friends With a Dog: A Houseguest Checklist
A houseguest checklist for a few days at your parents’ or friends’ home with your dog: the questions to ask first, what to pack, meeting a resident dog or cat, a hazard check, a quiet room and routine, and the cleanup before you leave.
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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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Guide
RV Travel With a Cat: Carrier, Litter Box and Escape Routes
Make an RV a safe home for your cat: where the carrier rides on driving days, where the litter box goes, how to close off slide-outs, screen doors and windows, what to do if the power fails, and an arrival routine for every new site.
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Checklist
Renting a Car With a Dog: Pet Policy, Seat Covers and a Clean Return
A checklist for a rental car and a dog: where to find the real pet policy and what to ask, a cover and tether for a car you haven’t seen, photos at pickup, brushing and paw habits on the road, and a half-hour clean for hair, sand and smell before you hand back the keys.
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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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Checklist
Pet Emergency Kit Checklist: What Your Dog or Cat Needs to Evacuate
Everything your dog or cat needs to evacuate with you: records and ID, two weeks of food, water and medicine, a carrier or harness per pet, sanitation and first aid, plus where pets can stay and when to refresh the kit.
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Checklist
Moving With a Dog: Weeks Before, Moving Day and Settling In
A checklist for moving to a new home with a dog, in the order you’ll need it: ID and records weeks ahead, a steady routine while you pack, a safe plan for moving day and the drive, house and yard checks on arrival, and the first weeks of walks and time alone.
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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.
