Dogs & the 911 - advice needed!

[Alex]

I know what you mean, I try to pack it up a bit for him with cushions so it's level.
We always strap him in for safety reasons when doing any long high speed journey.

Other option would've been to go in her Golf, but where's the fun in that???

 

[Diggermeister]

We leave our two rotties at home.

Slightly O/T but worth mentioning, the French are funny about which breeds can and can't be take and Rotties are on the banned list. I realise you weren't going to take them, but perhaps worth a mention.

Back to the O/P, the only thing I can suggest is perhaps finding somewhere to break up the journey, even if it's only for short walks/breaks. A tired dog is always a happier, more sedate dog. All the dogs we've had have traveled well, but... for a dog, 18hrs is an eternity.

 

[jon911]

We leave our two rotties at home.

Slightly O/T but worth mentioning, the French are funny about which breeds can and can't be take and Rotties are on the banned list. I realise you weren't going to take them, but perhaps worth a mention

Wow the French are so dogmatic.

 

[clinchy993]

Took my 2 Labs to Barcelona last year,it was effortless as was La Rochelle the year before

They were in the back seat of a Skoda Yeti packed with bedding

Take the dog out the whole day before and wear him/her out

A stop every 2/3 hours for the dogs to p&p break and we found giving a little food and water kept them happy, then a mid journey over night stop

The stops and the overnighter made it a great journey ,on the French trip it was Le Mans in a Ibis hotel in the city with a long walk to make them tired for the next days journey


Kennels pha ! :hand:

 

[Cunno]

Never tried this but could work, unbolt passenger seat and leave at home. Stick wifey in rear seat, dog blankets and dog in foot well. Loads of room for dog and wife gets extra leg room :dont know:

 

[Grung73]

There is some good guidance on-line regarding the transport of animals (albeit on the way to slaughter) and the minimum legal welfare conditions:

https://www.gov.uk/farm-animal-welfare-during-transportation

https://www.rspca.org.uk/ImageLocator/LocateAsset?asset=document&assetId=1232715393728&mode=prd

You might not be able to satisfy them all, for example:

'The law says that no person shall transport any animal in a way which causes or is likely to cause injury or unnecessary suffering to that animal.'

....but it might come in handy nonetheless.

 

[Rhodris-dad]

We have just completed the trip ourselves with our Samoyed. :grin:

However, we did it in the wife's Kuga Sport. 5 1/2 hours to the tunnel, 3 hours to a Formule 1 (dogs allowed) for a night and 9 hours to Montpellier (with traffic jams). Travelling on a Saturday can be a bit of a nightmare. The following Sat it took us an extra 1hour than anticipated to travel to Saint Raphael.

Our dog really likes travelling in cars, so that is half the battle. I think maybe your dog gets a bit distressed because he's not comfortable. i.e. he has not identified a spot that is his. The dog really needs enough space to stretch out flat.

Zonking your dog out completely is not recommended. Have a word with your vet, they will be more than happy to empty your wallet for some medication that will help.

Otherwise it's top down all the way! :thumbs:

Oh and make sure you have plenty of room to bring back the vino :grin:

 

[Alex]

Otherwise it's top down all the way! :thumbs:

Oh and make sure you have plenty of room to bring back the vino :grin:

:wink:

of course.

 

[K9Md]

It's generally not recommended to sedate a dog for car journeys as the medications used are supposed to be administered 'under veterinary supervision'. They can have varying effects in different animals and there is the possibility of adverse reactions, so then you're into the world of sedating them a few days before the journey as a trial to ensure you won't be faced with any nasty surprises en route. Also the duration of action wouldn't tend to last for that length of journey.

There are 'calming' products available (adaptil, clomicalm) that work for some animals (they contain calming pheromones) but don't touch the sides for others. Could be worth a try though. Might pay to try to split the trip up as others have suggested as a large dog will need to stretch their legs and that's a long time for any animal (us included!) to sit cooped up in a small seat!

Good luck! Personally I wouldn't let any dog's claws near my leather, but that's just me :grin:

 

[Alex]

I usually do a stop over but he just has it twice as bad then. He's a clever sod and knows we're not at the destination. He even knows when we're going on holiday. He's been down since Wednesday when I made the booking. Knew I shouldn't have left the confirmation email open on my pc :damn:

 

[tikkathree]

Until quite recently I've always had springers and one will fit in the footwell next to the boss' feet.

I no longer have a spaniel but I do have my son's Ridgeback - all 8 stone of her. My 996 is bigger than the boss' SMART roadster coupe.

I've discovered that this ridgeback, previously a very nervous passenger, will happily sit on the heavily padded front passenger seat. And that's how she travels to the kennels when we go away.

Have you talked to the vet about sedatin the visla for the journey?

The dog eventually settles on long journeys, surely?

 

[kozzi]

Put one of the rear seats down and put the dog in a canvas cage, safer for him and you if he starts getting stressed but the canvass will not rub dog or seats.

 

[Alex]

One of the rear seats will be loaded up with luggage so he'll be confined to one side. Had a go at taking all the rear seats out yesterday - took all of 5 minutes so I'll be removing them to eliminate risk of leather damage and also give me an extra bit of space (and save weight :lol: ).

Girlfriend suggest we get a fabric crate for him to go in but I think that will stress him more.
Taking him to the Vets for his foreign medication in a week or so, so will seek some advice off them with regards to calming him.

Took him out yesterday for a good ride in it and he was fine, albeit with all the windows down and then back home with the top down. Think I'll start taking him for rides in it more often in the next few weeks to get him used to being in the car.

Thanks for all the tips guys :thumb:

 

[pzero]

Took him out yesterday for a good ride in it and he was fine, albeit with all the windows down and then back home with the top down. Think I'll start taking him for rides in it more often in the next few weeks to get him used to being in the car.

:agree: :yeah: