Traveling With Your Dog

Car Travel
You should accustom your Yorkshire Terrier to riding in a car at an early age. You may or may not often take him in the car, but at the very least he will need to go to the vet and you do not want these trips to be traumatic for the dog or a big hassle for you. The safest way for a dog to ride in the car is in his crate. If he uses a fiberglass crate in the house, you can use the same crate for travel. If you have a wire crate in the house, consider purchasing an appropriately sized fiberglass or wooden crate for traveling. Wire crates can be used for travel, but fiberglass or wooden crates are safer.

 Put the pup in the crate and see how he reacts. If he seems uneasy, you can have a passenger hold him on his lap while you drive. This can be an option for an adult Yorkie, too, provided that the person has a secure hold on the dog. Do not let the dog roam loose in the vehicle—this is very dangerous! If you should stop short, your dog can be thrown and injured. If the dog starts climbing on you and pestering you while you are driving, you will not be able to concentrate on the road. It is an unsafe situation for everyone—human and canine.

TOO HOT TO HANDLE Never leave your dog alone in the car. In hot weather, your dog can die from the high temperature inside a closed vehicle; even a car parked in the shade can heat up very quickly. Leaving the window open is dangerous as well since the dog can hurt himself trying to get out.

For long trips, be prepared to stop to let the dog relieve himself. Bring along whatever you need to clean up after him. You should bring along some paper towels and old rags, should he have a potty accident in the car or become carsick.

Yorkies in the Friendly Skies
Contact your chosen airline before proceeding with your travel plans that include your Yorkshire Terrier. The dog will be required to travel in a fiberglass crate and you should always check in advance with the airline regarding specific requirements for the crate’s size, type and labeling. To help put the dog at ease, give him one of his favorite toys in the crate. Do not feed the dog for several hours prior to checking in so that you minimize his need to relieve himself. However, some airlines require that the dog must be fed within a certain time frame of arriving at the airport. In any case, a light meal is best.

Make sure your dog is properly identified and that your contact information appears on his ID tags and on his crate. Although most dogs travel in a different area of the plane than the human passengers, the Yorkie is fortunate enough to travel in “coach” (or “first-class”) along with his owners! Most airlines provide for toy dogs to travel with their owners, and Yorkie owners should always seek out airlines willing to accommodate their dogs first!

Vacation and Boarding
So you want to take a family vacation—and you want to include allmembers of the family. You would probably make arrangements for accommodations ahead of time anyway, but this is especially important when traveling with a dog. You do not want to make an overnight stop at the only place around for miles to find out that they do not allow dogs. Also, you do not want to reserve a place for your family without mentioning that you are bringing a dog, because, if it is against their policy, you may not have a place to stay.

COLLAR REQUIRED If your dog gets lost, he is not able to ask for directions home. Identification tags fastened to the collar give important information—the dog’s name, the owner’s name, the owner’s address and a telephone number where the owner can be reached. This makes it easy for whomever finds the dog to contact the owner and arrange to have the dog returned. An added advantage is that a person will be more likely to approach a lost dog who has ID tags on his collar; it tells the person that this is somebody’s pet rather than a stray. This is the easiest and fastest method of identification, provided that the tags stay on the collar and the collar stays on the dog.

Alternatively, if you are traveling and choose not to bring your Yorkshire Terrier, you will have to make arrangements for him while you are away. Some options are to bring him to a neighbor’s house to stay while you are gone, to have a trusted neighbor stay at your house or to bring your dog to a reputable boarding kennel. If you choose to board him at a kennel, you should stop by to see the facility and where the dogs are kept to make sure that it is clean. Talk to some of the employees and see how they treat the dogs—do they spend time with the dogs, play with them, exercise them, groom them? Do they have experience with small dogs? You know that your Yorkshire Terrier will not be happy unless he gets regular attention. Also find out the kennel’s policy on vaccinations and what they require. This is for all of the dogs’ safety, since when dogs are kept together, there is a greater risk of diseases being passed from dog to dog. Many vets offer boarding facilities; this is another handy option.

Identification
Your Yorkshire Terrier is your valued companion and friend.That is why you always keep a close eye on him and you have made sure that he cannot escape from the yard or wriggle out of his collar and run away from you. However, accidents can happen and there may come a time when your dog unexpectedly gets separated from you. If this unfortunate event should occur, the first thing on your mind will be finding him. Preventative measures pay off dearly! Proper identification will increase the chances of his being returned to you safely and quickly.

Everyday Care of Your Yorkshire Terrier Senior Diets Bathing, Ear Cleaning, Nail Clipping
Excerpts from Comprehensive Owners Guide: Yorkshire Terrier