My neice Angela will be driving from Toronto to Yellowknife to start a new job and will be taking her golden retriever Kaia with her.

Kaia is 1 year old very hyper dog with (unfortunately) very little training. Believe me I've tried to convince her how important training at least the basic commands is, but it's falling on deaf ears.

Angela is wondering what, if anything, she could safely use as a traquillizer for the trip. I've recommend she at least gets Kaia a crate instead of having Kaia loose in the car and have offered to pay for it. Also some stuffed Kongs, bully sticks etc and to stop at least every few hours for washroom break and exercise time.

I feel bad for this dog, becuase I'm pretty sure my neice will be too busy to spend much time with Kaia and she'll be spending alot of time in the crate when she does get to Yellowknife. I'm really hoping I'm wrong.....

Any suggestions for a safe way to tranquillizer Kaia or other ways to make her trip more plesant would be very much appreciated.

Working with the pup before the trip..so if learns to settle in the car is a good idea.

The pup just sounds like a normal 1 yr old pup to me with way too much lack of exercise mental & physical. But I could be wrong. :-)

Tranquilizing a pup is not the best thing in the world to do IMO. Giving the dog a walk & some mental work (some OB) for a few minutes at each stop would be better & 'toy's in the crate to keep the pup busy while driving. Also a dish for water & some bottled water so the pup can have a drink when they stop for potty breaks.

Put a leash on the dog each time before she takes the dog out of the car. Also making sure that the pup has ID on the collar at all times with her cell phone # (since she is traveling) along with Vac info on her collar like rabies & vet name. Just in case the dog should get loose or there is an accident.

Hope they travel safe & she finds the time to devote to this pup after the move.

Maybe Dr. Betty will have an idea about tranqs for a pup.

What is the specific issue that has her thinking tranquilizer?

I'm a thousand percent with you on the crate. Having the dog unrestrained in the car is a bad idea, IMHO. This turns the dog into a projectile in the event of even a minor accident. And in any accident when emergency responders must open the car, it turns the dog into a panic-stricken dog who bolts into traffic (or into the woods, to be lost).

There's so much more to this than a pill (as I know you know). The dog needs to be acclimated to the crate and to the car. The owner needs to understand what a wonderful tranquilizer exercise is (hyper or not). The dog needs to try car travel to find out about any motion sickness first.

YES to the frequent stops, with the leash not left on in the crate but attached before the dog is allowed to exit the car. And yes, yes, yes, to continued frequent exercise and training when she gets there.

She has committed to this dog. Everything we are saying is the very least she needs to do to fulfill the commitment, even minimally, IMO.

Even if she completely failed on the exercise/potty/training front, I'm afraid of medicating a dog for something that is already a potential stress- and anxiety-trigger.



The good side: This could actually be a fun trip if plenty of time and careful planning were factors .... there could be carefully-sussed-out breaks/stops, and reserved dog-friendly motels .... and the dog's blanket and familiar toy(s) along. Training could be happening (with markers) in motels in the evening, and so could fun games. They could bond (or re-bond) during this trip.

Anne was posting while I was typing .... considerable overlap there!

PS

"The pup just sounds like a normal 1 yr old pup to me with way too much lack of exercise mental & physical. "


Ditto. A one-year-old without lots of training and exercise = a hyper dog.

JMO!

One thing that's so great about a metal crate is you can buy a stainless steel water bucket that attaches to the crate in 2 ways - one is it has a piece of metal that comes out on the top of the can that fits over the horizontal metal bar of the crate and you can also use a brass clasp that attaches on both ends and use it to hold the handle of the pail up higher on the bars for added stability.

You fill the can up almost to the top with water and freeze it. I got a large and a small one for both my dogs and they love it. Not only do they not drink so much they have to pee a lot but they keep well hydrated by licking the ice and they like to lean up against it to keep cool - the condensation on the outside of the water can is also a source of water for them. Less stops to fill up a water dish and no having the bowl spill in the car.

Both my dogs love their car crates much more since I found the water cans. It keeps them both occupied and cooler.

I got mine at a local feed store - I did look for one online so I could show you a photo of what I am talking about but didn't find it. Maybe someone else will have a link to them.

Wishing your niece all the best and a safe journey.

Edited by Maggie MacDonald (06/18/2013 04:41 PM)
Edit reason: clarity

Our vet recommended Benadryl.
We didn't use it though-did all of the above instead. May be worth looking into.

Preface: I've been around a while, so, anymore, I just say what I want. Please forward my response to your niece.

Your niece is an idiot. She is selfish and does not deserve to be a dog guardian -- *any* dog's guardian. Your advice to her is right on point. Not only does the dog need proper training, but your niece needs proper training in how to listen to her elders; although, unfortunately, its not possible to impose such training on an adult. Well, it is, but its illegal. My first bit of curmudgeonly advice is for her to leave the dog with you, if not just give you the dog outright. Maybe she could get an animatronic dog so that she can just flick the off-switch when she can't be bothered.

However, failing this, she could use D.A.P. (dog appeasing pheromone) to help calm the dog during the ride, along with many play/potty breaks.

Really, I'm pretty sure I have shoes older than your niece, and I've learned that some people just should not own dogs; and she seems to be one of them.

 Quote: Debbie Martin

My neice Angela will be driving from Toronto to Yellowknife to start a new job and will be taking her golden retriever Kaia with her.

Kaia is 1 year old very hyper dog with (unfortunately) very little training. Believe me I've tried to convince her how important training at least the basic commands is, but it's falling on deaf ears.

Angela is wondering what, if anything, she could safely use as a traquillizer for the trip. I've recommend she at least gets Kaia a crate instead of having Kaia loose in the car and have offered to pay for it. Also some stuffed Kongs, bully sticks etc and to stop at least every few hours for washroom break and exercise time.

I feel bad for this dog, becuase I'm pretty sure my neice will be too busy to spend much time with Kaia and she'll be spending alot of time in the crate when she does get to Yellowknife. I'm really hoping I'm wrong.....

Any suggestions for a safe way to tranquillizer Kaia or other ways to make her trip more plesant would be very much appreciated.

I'm with everyone who advises AGAINST tranquilizers -- If she opts for the good idea of using a crate, my only advice is to make sure it is well-shaded & well-ventilated to avoid over-heating the dog that cannot get out to cool off (which can happen very quickly with WAY BAD results) ... And here's a personal anecdote:

I've made a few cross-country drives in high summer on I-10 between Lake Arrowhead, California and Miami, Florida with an extremely energetic young Basenji or two in the car -- Don't ask me HOW they did it, but my dogs must have had some sort of "psychic" ability, because they INVARIABLY refused all food, drank barely any water (wouldn't even lick ice) showed zero enthusiasm for going on "pit stop" walks, and just SLEPT the whole time on our trips ... So the moral of this is that your niece's GR might surprise her by being No Trouble at all

Debbie, maybe if you have already offered advice that wasn't really taken on board, you could try engaging your niece with positive upbeat methods. (Where have I heard that ... ? )

I admit it's not my style ... if it's not a dog I'm training, I tend to be pretty didactic.

But "This could actually be a fun trip if plenty of time and careful planning were factors .... there could be carefully-sussed-out breaks/stops, and reserved dog-friendly motels .... and the dog's blanket and familiar toy(s) along. Training could be happening (with markers) in motels in the evening, and so could fun games. They could bond (or re-bond) during this trip."

This could be a dog-and-owner good-time trip.

PS

I love road-trips-with-dogs. It takes lots of planning and care, but it can be a lot of fun.