Traveling with Dogs and Cats

General Travel Tips:

• If you will be staying in a hotel during your travel, leave a radio on at a soft volume, keep your time away from your hotel room short, and use your pet’s crate when away from your room to help avoid destructive behavior.

• If your pet has a history of anxiety, distress, or nausea when traveling, consult your veterinarian for recommendations to prepare your pet for the trip. These recommendations may include training exercises to acclimate your pet to a kennel or vehicle, tools to use to help your pet relax, or administration of medications to assist with anxiety or nausea. NOTE: Sedation or tranquilizing a pet during travel is not advised (nor permitted for aircraft travel), as it can be fatal. Sedative or tranquilizer medications may cause pets to have breathing problems, blood pressure problems, or problems regulating their body temperature.

Are you traveling out of state?

• Visit the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) website, and research the requirements and regulations for the location(s) you will be traveling to and through.

• Work with your veterinarian to create a timeline for necessary vaccinations, completion of health certifications, and other area-specific requirements, such as rabies titer testing.

• Research the departure and arrival destination requirements regarding pet identification tags or registration, kennel markings, and ISO-compatible microchip information.

Driving with Pets:

• Carry a copy of your pet’s recent health certificate which is required when you cross state lines.

• If your pet is not comfortable riding in a vehicle, work with your veterinarian to discuss ways to improve your pet’s comfort.

• Research the safety data and size restrictions for any restraint devices or kennels you plan to use. The safest method of restraint for car travel is a kennel on the floor in the back seat or secured in the rear cargo area. This prevents driver disruption and keeps the pet secure in the event of an accident. Front seat travel should be avoided due to driver distraction and possible airbag injury. The kennel should be well-ventilated and big enough for the pet to stand, sit, lie down, and turn around. Other restraint options include harnesses, car seats, and pet barriers.

• Never leave your pets unsupervised in a parked vehicle, regardless of the outside temperature, even when windows are left open.

• Pack a travel kit for your pet. Include medications, leash, fresh food and water, bowls, waste disposal bags or litter and litterbox, as well as cleaning supplies.

• Plan breaks for every few hours; offer water and the opportunity to go to the bathroom.

• Offer food in small amounts to help reduce possible upset stomach. This is pet dependent.

Flying with Pets:

• Research transportation options before booking travel and determine whether you will use a commercial carrier or a private charter company for transportation of your pet.

• On commercial carriers, pets may be categorized for travel as: checked baggage in-cabin with owner, checked baggage cargo on the flight, or manifest cargo on an unaccompanied flight.

• In-cabin transport is airline-dependent and is restricted to small pets that fit in a kennel under the cabin seat.

• Pets must be at least 8-10 weeks old for transport but may be required to be at least 15–16 weeks old for international travel.

• Brachycephalic, short-nosed, flat-faced, breeds may be prohibited from flying in cargo due to safety risks. Some examples are bulldogs, Boston terriers, boxers, and pugs, as well as Persian or Himalayan cats.

• To minimize stress on your pet, it is recommended to book a non-stop flight when possible.

• Carry on copies of your pet’s veterinary record and health certificates, along with a leash, food, and any medications in case luggage is delayed or lost.

• Check with the airline you are using to ensure your pet’s kennel meets specifications. Each airline may vary, but general specifications can be found on the International Air Transport Association (IATA) website.

• Kennels need to be well-ventilated and big enough for the pet to stand, sit, lie down, and turn around in. Food and water bowls must be secured to the carrier and absorbent material supplied for the pet to lay on. Soft-sided and wire-sided kennels are not permitted for cargo travel.

• Ensure your pet is acclimated to his travel kennel early.

Information from Veterinary Partner Desiree R. Broach, DVM, MS, DACVB

Why Is Puppy Class So Important?

By Dr. Kelsey Woolsey, DVM

I recommend that every puppy be taken to puppy class regardless of its size, behavior, or intended lifestyle. I often get asked “Well, is puppy class really necessary? I have trained puppies before and he is mostly going to be an indoor dog.” The answer is always YES, puppy class is necessary. Here is why:

1. The puppy socialization period is from around 3 weeks of age to 12-16 weeks of age. This is the most influential stage in a puppy’s life relative to social behavior and learning. Most puppies are adopted around 8 weeks of age. This leaves the new owner with only a few weeks to continue exposing the puppy to new stimuli and situations.

2. Puppy class provides exposure to new people and dogs in a controlled and safe environment. Puppies that are appropriately exposed to a variety of situations, people, and animals are less likely to develop fear and anxiety in the future. Having a trainer that can guide you and help you recognize when your puppy is comfortable versus afraid ensures that your puppy views the new exposure as a positive experience.

3. Every dog at some point in its life is going to have to be handled by a stranger whether it is by a friend, a pet sitter, or a veterinarian. Teaching a puppy how to positively and appropriately interact with strange humans at a young age sets them up for success in the future.

4. Puppy class sets up a foundation of communication between you and your puppy. Having this foundation of communication gives you tools to help you and your puppy work through challenging situations that arise and positively address any unwanted behaviors that may develop in the future.

A side note on puppy classes: I do not recommend “puppy boot camps”. These are classes where puppies stay at the training facility for around 2 weeks without their owner. I do not recommend these because the relationship and foundation of communication that is built is not between owner and puppy. Your puppy may be learning basic commands and behaviors, but you are not learning how to give and reinforce those commands.

“What if I adopted a puppy that is older than 16 weeks or an adult dog? Should I still do training classes?” The answer is YES! Although the socialization period is over, it is never too late to learn basic commands that help your dog be a good family member and member of society. Working with a trainer will give you tools to work through any fears or anxieties your adult dog may have or develop. Training can also provide your adult dog with much needed mental and physical enrichment.

When choosing a puppy class or trainer it is important to pick an appropriate positive reinforcement trainer that provides a fear free and force free environment for learning. This handout from the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists gives pet owners some tips on picking a trainer: https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.dacvb.org/resource/resmgr/docs/How-to-select-a-trainer-owne.pdf

For Oregon residents, this website makes it easy to find trainers, veterinarians, pet sitters, and other pet professionals that subscribe to force free methods: https://forcefreeoregon.org/services/

Positive Reinforcement Training

By Dr. Kelsey Woolsey, DVM

Positive reinforcement is when a desirable stimulus is presented after a behavior is performed such that the behavior is likely to be repeated in the future. For example, a trainer gives a dog a piece of yummy hot dog right as it goes to lay down in its bed. The hot dog is the desirable stimulus which reinforces the behavior of going to the bed. The dog wants to receive more of the desirable stimulus so it is more likely to go to its bed in the future, especially if reinforcement of the behavior is repeated and practiced.

Simply giving a pet a tasty treat it likes is not positive reinforcement. A reinforcer, like a treat, has to be given immediately following a behavior. If that behavior increases in frequency over time, then positive reinforcement has occurred.

Common pitfalls that trainers run into are 1) inappropriate timing of the reinforcer, 2) selecting a reinforcer that is not appealing to the pet, and 3) inappropriate environment or emotional state of the pet.

1. Reinforcer timing. The reinforcer must be presented immediately following the desired behavior. Take teaching a dog to sit, for example. As soon as the dog’s bum hits the ground, it is given a treat. If the trainer is slow and the dog gets distracted and stands up and that is when the treat is given, this will reinforce standing up, not sitting.

2. Selecting a reinforcer. Luckily, many dogs are food motivated and not particularly picky about what food they eat. This is not true of all dogs and some other species of animal can be harder to reinforce. Here is another example. Let's say you are trying to teach your cat to jump up on a platform to be brushed. You tap the platform, he jumps up, and you offer a nice crunchy cat treat. He sniffs the treat, takes it in his mouth, but then spits it out and jumps off the platform. Now when you tap the platform he will not jump up anymore. What happened? The reinforcement being offered was not reinforcing to the cat. In this situation, the trainer needs to find a treat that is more appetizing to the learner. Affection can also be used as a reinforcer!

3. Proper environment and emotional state of the pet are important to consider when training. Learning cannot happen when an animal is in a heightened state of arousal or fearful. A trainer is at the dog park working on commands with their dog but the dog is panting, distracted, anxious, and not engaging. This is likely because the dog is uncomfortable or fearful at the dog park and is not in an appropriate emotional state for learning. This same dog may do very well in the calm and quiet of its own backyard.

When properly implemented, positive reinforcement is highly effective and fun for the trainer (you!) and learner (your pet!). Get out there and start practicing!