4 Tips for Traveling with a Protection Dog

They’re great at keeping your home safe, and they’re trusted companions and friends, but when it comes to traveling with protection dogs, some owners feel a little unsure. How do you know if your pet is prepared to protect you on the road, for example? Can you be sure it will handle travel well? Are there things you can do to make your travel plan a success? To help answer these questions, here are a few tips for traveling with a protection dog that’s been trained to guard you and your home.

1. Start with Protection Dog Training

Just as any good guard dog needs quality training to know how to identify danger and protect you and your family at home, so too it needs training to be prepared to travel with you elsewhere. Work with an experienced dog trainer on our staff in order to give your dog the best resource for knowing how to behave in new environments and around strangers.

2. Pack Supplies

Whether you’re going through the security checkpoint at the airport or stopping at a rest area on a road trip, you will want a leash to ensure you maintain control over your protection dog. Likewise, you might bring a travel carrier, a harness, ID tags, food/water dishes, exercise toys, medications and/or a first-aid kit.

3. Do Your Research

Let’s face it — cars and planes weren’t made for pets. So before you embark on a trip with your dog, find out what the situation will require. What are your airline’s regulations for pet travel? What are your space constraints in the car? Will you need to bring a crate? By planning ahead, you’ll set you and your well trained German Shepherd up for a much better trip.

4. Provide Exercise As Much As Possible

Try to take your dog for a short walk or a good play session in the yard before heading out, in order to help it use up energy. This encourages better rest while traveling, which makes things easier for everybody. Likewise, take your dog out at rest stops and when you reach your destination.

Ultimately the best preparation for traveling with your protection dog is thinking through possibilities and planning ahead for them. When you take steps to care for your trained German Shepherd in new environments, you help it acclimate to changes in a calm and safe way.