Travelling with a Dachshund can be fun and rewarding, but it requires careful planning due to their unique physical needs and temperament. We need to make our journey well-planned and prepared for comfortable and less stressful travelling with your companion. They are also prone to back-related issues like IVDD due to their long body structure. Taking care of their back during travel time is our responsibility. In today’s blog, I will share some essential tips for when we travel with dachshund.
Potential risks of travelling with a dachshund, especially on a long trip
Long travelling with a dachshund can be an enjoyable experience when we do it with proper preparation. During long hours of travel, we can face some challenges if we are not prepared for them. Here are some problems we can face when we are not sufficiently prepared for a long travelling.
Back Injuries (IVDD Risk)
Dachshunds are prone to back-related issues like IVDD. If we don’t pay much attention to their spine, it can cause serious injury to our dog and also can have lifelong problems. Avoiding your dog jumping from a height is most important when we travel with a dachshund.
Anxiety and Stress
Dachshunds tend to feel stressed when they go to an unfamiliar or different location from their accommodation area. Reducing their stress and anxiety during travelling to a place where your dog is going for the first time is the most important thing when we travel with dachshund.
To avoid them feeling stressed and anxious, you can include a comfortable bed and toys for their engagement in playing or chewing. This helps them to feel comfortable in their own which significantly reduces their anxiety.
Digestive problems
Dachshunds are sensitive to digestive issues when their routine and diet change. Stress and anxiety also contribute a digestive issues that occur during a trip. Stress is a primary driver of dachshunds’ digestive problems during travel. It disrupts their gut-brain connection, known as gut gut-brain axis affected when your dog feels anxious or nervous, also raising the level of stress hormone, which can lead to digestive problems.
Potty accident
Dachshunds need frequent potty breaks because of their small bladder size. If we don’t understand their need, they may urinate on a car or an aeroplane, which can be a problem when travelling in a public vehicle.
What you should think when travelling with a dachshund
Their fragile back
Dachshunds have fragile backs, and they are inclined to back-related issues like IVDD. Taking care of their back is our biggest responsibility as their owners. We need to avoid them jumping from heights and running roughly, which can put strain on their back and cause serious back-related problems.
Pack a comfortable bed
They feel anxious when we don’t provide them with a comfortable place. A good quality bed play an important role in making their place comfortable. You can reduce dachshund travelling stress using a comfortable and cosy bed. There are many types of beds available in the market for dachshunds from We need to choose the best quality bed. If you are confused about which bed should buy for a dachshund, you can read our written blog about dachshund beds.
Additionally comfortable bed also helps your dog sleep well during long travels, which is key for reducing nausea if your dog has this.
Pack crate
During travelling, they can jump and run away, that’s why we need pack crate for their security. A crate provides a physical barrier for your dog. When you use it, they can’t run away from it. A crate is also important if you’re travelling in public vehicles, buses, trains or aeroplanes. If your dachshund is aggressive and has a history of biting or showing aggressiveness toward others, it can be a serious problem in public places. That’s why we need to bring a crate for our dog before we go for travel. It is also helpful when we go for International travel with dachshund.
Enough ventilation
Not getting enough fresh air can contribute a nausea and potentially vomiting. If you are loves to travel by car, you can half open your car windows to provide them enough ventilation to prevent vomiting and nausea.
Another reason we need to provide them proper ventilation is that they are prone to anxiety and stress when they feel uncomfortable while travelling. Enough ventilation helps your dog feel refreshed by providing them enough oxygen, which also helps in reducing stress in your dog.
Not getting enough ventilation for your dog has serious consequences, such as potty accidents, anxiety, feeling stressed and being inclined to separation anxiety.
Bring water
Hydration is most important for your dog. When your dog is dehydrated, they can show various symptoms like showing a nervous face, sometimes barking or howling and breathing with tongue out.
For your dog’s hydration through the travelling, you can bring a water bottle and sip from them from time to time as needed. Keeping your dog hydrated may help your dog feel good and enjoy the journey with your dog.
That’s why bringing water is most important when we go on especially long trip.
Avoid feeding just before departure
Dachshunds can have nausea when they travel in a car or other vehicle, especially just before going out can worsen it. We must avoid feeding our dachshund just before going for travel, we can feed our dog a few hours before going.
Like any other dog, dachshunds are prone to motion sickness, which is a condition where your dog gets sick because of the motion of cars and aeroplanes. A full stomach increases of chance of vomiting, drooling, or discomfort during travel, which can decrease energy level and potentially cause sickness in your dog.
Conclusion
Going on trips with a dachshund is an enjoyable experience if we do it with proper planning, preparation and being conscious of dachshund behaviour. We can deepen our emotional connection with our dog while travelling. It is the best way to deepen your emotional connection with your pet companion. But if we don’t carefully prepare for travelling, problems can arise for your dog and you. Problems such as potty accidents, back injury of your dog, worsen dog’s digestive health and cause anxious behaviour of your dog in further travelling in a situation when we don’t handle their travelling properly. That’s why we need to carry essential things before taking our dog with us on a trip.
