Texas bound Terriers

[Brianne_Kathrine]

I am moving to Texas in early August...just in time to enjoy those 110 degree August days. I have to admit, I am somewhat concerned about how Benny and Sally will adjust to the heat. It was 87 in Michigan yesterday and they were dragging big time. I skipped their lunch time and home from work walks because they were just too hot. I had to mow the lawn last night and normally they will sit in the back yard and watch me mow. They begged to be inside.

Seeing how miserable they were yesterday, and it was not nearly as hot as Texas will be, made me wonder how they are going to handle the heat. Anyone have suggestions? This is what I am already planning to do:

1.) Limit their walks in the heat of the day and do our long walks in the early morning.

2.) Make sure my apartment is well air conditioned, use fans

3.) Make extra sure they have water at all times.

Anything else I should consider?

Along with the moving topic, I am planning on crating Benny when I am away from home in the beginning. He gets too nervous and when he is nervous he pees on everything. I do not think that Sally really needs a crate, she seems to adjust well to change. Any moving suggestions?

My dogs like the car, but the longest trip they have had it 4-5 hours. Its going to be an 18 hour drive to Texas. I would rather not use any medication or sedative, but I also don't want to totally tramatize them with the long car ride. What have other done in this situation?

I have said it before, but its true...I am most concerned about my dogs with my upcoming move to Texas.

[Idaho Cairns]

Dogs adjust to weather conditions and the environment better than humans do--I'm sure your dogs will be fine once they rock in to the heat and humidity.

As far as car travel goes, mine usually settle down after a few hours in the car and simply sleep away the time--the longer the trip the more they sleep--remember, dogs don't count the hours and never ask "Are we there yet?" To a dog, the getting there is as good as the destination--so long as you give them plenty of rest stop breaks to sniff and do their business they are happy campers.

[Autumn & Lola]

It doesn't get *quite* that hot where I live, but definitely high 90's and we can have many days over 100 in July/August. Molly doesn't care much for the heat either. As I am home all day, I have a little more freedom as to when to walk her/put her out.

We try to take her out during the coolest times of the day of course. We go out very early in the morning (5:30-6:00 a.m.) for about 1/2 hour. Then about 9-10 a.m. she has her free play time in our yard for an hour. After dinner (about 6 p.m.) she is taken out to do her business for about 15 minutes. Then in the evening (after 8 or 9 p.m.) she gets her walk and then is free to play in the yard again for about an hour before bedtime. On days over 100 degrees, she will normally only go out to do her business, and does not care to play in the yard, or maybe only for 10 minutes or so. We always carry a clip-on water bottle with us, filled with chilled water from the frig.

I do keep a water dish in the yard when she is out there, and sometimes put water as well as ice cubes in it. When she comes in the house after being out in the heat, I always offer her an ice cube, which she absolutely loves to lick while she is cooling down. If you have a yard at your new place, you might want to get a kiddie/wading pool. The only problem is that it tends to heat up quickly, so you'd have to have it in the shade. You also need to dump it every night, so as not to attract bugs and other animals. Sometimes it's more hassle than it's worth. Molly also likes the occassion light spray with the hose.

We do keep the house well air-conditioned, so she is always cool inside.

As far as traveling, we used to take our Mandy (who was a terrier mix) on an 18-20 hour car trip 2x year to visit my family. As she was an older dog, she was quite content to sleep most of the trip. Before we left, I'd arrange all her supplies in a tote bag for her so as to have everything at my fingertips. If you feed dry food, it is much easier. (Mandy had to have wet food, as she barely had any teeth when we adopted the poor girl, and even less as she got older!) So I had to bring plastic spoons, etc. In my tote bag, I had a roll of paper towels, a couple regular towels, handiwipes/buttwipes, her medicine, food, treats, bottled water, a couple snuggle-type toys, and a copy of her medical records.

Her harness and collar (with ID tags) were put on before we left the house. Her leash was put in the glove compartment so I didn't have to dig through the tote bag when it was time for a potty break. I set up the back seat of our SUV in such a way that she had enough room to stretch, but that she couldn't roam around too much, nor could she get in the front seat to distract the driver. I covered the entire back seat with an old sheet, then put her blanket and pillow back there. I put her travel feeder on an old rubber mat and wedged it in a corner so it wouldn't slide around. After about 10 of these trips, I had this down to a science! I tried to keep her feeding and potty schedule as close to the same as possible. Whenever we stopped for fuel, food, bathroom or just to stretch our legs, we took her out as well for a brisk 15 minute walk. Then she'd sleep until the next stop.

It can be quite doable and even enjoyable if you are organized and prepared for every contingency. However, we were two people with one dog. Is it just you making the trip with two dogs? If so, you will need to be extra prepared when it comes to making stops. Do you have a way to strap them in the car so one won't jump out when you are putting the leash on the other one? Do you have a leash for each one or do you walk them on a double leash?

We always had so much fun on those trips with Mandy. Well, except the last one. We went to see my parents at Christmas, and Mandy pooped right in front of their Christmas tree. A LOT. LOL!

[Aurora5000]

Benadryl

[JerryLv]

We recently moved from Las Vegas, NV to Spokane, WA (a two day car trip) with one Cairn Terrier (Zen) and two Cats.

We didn't expect much protest from Zen as he loves to ride in the car. However, this time we had him seat belted in

one of the back seats. Normally going to the store or the vets he rides in front on one of our laps. The two cats

hate riding in the car and yowel all the way to and from the vets.

I think animals have a sense when things get serious like moving a long distance. Zen immediately settled in and

never protested once that he was confined to the back seat. The two cats let out a couple of small yowls as we

started our trip and then that was the last we heard from them until two days later when we arrived at our destination. All the animals behaved very well when we had to stop overnight in a motel. Overall it was a

very pleasant trip. Since then we had to take one of our cats to the vet (aproximately 2 miles) and he protested

the entire way there and back. Go figure.

[MegsMom]

Welcome ?back to TX. Umm, early Aug will probably be 103-105. Late Aug & Sept, more like 110. Now watch it prove me wrong this year! I'm ~40-50 miles west of where you'll be in Dallas. Dogs are smart--their instincts tell them they should lay-up in the heat rather than expend energy, particularly those not used to heat. Now that we've introduced them to the world of AC, some ignore their instincts, knowing they can go into AC & shade to cool off. I would imagine yours will need watching initially, as their interest in exploring a new world may override instinct. For Aug & Sept this year I wouldn't expect much 'outside interest' because they won't be conditioned to the heat--and if you do go out with them I'd keep a very careful eye on them. There are cooling jackets/bandanas/packs for dogs, and even for next year, I might consider those.

As far as the travelling, if you're concerned about them being carsick or a bit antsy, you can try Bonine, works for 24 hrs, next to the Dramamine in any drug store. Bonine doesn't have the 'drowsy' ingred that Dramamine has, that can upset dogs. It just helps them not be motion/car sick and a tad mellow. You can also try out Hyland's Calms Forte, homeopathic med, works 4-6 hrs, available in Walmart's vitamin section. It mellows them out, but does not sedate or tranq in any way; also helps with the possible motion/car sickness. I've used both products for rescue/foster cairns (mine love riding--any distance) so do know what these products actually do. I wouldn't recommend any type of sedation or tranq because many can have an opposite effect on terriers--esp ace, that vets hand out so readily. Of course, I do suggest testing either of these before you leave so you'll know how they work for your furbutts before you need them. For solving/prevention of an upset tummy, try gingersnaps (they could do double-duty as treats, too)--check the ingreds, be sure 'raisin paste' is very, very far down in the list or not there at all--remember raisins can be toxic to dogs.

I would recommend you leave a leash on them at all times in the car, even in crates--that safety factor just can't be be beat. If mine aren't in crates, they're seatbelted in, and I find the leash handle & wrap it around a headrest before I open any door. [i use & clip, seatbelt & leash to harnesses.] Then I open their side, wrap the leashes around me, then unhook their seatbelts. I may be anal, but I can't think of anything worse than losing a dog in a strange town/area.

[i use Cruising Companion car safety harnesses--found on ebay- avail. in colors, like regular harnesses, but heavy-duty, completely adjustable, come with the seatbelt strap; don't cover much of the dog, so no concerns about overheating; wash easily, and have a loop big enough to easily attach 2 clips. You'll want size S/M (you can trim straps, seal with a lighter after trimmimg); XS is very small, my 13# cairn will barely fit it.]