If you’re planning on taking your beloved pet with you on vacation, this dog packing list will help simplify the process! There is enough stress before leaving for a road trip, so print off this free checklist and be assured you remembered all the essentials for your dog!
This post is sponsored by Big Heart Pet, Inc. All opinions are my own.
Our family is always up for a road trip, and it’s even better when we can take our family dog along! Luckily, he’s a pretty good car rider and is always down for an adventure too.
In fact, sometimes he hops in the van when he shouldn’t, and it breaks my heart to have to get him out and tell him he’s not invited for that ride. So, we try to include him whenever we can so that the whole family can vacation together!
But packing a pet for vacation is a little bit different than packing for yourself or for your kids!
Dogs really are animals of habit, and while humans can just grab stuff at the store if they forget something, it’s best if dogs have their same items from home to help them feel more comfortable. For some pets, there is enough anxiety with long car rides and being in strange places, that anything you can do to make them more comfortable is a huge plus.
How to Pack a Dog for a Vacation
Food: Like many dogs, our Louie eats the same food every day. We tried changing it on him once and let’s just say it didn’t go so well. So, the same food it is then! We can only find it in one store, and we would never risk hoping to stumble on it while we’re out on a road trip. Bringing along his food is a requirement for us!
Water: It’s important to bring water along too. You’ll need to make stops for your dog, and you should always give him a chance to have a water break. We forgot water during one of trips and were cursing ourselves when we had to pay the high price for a bottle of water at a rest stop.
Food Bowls: Don’t forget the food and water bowls as well!
Treats: Traveling to new places and being surrounded by new people can be stressful for your dog! Make sure to bring his favorite treats along to reward him for good behavior. Just like with his food, our Louie is picky with his treats, but he loves Pup-Peroni®!
We recently tried the new Pup-Peroni Jerky Bites, purchased at Walmart, since we noticed they were made with real beef or real pork (no grain, meat by-products, fillers, or artificial flavors). With his picky palate, anything that has meat listed as the number one ingredient and has such a big, meaty flavor is sure to pass his approval.
And they did! He loves them! And as pet parents, we love that the Pup-Peroni Jerky Bites can be part of his overall healthy diet, so they are now an essential part of his vacation packing list! He’s literally licking his lips for one!
Plastic Bags for Waste: Puh-lease don’t forget to pack bags to pick up his waste during your stops! We usually keep some in our glove box anyways, but we always pack extra for road trips!
Dog Bed: We take his dog bed along with us and make sure we have a place for it during the car ride (not just when we arrive at our destination). To make Louie more comfortable, we usually remove one of the seats from the middle row of our van and give him his own spot on the floor.
He can sleep on his bed, we have quick access to his leash and treats when we need them during stops, and it just makes the whole ride more pleasant!
Blanket and Toys: We always take his favorite blanket and toys along so he’s familiar with the smell. He loves making a little nest with his blanket!
Health and Vaccination Records: We keep all his health records in a folder at home, so it is easy to grab and take with us on vacation. Just put it in your glove box or at the bottom of his “suitcase” in case of an emergency.
Medicines or Prescriptions: If your dog is on any prescriptions, please make sure you fill them ahead of time and remember to bring them! If you’ll be camping or in the woods, make sure he also gets a tick treatment before you leave.
Temporary ID Tag: I highly recommend making a temporary ID tag for your dog’s collar before you leave! It should include your cell phone number as well as the address and name of the hotel or place you are staying. It’s quick and easy (you can even make it yourself), but it could make a huge difference! Even if you think you have a dog that never takes off, you never know how they will react in a new place. It’s best to be prepared!
Dog Packing List for Vacation
I made a quick printable for you that you can print off before your next vacation! It’s a great way to make sure you never leave home without everything you need to make sure your dog is safe and comfortable!
We use a plastic bin for our dog’s “suitcase”. You can just keep this free printable in the bin between road trips or even tape it to the lid so you never lose it!
Just click HERE to print it off!
And then give that doggie a treat for doing so well on your vacation! We all deserve a treat when we do a good job and the new Pup-Peroni Jerky Bites will be his favorite reward! They combine the real pork (or beef) indulgence dogs love about Pup-Peroni with the premium ingredients pet parents want! A win-win!
Plus they’re easy to find at your local Walmart in the dog snacks aisle, and you can use this $1.50 off Ibotta offer! Grab some now and let me know where you and your dog are headed next! I’d love to hear about your adventures!
