No Regrets!

In an agility trial, your dog should run ‘bare’, with no leash and in many cases, no collar. But in the rest of the world, especially traveling, your dog should wear a collar and leash. When I’m traveling I have two leashes clipped on my dog at all times- a regular one and a short one. The short one saves me from having to grab at his collar, possibly grabbing a handful of fur (ow!) and the long one is for regular walking. If it’s a long trip, I also have my dog wear a harness to be buckled into the car for safety.Make sure your dog has his real collar on, with tags. Running away while on vacation is sadly common and horribly frightening. There’s nothing familiar for your dog, and having him wearing a collar could make the difference between a happy reunion and a horrible holiday for you.

If you’ve been considering microchipping, do it now, before you travel. It’s just a little bit of extra security! You hope you won’t need it, but if you do, you’ll be glad you had it.  A good place to start is at your vets’ or shelter.  Check out HomeAgain’s website, or here  for more information on microchipping. 

Keep your dog under your control at all times and you won’t have him running away and getting lost. No one regrets leaving their dog on leash, but plenty of people swear ‘never again’ for offleash activities, especially in strange new areas. Remember, even the best dog can get scared and run.