My Smart Puppy Minute Episode 12 Staying in Hotels with Dogs on PetLifeRadio.com

Here Sarah Wilson shares suggestions earned over many years of staying in hotels with many different dogs. Make your next trip easier for you, your dog, and everyone else on your floor by trying these easy, voice-of-experience tips.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
This is Pet Life Radio. Let's talk pets. Welcome to

(00:26):
the My Smart Puppy Minute. This is Sarah Wilson, and
this week we're going to talk about staying in hotels
with your dog. Pip and I are about to take
a long trip across country, and I thought I would
share with you things I have learned over them many
many years I have stayed in hotels with dogs. First

(00:48):
of all, call ahead and tell them you're bringing one.
This way you'll find out if there are any requirements
or fees related to it. And also you can request
a first floor room, which can make it easier to
get in and out should your dog need it in
the middle of the night. At the same time, ask

(01:09):
them for the quietest room. Sometimes people who don't understand
at the front desk will put you by the door,
thinking that will be easier, but then you're going to
hear every single person coming in and out all night,
and your dog is likely to react to that. I
like to be at the far end, so the only
people coming down that way are the one or two

(01:31):
other people at that end of the hall. It is
ideal if your dog is create trained. Even if your
dog doesn't normally have any problems being left alone at home.
When you leave them alone in a strange place, they
can bark, scratch at the door, panic, have a housebreaking problem,
any number of things. So, even though Pip is well trained,

(01:53):
she always travels with a crate. If you have a
puppy or a dog who doesn't like being created or
doesn't crate well, then you are going to need to
travel with a hard crate of some kind, a plastic
type kennel, or a wire one. The wire ones can
fold up, which can make it easier. The plastic ones
are safer in the car, so they can do double

(02:13):
duty as the car crate and the inside crate. Or
you can do what I will do this time. Because
Pip is very well crate trained, I will bring a
soft sided crate which is very light and easy for
me to get in and out, even if I am
just running down the hall to fill the ice bucket.
I will put her in her crate. She will feel

(02:33):
more secure there and she is less likely to stand
by the door and stress or bark at anybody who's
going up and down the hall. I will also pack
an old sheet that I can throw over the bed
I walk in the hotel room. I fold up the
bedspread neatly and I put it in the closet or
on top of a chair. Then I take the old

(02:55):
sheet that I bring, old clean sheet and put it
over the bedding. So if Pip comes up with me,
and I'll be honest with you, she absolutely will. I
don't have to worry that her fur or dander will
bother anybody else in the future. It is just a
thoughtful thing to do. And then in the morning I
fold it up so that the dirty side is on

(03:15):
the inside the fold, and when I get outside, before
I put in the car, I shake it out. Now,
some dogs love to travel and take everything in stride.
Other dogs will find this a little bit stressful. So
I pack chew toys and toys that I know Pip
loves so that we can play in the evening. She's
been in the car all day being relatively quiet, and

(03:38):
she's going to have excess energy. I make sure that
these toys aren't noisy or messy, or they won't stain anything.
But other than that, we spend some time romping around
in the evening so that she's going to be ready
to settle down at night. Now about that, settling down thing.
This is another reason to bring a crate with you.

(03:58):
I create her on the far side of the room
as far away from the door as I can get it,
and then I make sure that I am sleeping between
her and the door. This will keep her quieter. If
she is loose and ranging around, she is likely to
bark at the door when somebody walks down the hall

(04:18):
at three in the morning. And I don't really blame
her for that, I just don't need her doing it.
If you aren't traveling with a crate, try leashing your
dog at night and tethering them near your bed so
that you can reach down and ask them to quiet
down without them getting all the way to the door
and waking you up with a start and everybody else
in the hall up with a start. Lastly, on the

(04:41):
theory that if you bring the umbrella it won't rain,
why don't you carry some gut protection for your dog?
Ask your vet what they recommend. Some recommend emodium or pepto,
but always ask them first and get the correct dosage.
If you plan ahead and follow these suggestions, you and

(05:01):
your dog and the hotel will have a great time.
Please remember that each of us is an ambassador for
dogs in hotels every time we stay at once, so
do your best to keep your dog quiet, to leave
the room clean, and to make the hotel and the
other guests happy that you were there. Safe travels, and

(05:25):
if you have any questions at all or want to
hear how Pip and my journey went, come by the
forums at my Smartpuppy dot com and see we are
there to help you have a great week. Let's talk
pets every week on demand only on petlifradio dot com.