Brock Keen takes his dog on road trips his Porsche 996 with a tent mounted on top!Porsche 911 996-gen

5 tips to make your road trips with your dogs better!

In this guide we tell you our top tips and products to help prepare you and your car for that road trip with your dogs

Before we even get this story started, we’d like to strongly send the message of staying home. The time for drives, road trips and holidays will come, but for now, just stay home. And while you’re there, you have plenty of time to plan your next road trip, so why not take your pets along? This list is curated primarily for dogs, but there’s no reason why this couldn’t apply to any other pets you might have. Except if you have a snake, or a crocodile — can't help you there. But for the rest of you, let’s get started!

Seat cover

Even before you think of getting your dog into your pride and joy, there is a 99 per cent chance that their fur has already made its way in. Now imagine what would happen with them inside. Let us tell you from experience, it’s like getting a new fur lining for every surface. To prevent most of this new upholstery, get yourself a dog seat cover — it is a large cover that not only covers your seats but also keeps them away from your mats while giving your furry friends a great place to lie down and relax. Here are some of our recommendations:

PetsUp Dog, Pet Seat Cover for Car: Rs 1199 (discounted)

Petsvilla Dog Car Seat Cover Waterproof: Rs 1249 (discounted)

PETSHUB's Dog Back Seat & Trunk Cover: Rs 999 (discounted)

A seat cover also keeps your dogs happier!Image credits: Vailge

Vacuum cleaner

Now we did say that the seat cover helps keep most of the hair and dirt away from your seats, but even so, there will be lots of hair and bits of grime around the place, especially in nooks and crannies. The easiest solution to get rid of this is a portable vacuum cleaner, a good one. You don’t need to shell out Rs 19,900 for the Dyson one pictured here, but get one that doesn’t need to be charged every second and that actually cleans your car instead of blowing the hair around. Here are some of our recommendations:

Bergmann Stunner Car Vacuum Cleaner: Rs 1790 (discounted)

RNG EKO Green RNG-2001 Car Handheld Vacuum Cleaner: Rs 1725 (discounted)

iGRiD Car Vacuum Cleaner: Rs 1699 (discounted)

The Dyson V7 Trigger is probably the ultimate handheld vacuum cleaner, but it also commands a hefty price tagDyson V7 Trigger

Harness

While it is acceptable to let your dog be free inside the car on short journeys, it still isn’t advisable and on longer journeys, it is a big no-no. As humans, we’re used to the idea of automobiles and their g-forces and we still need seat belts to hold us in place. So, get a harness that clips into the seatbelt and your dog will be more secure on your trip. Here are some of our recommendations:

Trixie Nylon Dog Protective Car Harness: Rs 2100

Samson & Harley Heavy-Duty Dog Seatbelts: Rs 3225

COOYOO Dog Seat Belt: Rs 3015

A harness can clip to your car's seatbelt to keep your dogs anchored in placeImage credits: www.ijemr.net

Additionally, you can also get a partition to keep your dogs from jumping onto the driver’s seat and taking control of your car at 120kmph. A side note, dogs aren’t too good at driving. Partitions are an easy way to create a safe space for your dog. We couldn't find too many well priced ones on sale, but here's two from different price brackets:

Paws 'N' Claws - Dog Barrier: Rs 15,306

rabbitgoo Dog Car Net Barrier: Rs 2675

A partition keeps your dogs away from the business end of the carPaws n Claws barrier

Windows up!

Yes, we’ve all let our dogs stick their heads out of the window — they seem to love it — but you should only do this for short periods and while someone is attending them. With power window switches not being too hard to get a paw on, it is easy for the dog to accidentally lower the window and hop out — go watch Marley & Me for reference! Instead, direct a blower right at them so they don’t feel hot or better still, get a portable air conditioner and point it right at them.

Take care of their needs

Road trips can be tiring, long and can make your dog anxious, especially with the constant motion of the car. So, take frequent stops where you let your dog out, they can do their business in the open too, and the breath of fresh air should help them relax a bit. Carry their dishes along with you to give them water frequently and carry some of your doggo’s snacks and toys so you can keep them busy.

8 tips to make your road trip more enjoyable

Check out Brock Keen's adventures on his instagram: @996roadtripPorsche 911 996-gen

These are just some of our tips to make that canine-friendly vacation even friendlier. We also recommend carrying a good cleaning solution and a microfibre cloth to clean away their drool and a strong car freshener to keep your ride smelling fresh. Once again, we strongly urge you to leave your house only once this pandemic passes or if it is incredibly urgent. Everything else can wait.

Note: These product recommendations are based on Amazon reviews, we haven't used any of these products and do not take responsibility for these products.

road trip tips