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Old 3rd June 2021, 10:35   #16
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Re: Tales of Shadow The Dog | Travels with my black German Shepherd

Akshay,
You are a gifted writer. Your opinions are honest and so much relatable. Thank you for starting this thread. A very close friend of mine has become a pet parent recently and I have shared this link with him. It would be a great idea if we could have such links for major cities where we have forum members.

Thanks once again, wishing you a lot of such memorable travels with your family.
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Old 3rd June 2021, 12:18   #17
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Re: Tales of Shadow The Dog | Travels with my black German Shepherd

Akshay

Beautiful write-up. The attention to detail and the well crafted flow keeps the narrative interesting . Well done indeed .

And Shadow is one handsome dude ! It was a revelation that there are all black German Shepherds too.

You must write more often - maybe a travelogue , or an ownership report of the Nexon perhaps?

Cheers !
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Old 3rd June 2021, 15:51   #18
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Re: Tales of Shadow The Dog | Travels with my black German Shepherd

Really good and detailed write-up Akshay. Loved it. My wife and I recently became pet parents to a labrador girl and we can't wait to start our road trips with her. She is just 2 months old right now so we have some time. Wanted to check whether you can share some tips on how to start getting her prepared for long periods in the car? From your experience what could be some of the things we would need to be prepared for?
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Old 3rd June 2021, 15:56   #19
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Re: Tales of Shadow The Dog | Travels with my black German Shepherd

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Originally Posted by Ironhide View Post
Akshay
You must write more often - maybe a travelogue , or an ownership report of the Nexon perhaps?

Cheers !
Hey Ironhide. Appreciate your compliments. I'll pass them onto Shadow as well Lola has just finished her 2 years with us and I'm planning to pen down an ownership report soon. Hopefully it will be out by the end of the month.

I'll be writing regular travelogues once we can get back on the road! The lockdown has thrown a real spanner in our travel plans
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Old 4th June 2021, 20:59   #20
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Re: Tales of Shadow The Dog | Travels with my black German Shepherd

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Originally Posted by royalbeat View Post
From your experience what could be some of the things we would need to be prepared for?
Hey Royalbeat! Thank you so much for your compliments. I am sharing some tips for your pup to start slowly getting used to car rides. I hope they help.
  • Begin with short 10/15 min rides and slowly increase the duration
  • Start by taking her for small trips in the car. Stop at new locations and let her smell and see new sights. This is important as otherwise at this age car rides=vet visits
  • Ensure she is fed at least two hours prior to any car ride. This is true for dogs of all ages. Many puppies tend to get motion sick and/or stressed and eventually throw up. So best not to travel on a full belly.
  • For safety reasons always sit with her in the backseat. As she grows up it would be best to invest in a good car seat. As she is quite young, it would be best for one member to be with her in the back seat. Puppies in the front can cause accidents
  • Always carry a towel/pee pad which you can place on the rear seat. This helps as puppies still do not have complete control over their bowels
  • Water and a small bowl
  • Few of her favourite toys to keep her distracted incase she gets restless.
  • If you are taking her out of the car, do always keep a leash handy just incase she gets over excited and wriggles out of your hand

I hope this helps
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Old 16th July 2021, 14:00   #21
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Re: Tales of Shadow The Dog | Travels with my black German Shepherd

Great thread, thanks to OP for the detailed write-up!

1. Have you tried dog hammocks? We've recently got one and our pup seems more comfortable in one. on a regular back-seat he seems too uncomforably propped up. Before we got the hammock, we folded the back seat and created a large flat "bed" (something like this: https://imgur.com/a/U7uAGgh)
2. Any recommendations for travel water-bottles / dishes for dogs? The ones I've seen are not too pet friendly - and our dog totally refuses food and water during road trips.
3. We use a seat-belt leash connected to a harness even when the dog is sitting in the hammock - seems to work ok.

Folks in Karnataka: Any suggested accommodations?

Some pics of HRH here:
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Old 28th July 2021, 23:39   #22
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Re: Tales of Shadow The Dog | Travels with my black German Shepherd

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Originally Posted by xks64 View Post
Great thread, thanks to OP for the detailed write-up!

1. Have you tried dog hammocks? We've recently got one and our pup seems more comfortable in one. on a regular back-seat he seems too uncomforably propped up. Before we got the hammock, we folded the back seat and created a large flat "bed" (something like this: https://imgur.com/a/U7uAGgh)
2. Any recommendations for travel water-bottles / dishes for dogs? The ones I've seen are not too pet friendly - and our dog totally refuses food and water during road trips.
3. We use a seat-belt leash connected to a harness even when the dog is sitting in the hammock - seems to work ok.

Some pics of HRH here:
We always use a dog hammock in our car, whether it's in-city travel or long distance. Prevents Shadow from accidently slipping in between the front and rear seats. We've been using this since we got him home Never used the seat belt - leash/harness connector on Shadow and honestly I don't believe it would actually make a difference unless it's connected to a harness and not the collar.

Plus most of the harnesses available here mostly aren't designed to work flawlessly with a car seat belt in terms of dissipation of shock and tension associated with sudden forward or lateral movement in case of an emergency. My simple rule is: when Shadow's in the car I drive as if a baby is on board.

For water we always have a small stainless steel bowl with us in the car and only let him drink when we take a break. Dogs do get car sick we ensure water breaks for him are synced with our breaks (bio or otherwise). Plus cleaning a stainless steel bowl is far easier. It's always a good idea to refrain from feeding a dog during a car trip. Best to feed him a few hours before starting off. Same with water and if need be a good 30 mins break after he/she has had water before commencing your journey again. Motion sickness can strike any dog at any time, even the most well adjusted ones.
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Old 6th August 2021, 20:39   #23
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Re: Tales of Shadow The Dog | Travels with my black German Shepherd

+1 on the hammock - it seems to work well. We've got one [1] that has a little mesh in the middle that allows the rear ac vents to cool the back and allows some visibility as well.

[1] Amazon
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