I was wondering if anyone had any experience of long train journeys with dogs in tow? I'm planning on taking my dog up north over Christmas to see friends, we'll have an hour journey into London, then go on the tube, then on a three hour trip to our destination.
I'll take her for a long walk beforehand to ensure she's totally tired and will try to give her toilet breaks wherever possible. My concern is that she is a Labrador-Collie cross so I can't exactly place her on my lap during the journey, how easy is it to take dogs on public transport like this?
Mary Scott, Kent
Karen Wild, behaviourist, advises...
Hi Mary,
It might be worth calling ahead to make sure that you
know dogs are welcome on the trains you plan to use. They will have a policy on
what is permitted so I think it is a wise move. They may advise you on other
aspects of travel too such as quieter times of day to travel particularly on
the tube, as a crowd will probably be very difficult for you both to manage.
Take a comfortable blanket for your dog to lie on -
this will not only help her to feel more secure with a homely smelling place,
but it may also stop her rolling on the floor with the inevitable train
movements.
Take something she loves to chew, and have a few of
these ready as you have a long journey. It will help her to de-stress and enjoy
herself a little more.
Trains are very noisy, and in the tube especially it
can be hot with huge gusts of air down the tunnels. I'd start teaching a good
sit stay as soon as possible, so that if there is anything likely to spook her
you can replace this with a predictable and easy behaviour that will also help
her to settle.
You may attract a lot of attention with a lovely dog
in tow, so be prepared for polite ways to ask people not to disturb her. Even
if she is very friendly, she will find the journey tiring so I would not ask my
dog to put up with attention under these circumstances unless I was confident
that she was still relaxed. Use a high-vis lead and jacket, perhaps, to make
sure people see her and don't trip over her. My own dogs always wear these when
out like this if they are on the ground (I am lucky that I can pick up my
dogs!).
As with any new experience your dog needs to build up
to it gradually, so practising your sit and down stay training around the local
train station is something I would make a priority, even with short journeys to
accustom her. Take plenty of high-value food rewards (chicken, or ham for
example) with you and offer them whenever the train is nearby, to form a happy
association.
There are so many aspects to this that it is hard to
do it justice in an answer of this nature. The noise from the train, the bustle
of the platform, the people moving about, the attention, the sway of the train
and the unfamiliarity of the journey all have elements that need consideration
and it might be worth making a huge list of these. At each point of the list,
you know your dog best of all, so mark what you think needs doing against each
point. You will be able to identify the things that can be solved and those
that are unlikely to be a problem, and this will in turn build your confidence
and sense of control. And a confident you means a happier travelling dog!
Have a terrific trip!
Karen
