Suitcase
Seat belt for a car: for road trips on your vacation, everyday trips to the supermarket, etc.
Food: Depending on where you are flying with your dog, you might prefer packing the whole or some of the amount of food for your vacation time already with you
Licky matt: Mix some cottage cheese with tuna and spread it on it! Your dog will love it and calm down naturally, as licking reduces dogs' heart rate. Thanks to this, we trained her more easily, staying home alone or in her box.
Toys: Pack whatever your dog likes! Suki is into dummies and loves to tug on her teddybear
Blanket/ dog bed: Depending on how much space is left in your suitcase, you might want to bring your dog's bed or cozy blanket to sleep on
First Aid kit: Different things are inside, depending on your chosen kit.
GPS Tracker: Suki is a passionate hunting dog. She is into everything that moves, and if it's just a fly on the window. Usually, I don't let her run without a leash, but it can happen if there is an open field where I feel safe. I use a GPS tracker to give myself a better feeling in these situations.
(Security Camera: Even if your dog feels typically confident staying home alone when you are in a new environment, it can make your dog feel less secure. I prefer to check out Suki's reaction the first couple of times when alone in our vacation apartment.)
Carry-on/ on board
Short and long leash: You might want to have a longer walk or play with your dog in a park before and after the flight, so pack both a short and a long leash for your dog
Foldable bowl: ideal for travel days when your dog gets her food at the airport, or you want to give her some water (also during a flight)
Transport box: When your dog is flying with you in a cabin, you need a transport box that fits the specifications of the airline
Snacks/ bones: Even though it is recommended that you shouldn't give your dog any food before and also during the flight, I would always pack some snacks for turbulences or other situations where your dog feels insecure and needs some distraction. Just ensure it's nothing too small so your dog can't swallow it when he is too excited
Documents: Take the dog's passport, required documents like health certificates, etc., in your backpack and maybe a copy in your suitcase in case you lose the original ones
Favorite toys: Always helpful to have it with you when your dog needs some distraction or has too much energy because of excitement, or is just bored
Poop bags: Better safe than sorry!
Dog harness: Situations at the airport can be chaotic, so I would prefer to ensure I am not shocking Suki. Besides, we need the harness to use the long leash or when we want to drive in the car, and she is on the seat belt.
Muzzle: We pack the muzzle for different reasons in the carry-on: In some situations, Suki is scared when foreigners come too close, which could happen during the security check. Furthermore, in some cases, it might be required to put a muzzle on your dog as it is, for example, in some German trains.
Airlines pet policy: I like to be prepared, and even though we read the airline's policies a hundred times, I would always want them printed out in our backpacks.
Paper towels: Be prepared in case of an emergency! Even if you walk 100 km before the flight and ensure your dog has an empty stomach, it can always happen that your dog has to pee or poop at the airport.
Some tips from Suki:
- To arrange my box under the seat in front of you can take some time, so I better be one of the first in line for boarding
- I love snacks! But you should check in advance which snacks last long and don't make me too thirsty during the flight
- You might not have enough space for your backpack and stuff like earphones, iPad, etc. because of my box in front of you - use the pockets on the sides of the box to have them close to you during the flight
- I quickly freeze, so I better ensure I am not cold. On some planes, it's rather cold, so you should bring a blanket for me. If it's too hot and the air circulation is terrible, open the top of the box for some time.