Road tripping with a Great Dane or two

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Why would you want to take a road trip with your Great Dane? For me the question is why wouldn’t I? I don’t want to leave Martok behind. Who would take care of him? Would he behave? I’d miss him.

Some background information

We boarded our first Great Dane, Selar, on the first trip we took after adopting her. The rescue she came from offered boarding, so we took her back there for four days. She was utterly miserable. When we arrived to drop her off, she started trembling and shedding. While there, she wouldn’t eat and she would stand by the gate where she last saw us. When we first adopted her she was underweight, she came back even skinnier after those four days. When we picked her back up she didn’t even stop to say “hi” she just ran to the truck and got in. After that we only left her a few times and it was always with friends. Varel and K’Ehleyr were boarded once and Martok has never been.

What are the challenges to road tripping with a Great Dane?

Ok you are giving up some conveniences when having your fur-kid along. But I can’t tell you how many times we have been stopped by people wanting to pet one of our dogs because theirs it at home and they miss them.

Before you hit the road it would be best to know if carsickness is going to be an issue. We haven’t had to deal with it. We had to deal with vomiting in the car for other reasons, not for being carsick. Taking a few short rides to fun places should answer the question of carsickness.

What you need

If you are road tripping you definitely need a vehicle.

Obviously you need a big enough vehicle for a Great Dane or two. If you already have at least one Great Dane you probably have a vehicle on the large side. Since we have the hobby of hot air ballooning, we need a pickup truck. And to keep our dogs comfortable we have certain requirements for the truck. A full-size back seat and a sunroof are key features. A sunroof keeps the truck much cooler when we are parked and it makes a nice vantage point for them to look around from.

You know what I learned about truck upholstery? The seams aren’t designed to hold up to 100+ pound dogs standing on them. Spreading their weight across the entire seat is fine but standing directly on a seam, nope.

Seat covers are a good idea. Quality seat covers are a better idea. The last seat cover I bought, and there have been a number of them, is the Journey Bench Seat Cover by Kurgo. It’s strong and durable, it even has a couple pockets. It probably would have fit really well if I had gotten the right size. (oops) Now we now have a better solution. Martok isn’t on the seat at all.

The seats fold up without any hardware left on the floor. Add a dog bed and blanket and Martok has a comfy spot and no more wear and tear on the back seat.

A more personal issue

K’Ehleyr! For those who met her that is all that need be said. If you never met her, just know that she had a very expansive personal space. If she saw another living being outside of her truck she would rapidly claw at the window and edge of the door. It was utterly destroyed before I learned that you can purchase door coverings. It was too late for our truck but if your Dane has the same issue it might be worth checking into it. They are called car door guards. I imagine she would have ripped them off anyway.

Seatbelts?

We got a seatbelt harness for Selar and used it a few times. Otherwise we didn’t use them for the girls. With how much they moved around and changed positions I didn’t know how to deal with them getting tangled or twisted. We wear them so it’s probably is a good idea. Thoughts? Do you use one for your Great Dane? Feel free to comment below.

Other stuff

Keeping toys and things to chew on helps relieve boredom on a long trip. When not gazing out the window, our dogs have all mostly slept while we drive. It hardly seems fair. I have had plenty of long days behind the wheel when I’ve wished one of them could take over.

Martok will take to chewing a Nylabone every once and a while. Cup holders are a good place to store a chew toy or bone for easy access.

Keeping the car marginally clean

If you travel for any length of time with your Great Dane you will end up with tongue and nose prints on the windows and hair everywhere. A handy tool to cut down on your sand/dirt load is simply a brush. I got one at Home Depot, I suppose a horse brush would be a fancier alternative but I was going for cheap and functional.

For the wetter/muddier situations Kurgo has this handy and compact shower head. You do need to carry a squeezable bottle to attach it to. A 2-liter soda bottle works well. It’s super simple and takes up almost no space except for the bottle. If the issue is just muddy paws a paw washer works well. Just make sure it is big enough for ginormous paws.

Don’t forget the necessities

Bring more food than you think you will need. Things happen and you might need it. Get a resealable container for it. Space is always an issue for us so we have collapsible food bags. It is easier to pack something if you can change its shape and it gets smaller as time goes on. For longer trips consider scouting out places which sell the food your Great Dane eats or have it shipped to a place you will be for a while. Chewy has been great for us when on the road for 10 weeks at a time. Having it shipped to a friend’s house means we don’t have to carry as much with us.

Don’t forget lots of water and something to drink from. Collapsible bowls are great for this, they can be stuffed in a seat or door pocket.

Finally, include a first aid kit with pet specific items and any medications your Great Dane is taking.

Eating while on the road

Finding pet friendly restaurants can vary seasonally. Look for places with patios which have an outside entrance to the patio. If you have to access the patio by going through the restaurant, chances are it isn’t dog friendly. However it never hurts to ask. A restaurant in Casper, Wyoming that typically wasn’t pet friendly made an exception for us since it was so hot.

Well behaved dogs are usually welcome and sometimes get special treats. Take a bowl, chew toy, and blanket to help keep your Dane happy and quiet. We combine their meal time with ours. We have meal-sized food containers that we pre-fill for a quick grab and go.

Alternatively, packing a cooler or getting some take out gives the option of stopping at a roadside rest stop. Most rest stops have covered tables and pet areas to get some exercise.

Sleeping while on the road

Most of the time we are camping when road tripping. The tent got upgraded to a travel trailer removing much of the camp setup tasks. Weather isn’t a problem anymore either.

Much of our travel centers around hot air balloon rallies. The balloon rally provides us with a hotel which we specify ahead of time needs to be dog friendly. Some hotels charge an extra fee and all require a declaration that you have a pet. Hiding a Great Dane is pretty much impossible so just let them know you have a dog. Don’t offer up the breed unless asked, some hotels have a size limit. We have never been turned away from a pet-friendly hotel unless they were full.

I hesitate to make recommendations about specific places we have traveled to since hotels and restaurants change hands frequently. A great resource for specific pet-friendly businesses is Go Pet Friendly.

Better together

Yes, there are challenges and adjustments to make when on a road trip with your Great Dane but the rewards of having your dog with you are greater. Not only do their lives get enriched by the new experiences but you get a chance to see places with new eyes, theirs. Also there are no nagging thoughts in the back of your mind about how they are doing with the dog sitter or how much you miss them.