Helpful Dog Travel Gear

For our friends thinking of travelling with their four legged family members, either overseas or interstate, I thought you might appreciate this list of gear we have found useful.

Dog Bowls

A collapsible silicone dog bowl. You can get them in lots of places 

https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B07F5X4GW8?

I found this folding dog bowl didn’t work (it leaked, so is ok for food, but not for water, which is a shame because it is so lightweight and small when it folds up). It is also super frustrating that is isn’t leak proof because it was so much more expensive than the silicone dog bowls. I got it here https://www.amazon.com.au/EzyDog-Fold-Bowl-Portable-Large/

Bed protector

The first thing we do when we walk into a hotel room or AirBnB is put this bed protector/beach “blanket” over the bed. Dog fur seems to cling to the white hotel sheets especially, and I’d really like to not be hit with an extra cleaning charge. 

We use this one https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B084Q4HQ7X? Unfortunately this is out of stock, but this is the same thing and I think roughly the same size https://www.amazon.com.au/Sunlit-Blanket-Pockets-Camping-Festival/dp/B0B28G5LZG/r 

There are other options out there - the main thing is get something really big so it covers the whole bed including the sides & get something that is “sand free” because dog hair won’t cling to it & just slides right off onto the floor when you are leaving. Before we used this “beach blanket” I was using a dark brown king size single sheet I got from Vinnies, but it was heavy and the dog hair stuck to it, which was a pain when you took it to the next hotel and accidentally put it on the bed upside down and added dog hair to the bed, rather than protecting it from dog hair. 

Roll up dog bed/boot pad

This is great for the floor of planes (the carpet is VERY thin and there is a lot of vibration, this is much more comfortable for your dog than just sitting on the floor), and as a bonus I use it as a travel bed for Skye. I added a shoulder strap to make it easier to carry through airports etc https://stylish-hound.com/products/dog-boot-pad-cons?variant=44389544820918 

A harness for the plane 

It is essential to have a harness on the plane in case of turbulence. We found the type that has the hard chest piece didn’t work for Skye because they were too uncomfortable, so now use a harness with a soft chest piece. This link is similar to what we have. The main thing is that it is comfortable and that you can clip your dog’s lead onto it and then onto the frame of your seat, so if there is turbulence the force is spread through the whole chest and not just the neck https://www.petbarn.com.au/p/all-day-seat-belt-dog-harness-black/142251 

S carabiner 

I find this really useful for clipping Skye’s vest into when she is toileting (so I don’t lose it in some random park). I got this one from daiso, but you can also get them online. The bigger the better, as you don’t want to fiddle with putting the vest onto the clip & if it is bigger you can do it without even looking at it. 

Treat Bag

A really good treat bag that can take your passport, in ear headphones, a rolled up shopping bag, some extra treats for you, as well as dog treats. I have this one from Stylish Hound (I took the label off the front of the bag), although I added the whole black section at the bottom for extra gear. https://stylish-hound.com/products/og-training-treat-pouch 

A poo bag holder 

You absolutely need to be carrying poo bags with you everywhere you go. I have one attached to my lead https://www.amazon.com.au/PuppyDoggy-Holder-Dispenser-Accessory-Bicycle/dp/B09L7L5BRC/?th=1 

A lint roller

I always think I won’t need this, but end up using it anyway. To get the clumps of dog hair off any pillow or lounge that Skye has lent on.

Dog Crate

Last time we flew internationally with Qantas they insisted we travel with a dog crate. Because normal dog crates are incredibly heavy, we bought a pop up dog crate like this one. It weigh’s about 1.3kg and goes in our suitcase. It is only for emergencies, for example should a plane be diverted and there is a need for the dog to go into a crate. Interestingly Qantas didn’t require the crate for this flight, but may require it for our return journey to Australia. We bought a similar crate to this one at Kmart, but unfortunately they don’t stock it anymore. So here is a link to a similar crate on ebay https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/357748722732? Skye likes to use the crate like a bouncy castle, rolling around in it around hotel rooms.