With the holiday season comes the inevitable road trips and obligatory visits to see family members and friends that you haven’t seen since college. Traveling with four small children ages 7, 5, 3 and 1 years old presents many challenges, but add a puppy into the mix and multiply those challenges by at least two. Short trips are no problem at all for the kids thanks to the DVD entertainment system in my wife’s GMC Yukon Denali. But on trips that last longer than one disney DVD, things can get ugly. For Thanksgiving we ventured North about 250 miles to visit my family for a few days then a 2 hour drive West to eat turkey and stuffing with my in-laws. We definately learned a few things on that first trip about travelling with a puppy.

First, a tired puppy is a quiet puppy. We learned that taking Jake for a little walk and playing in the yard before loading up was a big help in keeping him quiet. On the second leg of the trip we failed to do this and Jake proceeded to play with his stuffed pheasant in his kennel for nearly an hour, barking and growling and pouncing on his toys. This wasn’t helpful as it happened to be nap time for the kids and they were having so much fun watching Jake that they didn’t get to sleep on time. A little better planning and preparation could have made a big difference.

Second, Jake doesn’t like being tied out to a stake. Unfortunately, the places where we stayed did not have a big fenced in backyard like Jake was used to. It took a few days for Jake to get use to life tied out on the 30 foot cable and stake. Frequent play times and walks helped to minimize the drama, but Jake never did get used to life on the chain. Luckily, we were staying with family. They didn’t mind the yapping dog in the backyard, or if they did – they didn’t dare say anything.

Third, frequent stops keep everybody happy. My natural male ego forces me to make a contest out of every road trip, a race against the clock. If I am not making good time then I get cranky. With small children and a puppy in tow my racing ego had to be left at home. I learned that frequent potty stops and fast food kept everyone in pretty good spirits. Jake appreciated any chance to get out of the kennel and stretch his legs and my kids enjoyed picking out their next sugar overdose of candy at the gas stations along the way.

Last, as the trip came to a close I realized the most important thing. Jake had bonded more with my family and in so doing had become accepted as a part of our family. Accepted by not only my wife and children, but by our friends and relatives. When they saw our comitment to Jake they began to be more supportive and helpful. I can’t imagine what would have happended if we would have left Jake at a kennel or boarding service. All the hard work paid off in a well adjusted puppy that enjoys to travel. Jake will be going with us again for the Christmas road trip too. He is part of the family now, we wouldn’t think of leaving him behind.