Advice on travelling with your animal

Most of the work on a trip with your dog happens at home, weeks before you leave. Check the destination and how you're getting there. Find out how long you'll be on the road and what temperatures to expect. Then check the accommodation, the rules on where dogs are allowed, and the documents. Requirements vary from country to country and from one carrier to the next. They also change, so look at official sources early and talk to your vet in good time.

The advice can give you a checklist built around your dog. First the paperwork: identification and documents. Then whatever vaccinations and treatments are required. Next the booking, and a carrier of the right size. For the trip itself you need food and water, any prescribed medication and a first aid kit. The list also covers vet contacts and a plan for breaks. Don't give tranquillisers or sedatives without a vet's assessment. Some of these products can affect breathing, balance or the dog's ability to regulate his temperature.

Getting the dog ready matters as much as the paperwork. Get him used to the carrier, to noise, to waiting around and to being handled by strangers. Do short trips before the long one. If he gets travel sick, panics or has trouble breathing, talk to the vet.

Once you arrive, he needs time to settle in. Don't let him off the leash somewhere he doesn't know just because his recall is good at home. The contact details on his tag and in the identification register have to be up to date.

It's most useful for trips within the country or abroad, for travel by car, train or plane, and for families who need a checklist and a preparation timetable.

Requirements depend on the destination and the carrier, and they can change. An old checklist or a friend's tip is no substitute for the rule that applies today.

First you pin down the route and the rules that apply along it, and check the documents against official sources.

Book the vet appointments early. Meanwhile, get the dog used to the transport and, as far as you can, to what he'll find when you arrive.

On the road and at the destination, your dog shows you how he's doing: travel sickness, panic in the carrier, refusing to toilet in new places, or being unable to settle and rest. Those signs tell you what the trip feels like for him.

Get the identification and documents together and keep your booking confirmations handy. Pack food and water for the trip along with any prescribed medication. Note down a couple of vets at your destination.

Good advice works from up-to-date information and comes with a fallback plan. It makes clear what's general advice and what's an official requirement. You also want clear goals and handouts you can use, with examples that match the way you travel.

A dog who's used to the crate and to being handled, and who copes with noise, will be less stressed on the trip. That still doesn't let you off checking the legal and health requirements.

The advice can't guarantee the authorities or the carrier will accept your dog. Medical decisions are the vet's to make. Talk through the risks too: being refused boarding, overheating, the dog bolting at a stop, and incomplete paperwork.