Deciding whether or not to take my dog with me on vacation
June 13, 2018 1:14 PM Subscribe
Should I take my dog with me on vacation or leave him home with my wife?
So I'm about to take a week's long vacation to go visit a friend and his family. My wife is not coming because she can't get the time off work. I'll be going on about an 8-10 hour car drive depending on stops. My friend and his family are very cool about me bringing my dog. Thing is my dog is not exactly a great traveler. He's ok in the car...that's not the issue. It's just that he is very set in his ways. And when he doesn't get his way he can get whiny like a little kid. He is a shiba inu if that tells you anything. There have been times where we've taken him on trips and he has a great time. There have been other times where he has been miserable and makes sure we know it. If I leave him home my wife she will walk him the in morning. Then he'll be all alone whille she's at work. (I'm usually home as I work from home). She'll be home in the evening, etc. If I take him with me there will be times where I wanna go off and do stuff that he just can't come do with me. Also it doesn't help that he dislikes long walks. I'm sure he'll be fine staying in the house I'll be staying at even when I'm not there. But I don't know...do I take him with me where he'll get to do some fun things but also have to spend time alone in an unfamiliar place? Or do I leave him home where he'll spend most of the day alone with my wife there in the mornings and evenings. Thoughts?
So I'm about to take a week's long vacation to go visit a friend and his family. My wife is not coming because she can't get the time off work. I'll be going on about an 8-10 hour car drive depending on stops. My friend and his family are very cool about me bringing my dog. Thing is my dog is not exactly a great traveler. He's ok in the car...that's not the issue. It's just that he is very set in his ways. And when he doesn't get his way he can get whiny like a little kid. He is a shiba inu if that tells you anything. There have been times where we've taken him on trips and he has a great time. There have been other times where he has been miserable and makes sure we know it. If I leave him home my wife she will walk him the in morning. Then he'll be all alone whille she's at work. (I'm usually home as I work from home). She'll be home in the evening, etc. If I take him with me there will be times where I wanna go off and do stuff that he just can't come do with me. Also it doesn't help that he dislikes long walks. I'm sure he'll be fine staying in the house I'll be staying at even when I'm not there. But I don't know...do I take him with me where he'll get to do some fun things but also have to spend time alone in an unfamiliar place? Or do I leave him home where he'll spend most of the day alone with my wife there in the mornings and evenings. Thoughts?
Personally I’d mug rather be home by myself than sit around a strangers house by myself and I can’t imagine your dog would feel any different.
posted by bleep at 1:42 PM on June 13, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by bleep at 1:42 PM on June 13, 2018 [7 favorites]
Another vote for leaving him home with your wife. If you're concerned about him being by himself all day, hire a dog walker to spend some time with him (it doesn't have to be a walk -- it can be indoor play/quality time) during the week.
posted by kitty teeth at 1:48 PM on June 13, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by kitty teeth at 1:48 PM on June 13, 2018 [5 favorites]
No way! Doggie stay home.
posted by GoblinHoney at 1:52 PM on June 13, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by GoblinHoney at 1:52 PM on June 13, 2018 [2 favorites]
Don't bring him with you. If he is like the shiba inus I've known, he won't enjoy sharing your attention and he'll make that clear. So having him there would detract from the point of your visit, which is spending time with your friends.
posted by headnsouth at 1:53 PM on June 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by headnsouth at 1:53 PM on June 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
The summer car trip is really hard to do with one person and a dog, as has been mentioned above. It's not like traveling with a companion where the other person can wait outside with the dog while you go in somewhere to use the bathroom or get a coffee.
Also: My friends came to visit me and brought their dog. He was anxious from the trip and from being in a new place alone and became destructive from anxiety, chewing my rug and an extension cord. So even if your dog doesn't normally chew things, it would not be fun to have to deal with possibly unpleasant anxiety behaviors as a guest in your friend's home.
posted by nantucket at 2:17 PM on June 13, 2018 [2 favorites]
Also: My friends came to visit me and brought their dog. He was anxious from the trip and from being in a new place alone and became destructive from anxiety, chewing my rug and an extension cord. So even if your dog doesn't normally chew things, it would not be fun to have to deal with possibly unpleasant anxiety behaviors as a guest in your friend's home.
posted by nantucket at 2:17 PM on June 13, 2018 [2 favorites]
I love having my dog with me and he almost always comes with me when I travel (which admittedly I don't do often). I think your dog should stay at home.
My dog is super easygoing, travels like a champ in all situations, likes exploring new places, and gets along well with new people and animals. He does very well with the travel experience and so I feel good that he's able to share it with me.
It sounds like your dog has a lot of specific personality traits that would make this more stressful than fun for him. I think he'll have a fine time alone at his home that he's used to, and it'll be nice for your wife to get some 1:1 bonding time with the pupper since it sounds like you get the bulk of that in your day to day at home.
posted by phunniemee at 2:45 PM on June 13, 2018 [2 favorites]
My dog is super easygoing, travels like a champ in all situations, likes exploring new places, and gets along well with new people and animals. He does very well with the travel experience and so I feel good that he's able to share it with me.
It sounds like your dog has a lot of specific personality traits that would make this more stressful than fun for him. I think he'll have a fine time alone at his home that he's used to, and it'll be nice for your wife to get some 1:1 bonding time with the pupper since it sounds like you get the bulk of that in your day to day at home.
posted by phunniemee at 2:45 PM on June 13, 2018 [2 favorites]
Dogs don’t have the same sense of fun as humans. He doesn’t want to go and see new people and be in new places. He wants the people he knows and the places he’s familiar with. He won’t “miss out” if you don’t take him. Absolutely leave him at home with your wife and if you’re worried about him getting bored in the day you could hire a walker to take him out while your wife’s at work.
posted by mymbleth at 12:03 AM on June 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by mymbleth at 12:03 AM on June 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
You could hire a daytime dog walker if your dog would let them in the house. I would leave him at home. Go have a stress free vacation without every decision you make having to be about him.
posted by cairnoflore at 9:46 PM on June 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by cairnoflore at 9:46 PM on June 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by mccxxiii at 1:20 PM on June 13, 2018 [33 favorites]