Are you planning to take your dog along with you on a trip? How about travelling with him on a train? Sounds exciting, right? It is indeed filled with fun. All you have to do is take care of a few things and you will have one of the best journeys with your dog (saying it from our experience). Now, let’s take you through the checklist.
1. Book Tickets For Yourself
IRCTC allows the onboarding of pets only when the train has a first AC coach. While booking the tickets, keep these points in mind.
- Book a coupe (2 seats). This is a cabin for two people, which you’ll have all to yourself. You can play with your dog, and he will also be at ease.
- If you get a cabin (4 seats), the others in your cabin might not be comfortable with your dog being around. If you can book all the four seats, it will definitely make the journey smooth.
- Else, the dog might have to be boarded in the guard room. If this will be the case, make sure that you crate-train your dog beforehand. However, this might make you as well as your dog anxious..
2. Travel Certificate for Your Dog
Your vet will help you with this. He will certify that your dog is fit to travel. Once you have the certificate, visit the railway station a day prior to your journey and meet the station master. He will give you a dog ticket, which is basically a receipt for a parcel that you will be carrying along.
This is mainly done so that the station knows that a dog is travelling with you.
3. What To Pack
Naturally, if you have your luggage, your dog can’t travel without one. Here are a few must-haves if you are travelling on a train with your dog.
Meals
The best thing to carry here would be kibble and wet food. Also, make sure that you feed your dog an adequate number of times.
Bowls
How can you even forget them? Ultimately, this is how you will be feeding him food and water.
Material for cleaning up
Your dog will want to pee and poop during the journey. So, carry newspapers to soak up any dirt and wet wipes to clean it before housekeeping comes. And if you have a scooper, there is nothing like it.
Poop bags
These are a necessity since you wouldn’t want your cabin to stink.
Your dog’s favorite toys
If your dog has toys which he likes to chew and play with, it’s a good idea to carry them along. This will keep him occupied.
Dog bed / mattress
If your dog uses a sleeping bed or a mattress, carrying it along will make him feel at home because of the smell.
4. During The Journey
Set up a sleeping and food area
Dogs don’t like defecating where they eat. So you can place their bed in one corner and their food bowl along with it. This would keep the cabin clean too.
Utilise station breaks
When you know the train stop is longer, take your dog for a 10 to 15 minute walk. This would make him comfortable with the journey as well. Initially you might need to pick him up on and off the train but eventually he will get used to it.
Potty time can be tricky
It might get hard for you to figure out the routine or if your dog wants to go or not. However, if you realise that he hasn’t gone in a long time, take him for a walk in the train corridor itself. At the same time, be ready with the newspapers and wet wipes because he might end up doing his business there itself and you wouldn’t want to cause inconvenience to others.
Be extra careful about cleaning
Make sure that you are cleaning up after your dog, because some people might have issues with that. And cleaning will ensure that you remain on good terms with everybody in the compartment.
Be mindful of the people travelling with you
Some people are actually scared of dogs. They don’t know your dog. In fact, you don’t know how your dog will react in that new environment. The best thing to do if someone encounters your dog and is really afraid, is to ask them to step back, you can move to your cabin and let them pass.
It’s as simple as that! To make it simpler, add one more step. Set up reminders on the Sploot app for your dog’s meal time and other necessities!
