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Belt up: Safe travelling in the car

There are few greater joys for dogs that to have their nose up at a partly opened car window, drinking in the smells from the world rolling past. With a few simple precautions, car travel with your canine companion can be easy, safe and likely to become a part of your regular routine.

Before you go anywhere, you'll need some equipment to ensure maximum safety for your friend. Safety belts are essential for people, so why not for dogs as well? It's important your dog is secure in the car - as tempting as it is to drive with your puppy in your lap, any sudden stops could mean serious injury to your pet.

If your dog is not compact enough to travel in a crate, invest in a safety belt and harness designed for dogs. These belts usually clip into the regular buckle in your car, and then are hooked to your dog's harness (never hook the belt to the dog's collar, as this could lead to choking).

Once you've got the basic safety bases covered, start introducing your pup to car travel in small steps. Just sitting in the car with your pup is a good way to start, especially if your pup was nervous in the car on their first trip home. Remember to praise your pet, and speak in an upbeat voice so they understand that this is a positive, fun experience.

A spin around the block is an ideal first journey, and you can gradually increase the distances, depending on how your pup is progressing. Take the pup out on an empty stomach to decrease the chances of carsickness. Some pups do suffer from carsickness (click here to see: 'Help! My dog gets carsick'), but with regular, short trips, they become more accustomed to car travel, and often outgrow carsickness.

There are a few other simple but essential precautions to take:

• Never allow a dog to travel unrestrained in the back of a ute - while it's a romantic and quintessentially Australian image, it's downright dangerous to the dog.
• Keep the car windows partially rolled up. While dogs just love to pop their heads out of an open window, they could be hit by rocks or debris from the road, bugs, or get injured by another vehicle. Dogs have been known to jump out car windows too! Just open the window enough for your dog to taste the smells.
• Never leave your dog in the car - especially on a warm or hot day. Dog theft from cars in not unknown, but the greater risk is heatstroke (or 'heat stress'). Heatstroke is life threatening for your pet. With all that fur and comparatively few sweat glands, dogs and puppies can easily overheat in a car. While it may be pleasantly warm outside, the temperature inside the car can be significantly higher. If you're on a long journey and need to stop, take your dog to a shady spot. So take the necessary measures, and always travel with clean drinking water and a bowl for your pet.

A dog that travels well in a car is a joy - and one much more likely to be taken on family holidays. There are more and more pet friendly hotels and motels out there - and your dog could use the break!