Traveling with Yorkshire Terriers
Yorkshire Terriers are compact little dogs that make for fantastic traveling companions. Although they are now bred mostly for companion pets and are classified by the AKC (American Kennel Club) as a Toy Breed, the Yorkshire Terrier does have its roots in the Terrier Group. Originally this dog was designed to find and destroy mice, rats, moles, voles and other pests in and around the home. Truly they do have a natural instinct for these things, but over the last one to two hundred years, the breed was made smaller and their coat was made longer creating a true beauty of a lap dog.
These little dogs weigh on average 5 to 6 pounds and can fit anywhere just about. You may even see Yorkshire Terriers poking their heads out of purses. Another nice thing to note about traveling with a small dog is that more and more hotels are allowing them to stay in the room with you. Airlines are even allowing them to ride in the cabin with you. Arrangements must be made with airlines ahead of time and proper vaccination documentation is required. This really does open up a lot of traveling opportunities.
Of course, the most common means of travel with any dog is in a car. There are some things to take into consideration when traveling with Yorkshire Terriers and other small breeds that may differ from a larger breed dog. The first of which is safety. Where a larger dog can be restricted to the back seat or cargo area of a vehicle, Yorkies shouldn’t be aloud that much space. There are travel carriers that Yorkshire Terriers should have access to. The carrier should be secured to the vehicle via a seat belt or other restraining device. There are even plush carriers that are designed to accommodate a seat belt.
You should always travel with your Yorkshire Terriers vaccination history, particularly their rabies vaccination certificate signed by a licensed veterinarian. Before any long trip, you should have your dog checked out by a veterinarian to insure they are healthy enough for travel.
Once you have devised a plan for your Yorkshire Terriers safety and determined that they are healthy, the next consideration is food, water and any medicine they may be on. Be sure to bring enough food to cover the length of your trip as well as a few extra days to be sure they won’t run out (the same goes for their medication). You want to give them access to water throughout the travel experience. This may be harder on planes due to the heightened security now days, so be sure to plan ahead.
Finally, don’t forget about their needs. Your dogs will need to be taken for walks and allowed to alleviate themselves periodically. Before any time they spend in an enclosed area, Yorkshire Terriers should be taken for a walk and make sure that they go. Don’t decide that they don’t need to, just be patient and keep giving the command to go poop and pee. They at least need to pee. Then you can return them to their safe spot and be on your way.
