Best feeding, potty, and water schedule for dogs on a road trip?

In a puppy this age, I would not be comfortable completely skipping a scheduled meal. I would suggest giving her a smaller-than-normal breakfast that morning, and then perhaps a snack once you arrive at your destination.

Don't feed her after midnight the night before you travel. Take up the water that morning and walk her just before you go to the airport and before you board or load her (if possible). When you get to your destination, wait an hour or two then feed and water half what you normally offer. Feed the remainder after an hour if there is no vomiting. This can happen with travel.

Yes, that will be fine for Aurora to make a two hour road trip. I wouldn't feed her right before you go in case she gets car sick, and I would make sure she goes potty right before you leave as well. It's a relatively short trip, I see no problems with it :-)

Thank you for submitting your question regarding your dog. A dog will typically have a bowel movement 20-30 minutes after eating a meal. So I usually recommend feeding two meals per day, one in the morning and one in the evening. This will give you time to get him outside to go to the bathroom before you need to leave for work or go to bed. If he is used to free feeding, it can take a bit of time to make this transition. Put the food down for 15 minutes in the morning and let him eat. Then give him another 15 minutes to eat in the evening. Soon he will realize that he needs to eat during these time or the food will go away. I hope this information helps!

You can try warming his puppy food slightly or mixing in some warm water. This could stimulate his appetite. Depending on his age, he may still need to go out in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. The rule of thumb regarding maximum crate time before a potty break is 1 hour for each month of age plus 1 hour. So, if he is 3 months old, that would be a maximum of 4 hours crated before having a break.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Since she is so scared and you are on a road trip I don’t think it’s unusual she hasn’t gone. if she really had to go she would. Just keep trying and offering her water. Since she is an otherwise healthy dog I think she will go eventually. Good luck!

I would start by checking with the airline to see what their rules are. I'm not sure food is allowed in cargo. If he'll be in the cabin, stick with his regular food and schedule. I would be reluctant to fly a 4 month old more than 5-6 hours without food/water, and even that is pushing it.