4 hour train journey with dog. Any tips please?

[NotDonna]

He’ll have had a good walk beforehand & will have toileted. But I’m still a bit concerned about him needing to wee or wanting to scent. He’s 5 and pretty chilled so I’m not too concerned about behaviour. I’m a bit worried he’ll want to sit next to me. I do know he needs to settle on the floor.
Any tips please?

Our dog is puppy pad trained, so I take put a puppy pad on the floor or the toilet so he can wee on that, the only downside is the floor is dirty, so if they don’t have a wee you still have to put it in the bin.

Could you take a blanket for him to lie on- get him used to it at home first?
Also, long lasting chews and filled kongs are useful, and you could take his breakfast/dinner kibble and drip feed it at intervals?

Settle mat train beforehand, take Kong's/non smelly chews and encourage sleep. Depending on size if you can fully cover the seat my view is I'd sooner a settled dog on a seat than one unsettled on the floor for several hours.

I've done a 3 hour train journey with mine and it went surprisingly ok. We sat in the priority seats for a bit of extra room, as otherwise the area for them to settle on is really small. If desperate for the loo I would take a puppy pad and encourage them to use it in the toilet.

One thing I will say is if you go into the toilet yourself with the dog, the flush sounds really scared mine who is usually bombproof.

Thank you. Yes, I’m taking a blanket. But do envisage him ‘digging’ at it and faffing. He’s be good as good if he was allowed on a seat. But I think they’re quite strict.
I don’t think he’d wee on a puppy pad. He’s 5 so cocks his leg. But I’ll take one anyway, thanks.
A kong is a good idea but not sure what I can put in that’s not smelly. I usually put tinned dog food in but dyou think that’d be too smelly?

Yes a can of dog food would be too smelly.

You could put the kong biscuits in the kong, the shape of them makes it a challenge to get out and they stink like wet food does.

www.amazon.co.uk/KONG-SnacksTM-Natural-Biscuits-Classic/dp/B0002DHNY6

They don't stink*

This is what I'd consider:

Maybe take a couple of big blankets, one for floor and one for seat.
If he does end up on the seat, you'll just have to be most apologetic and do your best. Could you possibly buy a ticket for an extra seat to wash away your sins in a sense.
I really wouldn't take any smelly food because it is very off putting especially in an enclosed space plus the noise might be annoying. Strictly speaking the dog doesn't need any food for the 4 hours journey even if his regular mealtime falls within those hours.
If he's prone to car sickness, just to be on the safe side, ask the vet for an anti sickness tablet (or a few to account for journey back and for wastage potential of the dog spitting out and loosing tablets).
Maybe buy one of those anti anxiety collars as a backup although I have no idea if they make any difference.
I'd also say try your best so he's as clean as possible, nobody wants a stinky dog around them.
I wouldn't worry one bit about toilet. He won't need it at the age of 5 unless there's some medical condition. I would suggest taking a bottle of water and a tuppeware box. Offer him water every now and then and tip back the leftover water in the bottle. The plastic fruit juice bottles from the fridge in the supermarket have wide openings so that would help with putting back the unused water.
Take a roll of kitchen towels just in case you need to wipe off anything (dribble or worse), or even an old small towel.
If it's possible to break the journey so stop halfway, go for a walk then continue, you might feel less worried.
Take some small treats with you in case you need to encourage him to lie down but the less fuss you make, the better. Just praise him as normal.
I think you'll find your dog will do you proud and not be fussed one bit about the journey. He'll be spending time with you, will have your undivided attention, that beats everything in his mind.

Try and time your journey so that you're not running late. And if you miss the train for any reason, just take the next one. Look at it as an adventure with your dog.
Enjoy the trip!

I wouldn't take any smelly treats like wet food - it's not fair on the other passengers - but you can buy natural chews that are fairly odourless - ostrich braids and camel skins don't really smell at all.

Is he good at settling at home? Can you take a blanket or a bed with you so he can "go to his bed" and settle on there?

You can freeze kongs with banana inside, or other mushy food.

Are there stops on the way? Could you step off the train and have a 1/2 hour walk then reconnect on the same line? Possibly not if you have loads of luggage.

Personally if I had reserved a seat on a train I would strongly object to a dog anywhere near me for 4 hours! The idea of a dog under the table faffing, or chewing on a kong would be objectionable.
So my advice would be not to take the dog or not to use public transport.

It's perfectly acceptable to the train company to take dogs. Perhaps if you don't like them you need an alternative form of transport.

I would stop after two hours for another mini walk find a station with a park or similar

4 hours is a long time in a potentially exciting environment to not need the toilet

'It's perfectly acceptable to the train company to take dogs. Perhaps if you don't like them you need an alternative form of transport.'

Trains are for transporting people, not dogs. 4 hours is far too long.

Well, luckily you don't make the rules 😂

The train company say it's fine, so maybe you shouldn't use public transport if you object to how they decide to run their business🙄

@TerrierOrTerror We sat in the priority seats for a bit of extra room, you took seats meant for elderly/disabled people for your dog! That's incredibly selfish. Op please do not do this.

It's you who should not use public transport @Redburnett if you want to choose your travel companions.

@LilacPoppy I should have clarified, this was on a train where there was plenty of seats. I could see several other priority seats where unused, had they filled up I would of course moved, similarly had someone asked me. If they are empty I don't see a problem as long as you are keeping an eye on the situation and willing to move. I wouldn't do it on a busy train at all!

Well clearly not. They're for transporting whoever or whatever the train companies see fit.

If you don't like it, your choice is to travel a different way.

One thing to bear in mind is the possibility of the train being really busy. I've been on trains where where after the first few stops it's standing room only, and even people with reserved seats had to stand as they couldn't physically get to their reserved seat. You probably need a plan for if the happens. How would your dog cope sitting or standing in the aisle or vestibule completely surrounded by people standing? There's also a risk his tail or feet might be accidentally stood on.

I travelled from London to Cornwall by train with the dog once, and she was fine, though I worried endlessly.

Covid worked in our favour.....the country was starting to unlock last spring at social distancing was being maintained. As a result no-one was allowed to sit on the aisle seat, so she sat on the floor in front of the aisle seat.

I was worried sick about the toilet. I know its not perfect but I was taking her to the loo with me and hoping and praying she'd go then if necessary. The toilet was wheelchair/buggy accessible so was big, and the floor was lino or something....anyway easily cleaned. I was armed with a load of antibac wipes in case. However my worries were unfounded, she did not go at all (phew). She spent the whole time sitting quietly and had a fuss made of her by staff and passengers. I was delighted.

DDog is better on the train than in the car, presumably as a result of a London puppyhood (rescue dog).

I've had him sit on my lap for the journey. He's happier, not taking up a seat of his own, and not getting fur on the seats.

Some people have chosen to sit elsewhere, others have asked to sit next to us because they love dogs (usually 20 somethings who miss the family dog!)

@TerrierOrTerror ahh I see fair enough, apologies for calling you selfish.