Your Dog's 1st Hotel Stay: 5 Ways to Keep Him Calm

Just one month after his adoption, Barli enjoyed his first overnight hotel stay. We had planned to get a little more training under his collar before his first big trip but a family emergency down in South Texas sent us to the nursing home and, for the night, a nearby hotel.

This post is sponsored by CEVA Animal Health, makers of ADAPTIL^® for dogs. All statements and opinions are entirely our own. As always, we only share products that we use with our own pets!

Your dog’s first hotel stay is an extra special one, not only for the memories it will make but also for the foundation that you’ll build for future trips.

To ensure that first hotel stay is a successful one, we’ve got five tips that helped Barli on his first overnight getaway:

1. Arrive at the Hotel in a Calm State

It’s important to start the hotel stay on the right paw; that means arriving at the hotel in a calm state. We recently told you about the ADAPTIL^® Calm On‑The‑Go Collar that Barli’s been wearing to help him relax during car travel; it’s also great for staying relaxed in a new setting like a hotel.

Barli wore the collar (a discreet black collar that blends right into his fur) the entire trip, and he handled the new setting like a champ, including his first elevator ride.

The collar also helped him remain calm on the drive down so he arrived at the hotel calm and ready to explore.

ADAPTIL^® for dogs products (available as a spray, diffuser and collar) copies the natural, canine-appeasing pheromone that dogs have known since birth. Dog Appeasing Pheromones are odorless and humans and cats aren’t affected, just dogs who will feel safer and more secure in their environment–even brand-new ones–because of this pheromone. ADAPTIL^® Travel Spray is also a great option to use in the car and at the hotel. One morning Barli wore a special ADAPTIL^® bandana; a spray on each of the eight paw prints of the bandana and he’s ready to handle stressful situations. (Never spray it directly on your dog.)

2. Exercise, Exercise, Exercise

Let’s face it: car travel makes us all a little antsy. Hours spent sitting in the car lead to restlessness–but packing in some exercise along the way helps your dog (and you!) remain relaxed. We stopped several times on the four-hour drive, letting the dogs stretch their legs. Even a potty stop at a small park can be a fun diversion, and helped Barli and Tiki relax and sleep when we returned to the car. Once we arrived at the hotel, we checked out the hotel room then went for a long walk around the hotel grounds. (If you arrive at a hotel during bad weather, just do like we did during our Hurricane Harvey evacuation last year: enjoy dog walks up and down the hotel halls, taking the stairs from floor to floor for an extra workout.)

3. Bring a Scent of Home

Staying in the same hotel room for a few days? It’s easy to pack an ADAPTIL^®Calm Home Diffuser, the clinically-proven, veterinarian-recommended diffuser that covers about 700 square feet (plenty of coverage even for an expansive hotel room).

4. Turn on White Noise

Hotel sounds are far different than the sounds your dog is accustomed to hearing at home. Living in the country, Barli’s used to the sound of coyotes, frogs, and owls during the evenings; traffic sounds are a big change for him. So that he wouldn’t hear highway sounds, we turned on the TV as soon as we entered the hotel room. The TV also helped to drown out the sounds from adjacent hotel rooms and closing doors–and the noise of vacuums as the custodians began their rounds the next morning. (Barli was so relaxed by that point that he happily greeted the lady vacuuming the hallway, soon to be surrounded by four women who stopped their work to come say hi.)

5. Maintain Your Schedule

It’s tough to keep your regular schedule on the road but it’s extra important for your dog to maintain a schedule as close as possible to what he enjoys at home. We made sure to walk Barli and Tiki at the times they’d regularly walk, from the evening walk before dinner to a late night potty run to a morning walk to start the day. We fed the dogs at the hours they’d normally eat at home as well, helping us to predict the time for the next potty run.

We’re so excited that Barli’s very first hotel stay was a success! Tiki’s a great role model for him, and ADAPTIL^® helped him remain calm and summon the confidence to meet this new challenge with excitement and joy. We’re happy that we’ve been able to set him up for success so that he can enjoy a lifetime of fun travel experiences!

Paris Permenter

Paris Permenter is the award-winning co-author, with John Bigley, of over 30 pet and travel books including The Healthy Hound Cookbook and Texas with Dogs, both available through Simon and Schuster. Paris is also a member of the Dog Writers Association of America.

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