California Dog Travel Winter Tips

December is a magical time in California. A fun time to go on a road trip with your dog. You can go to the beach or the desert or the mountains. You can experience three different types of weather on the road.

It is important to remember that traveling with your dog requires additional care for the safety of everyone inside your vehicle.

This post is sponsored by Autotrader and Kelley Blue Book. We are helping to promote Holiday In Drive Winter Weather Travel Tips. All thoughts and opinions are my own, and Golden Woofs only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers.

Holiday Traditions With Your Dog

Do you have a holiday tradition with your dog? December is a fun-filled month where we travel to different cities/states to check out holiday decors and meet Santas and friends. Due to the California covid lockdown stay at home restrictions, we are modifying our holiday travels. We plan to explore locally, continue to give back, and support the neighborhood businesses.

However, we will continue our tradition of wearing humorous ugly holiday tops – just like Koru Bear’s dog Dad is wearing. So much fun opening the Autotrader’s holiday gift box. These gifts provided holiday cheer, particularly the limited-edition ugly sweater light-up face masks.

KORU BEAR and dog Dad had a fun time unboxing the Autotrader gift box which includes the limited-edition ugly sweater wheel cover and light-up mask, a hat, pair of gloves, insulated mug, and holiday lights necklace.

3 Important Tips To Keep Your Dog Safe in Car Rides

It is crucial to take precautions when your dog goes for a car ride. Here are three car ride safety tips for keeping your dog safe.

For photo purposes only, KORU BEAR is sitting on the driver seat to show-off the Autotrader fun limited-edition ugly sweater wheel cover.

1. Your dog should sit in the back seat
It is not advisable to have your dog in the front passenger seat of your car. The back seat is the safest place for your dog to sit.

2. Properly secure your dog
An unrestrained dog can cause distraction and interfere with your driving. The safest way for your dog to ride in the car is by securing him/her in a crate or with a car safety harness and/or a dog seatbelt.

How do we secure KORU BEAR safely in the car? He is a big 90+lbs dog and comfortable wearing a crash-tested dog car harness.

3. Don’t allow your dog to put his/her head out the window of your car
It may be fun to watch your dog, but while your vehicle is moving, it is absolutely not safe to let your dog ride with his/her head out the window (even though your dog is restrained in the car). You are putting your dog’s eyesight, ears, and life in danger when you allow him/her to stick his/her head out of the window while you drive.

For photo purposes only and when the car is on a stop, we unbuckle him and allow him to put his head out of the window.

We are hoping to travel to Big Bear. KORU BEAR has not experienced snow, and it will be fun to visit Big Bear for the day. Hopefully, when the covid stay-at-home restrictions are lifted from traveling outside our community, we can visit Big Bear. We (specifically KB’s main chauffeur, dog Dad) are prepared and keep these five winter driving tips in mind when traveling to the California mountains.

5 Tips for Winter Driving Condition in the California Mountains

1. Stay Home
Make sure to check the weather condition frequently. On Autotrader Holiday In Drive tips for safe winter driving, when the weather is dangerous to drive, stay home.

2. Carry Tire Chains
Winter can be a beautiful time of year in the California mountains. However, it can also bring a variety of unpleasant driving conditions to the roadways. Make sure you have chains for your car.

3. Keep Fuel Tank Full
At all times, make sure to have a full tank of gas.
When your tank is half empty, immediately fill it up.
During snow traffic and when you need to change routes due to a bad snowstorm, your vehicle is well-prepared.

4. Winter Driving Tips
a) Allow plenty of time to arrive at your final destination. Your travel time might take longer due to storm conditions or icy roads.
b) At all times, keep your seat belt buckled.
c) Drive cautiously, especially when black ice is nearly invisible.
d) Be observant; slow down and reduce your driving speed. Keep a constant watch for other vehicles. Leave more distance between your vehicle and the vehicle ahead.
e) Turn off your cruise control. You need to be able to control your car when driving in snow or wet road conditions.
f) Give snowplows room to work and be very cognizant of what they are doing on the road.

5. Carry Emergency Supplies
Winter weather can be unpredictable. Always be prepared by having an emergency kit in your car. If you find yourself stranded during a snowstorm, other items that may be of use are as follows: flashlight, blanket, extra clothing, towel, gloves, ice scraper, shovel, spare key, and sand/kitty litter.
If you are traveling with your dog, make sure you have a pet emergency first aid kit, extra food, and winter outdoor gear. We want to be prepared at all times; we keep KORU BEAR’s traveling bag in the truck.

For more additional tips from Autotrader experts, visit Autotrader Holiday In Drive Winter Weather Travel Tips and Advice. Also, enjoy bonus articles about The Best Cars for Holiday Road Trips. Additionally, due to covid shutdowns, online car buying is on a rise. Surprisingly, in a recent survey, many are comfortable shopping for a car online. Learn more by reading this article, Things To Know About Online Car Buying. When you’re ready to research your next vehicle, visit Autotrade.com and KBB.com.

Do you have plans to travel with your dog this winter? If you do, be careful, take extra precautions and keep in mind all these safety tips.

Happy Travels With Your Dog This Winter!