If you have plans to travel with your English Cocker Spaniel, you need to decide how you want to confine the dog or if you will let the dog ride without confinement. You might travel in a car, a truck, an airplane or some other form of transportation. Every form of travel requires some knowledge about how the dog should travel and what the safety concern might be for different restraints or no restraints.

Truck Travel

Many people travel with the dog in the bed of the truck with or without any type of restraint. This is the most unsafe method of travel for any dog. Even if your dog is the best-behaved dog around, their safety is not being taken into consideration. Anything could happen, such as braking suddenly, an accident or they could just decide they see something they want and jump. There are kennels designed to fit in the bed of trucks that allow the dogs to see everything. This is the only way for a dog to travel safely.

Car Travel

Traveling with an English Cocker Spaniel in a car makes it easy to restrain them. There are dog seatbelts, booster seats with restraints, or crates. If your dog is anxious in a car, you may want to put them in a kennel although some do feel safe and secure in a booster seat where they can see where they are going. You might think that a car is safe for a dog without restraints, but any type of accident can cause serious injury.

Air Travel

If you plan to travel by plane and take your dog along, you need to have the proper confinement that is approved by the airlines. Since the English Cocker Spaniel is a bigger dog than a Pekingese, they will have to travel in the cargo area. Therefore, you need the proper kennel along with water and food if the trip is long. Airlines have strict guidelines to follow in order for pets to travel. You need to check every time you travel since they do change the rules from time to time.

Motorcycle And Bicycle Travel

The first thing to consider about this type of travel is if it is safe at all for a dog, especially a dog the size of an English Cocker Spaniel. They do make trail along carriers for dogs that attach to the back of the bicycle. Since it is an approved way for children to travel, we can assume it will be safe for a dog as well.

As for a motorcycle, there is no safe way for a dog to travel. You may have seen pictures of dogs riding in sidecars, which if properly equipped may be safe, but the choice is yours. If you have no restraints or protection for the dog, it would be the same as riding in the bed of a truck without restraints.

Every form of travel has to be looked at differently and then you can find the best means of protecting your dog.