Tail Talk Grooming Chronicles with Hound Therapy

Hound Therapy Discusses Travel & Grooming: How To Prep For Trips Or Boarding

• Shannon & Tanya • Episode 32

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How Can I Prepare For Travel And Grooming?

Headed out of town with a dog who hates surprises? We share a practical roadmap for stress-free travel and boarding, blending pro grooming strategy with real-world safety tips so your pet arrives calm, clean, and comfortable. From airline fine print to harness choices that prevent escape, this conversation focuses on preparation that actually works when plans change and nerves spike.

We start by decoding air travel: how carrier dimensions vary by airline, why some carriers ban noticeable scents, and how to coordinate fasting windows and anxiety options with your vet. Then we pivot to the car, where hydration, movement, and secure leads matter most. Along the way, we cover the unglamorous but essential gear—wet wipes, trash bags, digital vaccine records—and map out smart pit stops so high-energy or nervous dogs can reset without risk.

Grooming can make or break a trip, so we get specific. Book a bath, brush, and blowout five to seven days before departure to reduce odor and shedding without stressing your dog the day before you leave. If you’re boarding, consider a short kennel cut to prevent matting when daily brushing is uncertain; or ask about brush-out services if you want to keep length. We also break down how to vet a boarding facility: insist on a clean walkthrough, clarify play policies, confirm exit baths, and leave written notes about behavior and meds. Elderly or vaccine-limited dogs may do better with vet-run boarding and less social contact.

Health prep is nonnegotiable. Beyond core vaccines, talk to your vet about regional risks like Lyme and ensure your records are accessible on the road. Pack a familiar item—pillow or toy—for comfort, and designate an emergency contact who can make decisions fast if you’re unreachable. Whether you choose a plane cabin, a cross-country drive, or a quiet kennel stay, choosing comfort over vanity and planning over guesswork will protect your dog and your trip. If this helped, subscribe, share with a fellow pet traveler, and leave a review so more pet parents can find expert guidance when it counts.

To learn more about Hound Therapy visit:
https://www.HoundTherapy.com
Hound Therapy
3509 E Park Blvd.
Plano, TX
469-367-0009

SPEAKER_00:

Welcome to Tale Talk Grooming Chronicles with Health Therapy, the podcast where we talk all things pet grooming, daycare, academy, and more. Hosted by Shannon and Tanya of House Therapy, serving pet owners across North Texas. We're here to share expert tips, hilarious pet stories, and the inside scoop on keeping your furry friends happy and healthy. Our motto, humanity over vanity. And don't worry, we don't fight. Let's get started.

SPEAKER_01:

Welcome back, everyone. I'm Sophia Yvette, co-host and producer, back in the studio with Shannon and Tanya, professional groomers at Hound Therapy. Hi, ladies. How's it going today? It's good.

SPEAKER_02:

Happy belated Thanksgiving.

SPEAKER_01:

Yes, happy belated Thanksgiving to you both too. Now, Shannon and Tanya, today's topic is travel and grooming. How to prep for trips or boarding. What do pet owners need to know?

SPEAKER_02:

Oh gosh, there's so many things. So one, if you're you've got to decide whether you're traveling in your car or if you're gonna be traveling, you know, via plane with your pets. I I think most people now travel via via via vehicle. Um that said, if you are traveling airplane, um, those are it's a pretty short list, so we'll go through it pretty quickly. Definitely call the airline that you're flying. See, the specific airline you're flying, because they're different, all of them. Yeah, every single one of them has a different regulation. Um, make sure you've got the appropriate size and style of cage that they'll allow you to ship. Contact your vet, make sure that you do not feed or water your dog before you go, because you don't if whether it's two hours or three hours up, you're it's you've got delays, you've got you never know what's gonna happen. So you don't want your animal to have um any kind of an accident inside of its crate if if it's being shipped. If it's riding with you in the plane, um, again, make sure of the size and the and and you you don't want you know a pee problem or a poo problem. So uh make sure that you've got all the things you want. Don't don't feed and water, make uh make a call to your vet and see, hey, look, can I have something for diarrhea if you know you have a nervous dog? Uh and or possibly anxiety. You see if they give you a pill for anxiety so that that dog can kind of sleep through most of his uh like what we wish we wish we could do for our children when we travel with them. So if you are traveling on a plane, um, it's kind of that same scenario. Bring some wet wipes, uh, you know, things you need to do clean. You can't remember you can't take them out of that carrier. They have to stay in there. Um getting them cleaned and groomed before you go so that no scents, colognes, you don't want people complaining um that are around you. There are people that are really sensitive to life. A few airlines that I did research, they said that um your dog can't have a smell to them at all. Yeah. So uh yeah, it's you kind of like anything else. You you want to make it polite and and good for everybody that's traveling. So if you're if you're taking your dog on a on a flight with you somewhere, then those are just a few quick tips. Now, traveling in a car obviously is a lot easier. You can feed and water all you want. Stop go patties, stretch your legs. Um, you know, I I would plan a little um dog park tour if you're going somewhere so you can stop and make sure that you've got a good spot for your dog to run if if you've got a runner or high anxiety dog um that just needs to stretch his legs. If you are going to be going to strange places, make sure your vaccinations are up to date. Yeah, you don't want to get someplace, and that that goes, I mean, the airlines make you do it, but it goes for anywhere that you're running with your dog. If if you've uh you need an emergency groom or you have to run into uh a vet for whatever reason, something happens, somebody uh is gonna want to see your vet records. Uh, they're gonna need proof of that. So most of them it's digital now. So you know, just make sure that you've gotten them uh up to date and current before you go. Uh and two, you want to make sure that if you're going someplace where you don't have a normal vaccine for, like a Lyme disease or a tick disease, uh, there are certain certain things in certain places that your your dog can get very, very sick. And uh if you're not there's a area, it's a quick, easy vaccine. So uh I would say, you know, don't forget to do that as well. Um Grimming, nobody wants to travel with a nasty, stinky kick. It's your dog groom before. Um see what, you know, the the easiest, it's just a bath brush and a blowout kind of thing. Um, and just another quick point is if if you're gonna be boarding your dog when you get there, make sure you've got a place for it to stay. Make sure you've got enough food and water. Um again, some more wet wipes to clean. Make sure you've got some um all of their medicines if you've got it. Know where the emergency bets are where you're traveling. Um, make sure that you've got an appropriate place for them to plotty, uh long enough leashes, leads, and the appropriate type of a lead. Um, you want more of a harness style or a slip lead so that your dog can't slip out of something because you're gonna be in. Scared in an unfamiliar place, they're gonna run. Yeah. You don't want to be in the middle of nowhere chasing your dog. Yeah. So those are some good quick tips for the road. I I I mean, I think uh keep your pet. It you you wanna it don't wear you don't need a lot of jackets or blankets or pillows, but you do need some things that are normal for them. So maybe their their pillow or their favorite toy or something like that, a smell that they've got. Um, are there any questions that you have specifically? Are you I know you don't have a dog, so if you're looking for one, but uh if you did, what would you want to know if you were traveling with your dog?

SPEAKER_01:

What I would want to know is how far in advance should owners schedule grooming or bathing before a trip?

SPEAKER_02:

Good question. I would say five to seven days before. You don't want to be so stressed out right after grooming. So, you know, give them some dogs get stressed out coming to the groomers, some dogs love it, but yeah it it's a day in itself, right? So give yourself some time and give the dog some time. Drop them off, you know, three to five days before, you know, a week or so. And they're all they're nice and clean and they're easy to maintain that way. And you can get a good length that, you know, for the amount of time that you're gonna be gone, um, and to see what you're doing. Now, some people will will be boarding dogs, so there's a whole different venue for for boarding. Uh for boarding, you're gonna want to either go as short as possible. Uh, you've got if you do want your I would ask them, um, we were actually talking about it this morning. Um, I would ask them if they have like a brush-out fee or something like that where they could actually brush your dog if you want your dog long and fluffy, but you're gonna be out of town and you don't want to shave them when you get back. See if they'll brush your dog for you. So, and it's you know, it it is if they don't, they should. I think it's a great service that somebody should offer. Uh, and we were talking about it because we do recommend that if you're gonna be boarding a doodle to take them down as low as possible. It's called a kennel cut for a reason. They're going to be in a kennel, whether it's at a vet or someplace else. You know, the baths that they do there, they're not done by groomers. They're done by a boarding tech or a vet tech. And they're that's not their primary job. So they're they're sending your dog home so it's clean, but they're not really, you know, making sure that it's dematted and tangled and uh, you know, it's been well brushed while it was there. If you left it with your, your, your brother and this happens all the time. Oh, my my son watched it. I left it with my aunt. And they're like matted just to the bone because nobody brushed these dogs. So it's just better to go short before that way you don't have to see it. And when you get back, he's long again. So just take it down first. Otherwise, you've got this cute fluffy dog he just had groomed that you hand it off to somebody and they didn't take care of it for you. Uh, and then you get it back, and now you've got to look at it shaped and and you just paid, you know, upwards of a thousand dollars for your week vacation just to have your dog boarded and not brushed. So uh yeah, I would check and see. After a hundred dollar groom. Yeah. Make sure they're current on their board of tells and make sure they're uh uh on their on their flu vaccines too. There are two very separate um viruses that act very, very, very much the same. Um, but I would I would and definitely make sure that they have them for both. And if you have a dog that's too old uh or you can't do that, make sure that those dogs aren't in social play with other dogs. Uh keep them separate. Don't don't put them uh with somebody else. Uh you want to ask uh if if you're boarding your animal, um, again, you're gonna want to bring something that's you know unique to them that they can have. You're gonna want to find if it's in in in general population or they could be playing with other dogs. You want some clear specific rules of you know how your dog plays or doesn't play or interact with other dogs. Um, are they walking them in a fenced-in area? Uh are they just walking them willy-nilly on the fence? If that's the case, then you know, you're gonna want to make sure that they use a slip lead or make sure that they understand your dog's needs. Uh and you you have to articulate that. It's good to write it down because a lot of times that gets lost in translations for check-in and check out. Um, there's a whole lot that people don't think about. Write down your information, where you're gonna be, somebody they can contact if you're out of town that can make case of an emergency, that can make decisions, not somebody that they can call that can call you. Because if we call you or if a boarding facility calls you and you're out of town, I need the information within a 10-minute time. Yeah. I don't need it in two days. I need it now. Um, so check out the staff, walk in. Any grooming facility or boarding facility is not any different. If it doesn't smell good, if it doesn't smell clean, um, if the staff, you know, if they don't let you visualize, walk through it, see where everything is, then don't leave your dog there. Um, make sure they have an exit bath for you so that you're not getting a dog. Make sure your dog is staying in its own pen or is it going to be housed with other dogs? Um, so there's there's a lot of boarding uh red flags out there. Yeah. For me, more so than than there are good. And doing your due diligence um is is the best way to go. Vets do boarding as well, but they don't have the playtime. So there's a little something to be said for both. You know, you can if you have a dog that's anxious and likes to play, then you know, a boarding facility might be your best choice. If you have an elderly dog that needs, you know, minimal to less vaccines, but not as much play. Well, that might be the way to go. A vet might be the way to go. So um there's a lot, there's a lot that you there's different options for age groups. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Thank you again for those great insights, and we'll see you next time. Thank you so much. Have a great day.

SPEAKER_00:

That's a wrap for this episode of Tale Talk with Hound Therapy. Ready to book your pet's next groom daycare stay or grooming academy tour? Call us at 469-367-0009. That's 469-367-0009. To schedule an appointment or visit us online at www.houndtherapy.com, serving North Texas with expert pet care. Until next time, keep those tails wagged.