Traveling is an exciting way to experience life. You can understand different cultures, enjoy amazing landscapes, and find goods that aren’t available in your home area. If you are someone who wants the companionship of a dog but likes to travel often, it’s important to choose a breed that is known for being a good traveler.
Fortunately, there are many different dog breeds that can make awesome travel companions. Some are good travelers because they’re small enough to fit in the cabin of a plane with their human counterparts. Others are excellent travelers because they love adventure and are great in new social situations. Here are our top picks for the best-traveling dogs.
The 26 Best Dogs for Travel
1. The Dachshund
Dachshunds are fun-loving, sociable, and adventurous. This is a low-maintenance dog breed that is small enough to travel on a plane, so you can take them with you anywhere in the world. However, it’s important to note that strange people can make them feel threatened, so they should travel in a kennel for their safety while on public transportation.
2. The Poodle
The average Poodle is high maintenance, but luckily, that maintenance can be done at home for the most part. Poodles are adventurous dogs that are intelligent, obedient, and eager to please. Therefore, they make good travel companions in most cases. Poodles come in small and large sizes, so consider what type of travel you want to experience before deciding what type of Poodle to get.
3. The Beagle
This is a medium-sized dog breed that loves to travel in cars and most other modes of transportation. Beagles are loyal dogs that enjoy adventuring outdoors, making them great companions for camping and beach trips. This dog has an amazing sense of direction, and they like to stick by their owner’s side.
4. The Labrador Retriever
For a large dog, the Labrador Retriever makes for a remarkably good travel companion. They can’t fly in the cabin of an airplane with you, but they do enjoy long road trips, exploring new places, and staying in hotels, cabins, and tents. They also happen to like boating trips and swimming in the ocean and pools.
5. The Pomeranian
Pomeranians are cute, cuddly, and more than happy to travel with their human companions. They are serious when necessary and laid back when possible. They love following their owners around and are surprisingly agile for their size. They also happen to fit in small kennels and the cabins of most airplanes.
6. The German Shepherd
These are loyal and hardworking dogs that love adventures and exercise. They travel easily and are always up for new experiences. If obedience trained, they can handle almost any outdoor and social situation. They are great with kids and don’t mind long road trips and extensive treks in the wild.
7. The Chihuahua
These travel-sized companions seem like they were made to fly on planes with their owners, as they can easily fit in a kennel that goes under the seat. They also happen to take to obedience training well, although patience and ongoing training are required to ensure a well-behaved attitude around others.
8. The German Shorthaired Pointer
This distinctive dog breed is loyal, active, and athletic. The typical German Shorthaired Pointer is easy to maintain, a joy to train, and an eager participant in outdoor adventures. These are playful dogs that are willing to do things such as hike through forests, travel throughout the country by RV, and prance in the snow during the winter months.
9. The Jack Russell Terrier
This is a compact yet energetic dog breed that loves to adventure and play. They are usually easy to maintain, and they don’t mind getting dirty as long as fun is part of the experience. These dogs can usually spend time alone in hotel rooms without making a ruckus, and they are loyal enough to never leave their owners’ side.
10. The Portuguese Water Dog
If you enjoy traveling to places where water is abundant, the Portuguese Water Dog may just be the right traveling companion for you. This breed is lively, interactive, curious, and loyal, all of which are great traits to rely on when traveling in strange places. These are hard-working dogs and can be excellent hunting companions.
11. The Dalmatian
Dalmatians are exuberant and trustworthy dogs that enjoy spending their time outdoors and getting to know new environments. They are extremely athletic and enjoy long journeys whether by foot or vehicle. They are perfect companions for those who enjoy adventurous travel.
12. The Maltese
This is a charming dog breed that loves being around people and immersing themselves in new experiences. These are small enough dogs to travel on an airplane with, but their personalities are big enough to handle long trips on the road in your car or RV. It’s important to bring a brush and trimmers along, though, as these dogs do require a high level of grooming maintenance.
13. The Yorkshire Terrier
These little dogs are lively, but they don’t need much exercise, so they can happily travel for long periods of time in a kennel or the back of a vehicle. They should get a short haircut before traveling to make movement easier and minimize the risk of accidents and injuries while moving about.
14. The Boston Terrier
Boston Terriers are known for having little bodies with big attitudes. They can adapt to just about any type of situation calmly, and they seem to have a true interest in exploring new places. They tend to adapt well to new environments, and they are typically smart enough to stay away from sticky situations.
15. The Shih Tzu
This dog breed is great for airplane travel due to their compact size. They are outgoing and don’t mind interacting with new people and animals. They are hardy enough to withstand moderate hikes and don’t mind sleeping under the stars. They do seem to enjoy the luxury of a hotel room whenever possible, though!
16. The French Bulldog
French Bulldogs are fun-loving, adventurous, and easy to maintain when it comes to their grooming needs. These little dogs can go just about anywhere you can, making them excellent travel companions for almost any situation. That said, it’s important to be sure that obedience training is made a priority.
17. The Clumber Spaniel
This dog breed is not well known, which makes them a bit overlooked. The Clumber Spaniel is an athletic gem that stands out from the crowd with their big smile and bright eyes. These dogs love to explore new places and don’t mind hanging out in a car or RV for hours at a time. Traveling should always include plenty of exercise.
18. The Great Dane
While this seems like a dog breed that’s too big to travel with, the Great Dane is actually gentle and fun-loving. These dogs are kind of lazy too, so they will just snooze in the car during long road trips. However, when it comes time to explore a new place, they are almost always up for the experience.
19. The Cocker Spaniel
Cocker Spaniels are feisty, interactive, and explorative. They are also relatively small, which makes them easy to travel with. They enjoy long walks, they will sit under a table while you dine at an outside café, and they don’t mind being left behind in a hotel for a couple of hours so you can go do human things.
20. The Australian Shepherd
These beautiful dogs are known for their piercing blue eyes, so they are sure to get their owners plenty of attention while traveling. Australian Shepherds are sporty dogs that can adapt to activities both on land and in the water. They love being active, they are extremely athletic, and they are always loyal.
21. The Brittany
This small sporting breed loves to smell the fresh air outside the window of a vehicle while traveling. They will never pass up an opportunity to go out and explore, yet they can settle down for a long road trip or plane ride if they are exercised beforehand. They are always up for new activities too.
22. The Affenpinscher
This is a small dog breed that can travel by almost any mode. What’s unique about them is their ability to handle most temperatures and landscapes without the worry of health problems. They are good at obedience, they’re smart, and they don’t tend to make much noise in social situations.
23. The Brussels Griffon
Scruffy-looking yet lovable, the Brussels Griffon is a breed that’s suitable for travel. These dogs are small enough to travel in the cabin of a plane, they are always eager to please the humans around them, and they never mind being the center of attention. They also happen to take well to obedience training.
24. The Bernese Mountain Dog
Bernese Mountain Dogs are hardy, athletic, and intelligent, which makes them a good pet choice for those who are into nature traveling. They enjoy meeting new people, they aren’t picky when it comes to their transport mode as long as they’re comfortable, and they don’t mind staying at the tent or hotel when necessary.
25. The Boxer
These dogs may have a bad rap in some circles for being aggressive (mostly due to their looks), but the truth is that Boxers are loving, gentle, and friendly in social settings. They enjoy traveling, especially by vehicle. They don’t bark much either, which makes them easy to incorporate into hotel stays.
26. The Pekingese
The Pekingese is a travel-friendly breed due to their independence, loyalty, and willingness to explore when prompted to. They don’t need or want much exercise, so they aren’t the best option for those who love to hike and explore the outdoors. However, they are perfect for those who want to explore cities in France and travel to far-off Asian islands.
Conclusion
The truth is that any dog can be a great travel companion with training and practice. This list of the best travel dogs should give you a great starting point to work from but don’t overlook dogs not on the list, as you could be missing out on a best friend that you can enjoy spending time with for years to come.
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