Dogs You Wish You’d Left at Home: The Worst Holiday Travelers
The holiday season is stressful enough without adding a travel-challenged dog to the mix. While some pups take road trips and plane rides in stride, others are a walking (or barking) disaster. Whether it’s carsickness, barking fits, or a refusal to settle, these dogs make traveling a whole new adventure. Here are the 12 dogs that turn holiday trips into unforgettable chaos.
1. Bulldogs Are Masters of Snoring and Melting Down in Tight Spaces
With their short noses, Bulldogs struggle in cramped spaces and can have difficulty breathing during stressful trips. They also overheat easily, turning your cozy holiday getaway into a race to find air conditioning. Combine their snoring symphonies with stubborn attitudes, and you’ve got a recipe for travel drama.
2. Chihuahuas Make Sure Everyone Knows They’re Along for the Ride
Chihuahuas may be small, but their personalities are anything but. These feisty little dogs often feel the need to bark at every sound or movement, making them a noisy addition to any trip. Their nerves can get the best of them, leaving you with a trembling travel companion who refuses to relax.
3. Great Danes Take Up Half the Car and All the Patience
Traveling with a Great Dane is like sharing your car with a full-grown human. These gentle giants need plenty of space, which is hard to come by during holiday trips. Their size also means constant shifting and bumping into things, leaving you to wonder why you thought a road trip with a horse-sized dog was a good idea.
4. Jack Russell Terriers Will Turn Your Road Trip Into a Circus
Jack Russells have boundless energy and a love for constant action, which doesn’t translate well to long car rides. They’ll bounce, bark, and explore every inch of your vehicle, refusing to settle. By the time you reach your destination, their energy has left you utterly drained and ready for a vacation from your vacation.
5. Siberian Huskies Treat Every Trip Like a Howling Contest
Huskies are known for their vocal prowess, and they’ll make sure you hear it during every leg of the journey. Whether they’re howling in protest or narrating their every thought, these dramatic dogs can make even short trips feel endless. Add in their dislike for confinement, and you’ve got a recipe for holiday chaos.
6. Beagles Sniff Out Trouble and Make It Their Mission to Find It
With their incredible noses, Beagles can’t resist investigating every scent they encounter during a trip. Whether it’s food in the car or smells at rest stops, they’ll pull you off course repeatedly. Their stubborn nature means they’ll happily ignore your commands while they follow their nose to mischief.
7. Border Collies Need Jobs, Not Long Hours in the Back Seat
Border Collies are intelligent, active dogs that thrive on mental stimulation. Sitting still for hours in a car is pure torture for them, leading to pacing, whining, and desperate attempts to find something to herd. Their energy and need for activity can turn a calm trip into a frenzy of chaos.
8. Pugs Struggle With Travel and Make Every Journey Feel Longer
Pugs, with their short noses, often have breathing issues that make travel uncomfortable for them—and stressful for you. Their tendency to overheat and their stubborn streaks mean constant stops and adjustments. Add in their love for snacking and resulting motion sickness, and you’ve got a trip you’ll never forget (for all the wrong reasons).
9. Dalmatians Turn Road Trips Into High-Energy Adventures
Dalmatians are beautiful, athletic dogs with energy to spare, which makes them terrible travel companions. They’ll spend the ride trying to explore every corner of the car, climbing over passengers, and barking at passing scenery. Their hyperactivity can turn a peaceful trip into a high-energy escapade you weren’t prepared for.
10. Yorkies May Be Small but They’re Big on Travel Drama
Yorkshire Terriers may look like tiny angels, but their stubborn and dramatic sides come out during travel. From refusing to sit still to protesting loudly when things don’t go their way, they can make a simple trip feel like a Broadway production. Their tendency to get carsick only adds to the drama.
11. Australian Shepherds Treat the Back Seat Like a Herding Field
Australian Shepherds are working dogs at heart, and long trips don’t sit well with their need for action. They’ll try to herd passengers or constantly shift positions, searching for something to do. Their intelligence and energy make them lovable, but also exhausting, on extended journeys.
12. Dachshunds Prove That Big Attitudes Don’t Fit in Tiny Cars
Dachshunds may be small, but their personalities are huge—and so are their travel demands. They’ll bark at anything that moves, demand attention, and squirm their way into the smallest spaces. Their need for constant interaction and tendency to get carsick make them more than a handful on the road.