We visited the 2013 Global Pet Expo in Orlando, Fl to take a look at all the exciting and innovative dog friendly travel products that are coming to the market this year! There are so many new products that will make travel with your dogs easier and more enjoyable. We met quite a few vendors and were impressed with their creative problem solving to ensure that traveling with your pets across town or across country is safer than ever. On top of that there were lots of really cool products that you and your fur babies can enjoy at home! Here are some of our favorites!
The Global Pet Expo brings thousands of vendors from all over the world to show off this years upcoming products to prospective retailers. The show gave us a sneak peek at the latest dog friendly travel products that will be coming your way!
Scouring the floor for Dog Friendly Travel products
Dog Friendly Travel Gear
Travel Harnesses
Kurgo – One of the only vendors that was primarily focused on dog travel gear, it’s no wonder they had some of the best stuff on display. Their travel harnesses were easy to put on, came with all the needed tethers and accessories and were designed to be multi-functioning. The harnesses work with both a regular seat belt system, or in conjunction with their doggy zip line for more mobility while staying safe. They also had several, different types of barriers to keep your fur baby in the back seat without tethering. Kurgo came up with this clever piece of gear, auto grass which will keep your dog safely in the back of the car.
This innovative “grass” keeps fido off the console
Kurgo also stood out with the best on floor display with this fully restored 1977 air stream trailer!
Awesome Trailer!
Bergan came to the table with their travel accessories as well. They made large strides in the pet harness category and featured a crash-tested safety harness that went through 9 revisions before they were satisfied with the quality and safety of the device. They also has the usual collection of tethers and other needed accessories on display.
Portable Crates for Travel
In the crates category there were many vendors that had carriers for small and medium sized dogs, but Zoe is a full figured gal at 90 lbs!
Sturdi had a nice selection of travel crates that are portable were originally designed for professional show use. They were super light weight and crazy easy to store. All their “crates” folded down into portable carrying cases. They would make a great crate for leaving your pooches in a hotel room when you were away. Sadly none of the crates were good for automotive purposes as they were soft sided and difficult to tie down.
Sturdi Collapsable Crate
On the other hand, 4Pets had an exciting new line of high end automotive crates. They feature solid aluminum frames and precise Swiss construction. The crates were designed with a blend of both style and substance in mind and met stringent crash test standards in Germany and Switzerland. At the time of this writing they aren’t available in the US just yet, but were actively seeking distribution. I can’t wait to see when they are release here so I can get my hands on these dog travel crates!
4Pets had the best looking crates on the market
Portable Hydration
Keeping your doggies hydrated while on the road is important year round, but can be critical in the hot summer months. We found two vendors that were doing thing a little differently than the usual collapsable bowl.
H2Fido uses heavy durable plastics to provide an easy to use lightweight watering system. There are two parts to each kit. the first is a collapsable water bottle that had a squirt style sports cap on it. The other is a bowl that collapses flat, but here’s the trick, it also seals shut with a zip lock type closure to keep any moisture locked in and away from everything else. They also all conveniently tie together with a provided hook for easy carrying and storage.
h2o4K9 approached the doggie hydration situation from an entirely different angle! They produce stainless steel water bottles where the cap comes off and serves as a bowl for a large or small dog. These things are tough! They have been military tested in Afghanistan and can surely take a beating.
Travel Anxiety
Travel anxiety is big issue for many pets. Whether taking them to the vet or across the country, your pets can get pretty stressed out. We found two products that take totally different routes to solving the issue.
Thundershirt was originally designed to calm dogs when stressed out by loud noises like thunder or fireworks. Over time though, pet parents have discovered that it can be used for all kinds of anxiety, including travel induced anxiety in dogs. It’s simple and drug free. Just wrap you baby up in this snuggly shirt and it will calm and relax them. It’s supposed to work in over 80% of pets and make a visible difference in their behavior. We can’t wait to get our hands on ours and test it out.
Comfort Zone has attacked the pet anxiety issue from an entirely different angle. They have used the science of pheromones to develop an oil and diffuser system that is supposed to calm your pets. You can take it with you anywhere and plug it into the wall and it will fill the room with soothing and odorless calming pheromones in a couple of hours. They also developed a spray that can be used for crates and carriers. We’re not sure how this will work, but we will be testing it out shortly.
Portable Grooming Products
When you share a car with two dogs for 30 days at a time they can get pretty stinky pretty fast. The only problem is it’s really hard to groom them while on the road, and I’m sure your hotel wouldn’t want you to give them a bath in their bathroom. Thankfully a couple vendors have stepped up with interim grooming supplies that re-purpose easily as on-the-go grooming solutions.
Pet Head has a full line of cool and fun grooming products that can be super handy while on the road. From deodorant sprays to waterless shampoos they have got you covered. They even had handy dandy little wet wipes that would be great for cleaning paws after an outdoor romp!
Wahl had a solid line of products for groomers and home use and are adding to that line with a selection of waterless shampoos and deodorizers as well. They aren’t out yet, but we had a chance to try some out while at the show and they look pretty promising. We’ll let you know once we get some samples home and try them out!
The last vendor we wanted to mention was Purina. As one of the shows primary sponsors they made a large effort to put together a great display and share lots of products. Plus they one upped every other booth in the show by bringing the one thing everybody loves : PUPPIES!!!
Purina brought the most dog friendly display of all!
Although we are currently working to partner with some of the above mentioned vendors for product reviews, it’s important to know that no one has sponsored or paid to be noted in this post.
If you are interested in purchasing these products the majority are available at Amazon.com. Using the link below will helo support theconstantrambler:
