Car or plane: what's the best way to take my pet along on holiday?

Q. We live in Joburg and are renting a house in Cape Town for the holidays. We'd like to take our two dogs along. Do you have any advice for getting them there as painlessly as possible (for them and for us)? Is it better to drive or fly? - Barbara Morris

A. Flying and driving are both fairly easy to do with dogs, though the less complicated red tape around driving makes it the more preferable option if you have the time.

The bonus of a road trip, of course, is that you will not have to suffer being separated from your beloved pet on the journey - unless it is a service dog, all local airlines require that domestic pets travel in their own kennel in the cargo hold.

There are some local companies that can walk you through the process of flying your dog - even collecting them from your house and delivering them to you on the other side. Try flyapet.co.za or petmovers.co.za.

Iryna Rauner, owner of the Joburg-based Your Dog and Me training school, says driving with dogs is not difficult, as long as you follow a few golden rules, the most important of which is patience.

You must make frequent stops - roughly every 200km - to let your pets stretch their legs, have some water, and relieve themselves if need be.

There's no need to feed them anything substantial during the drive, she says, just offer them snacks such as biltong - because pups like padkos too.

When you picture a dog on a road trip, most of us imagine a hound with its face out the window, panting into the wind. For Rauner, however, this is a big no-no.

It's extremely dangerous, she says, as small stones thrown up by trucks and other vehicles might fly into their eyes. If the window is open wide enough, your dog might even spook and jump out. Rather be safe and use the air-conditioner.

If you must have open windows, you can buy a special window grille that will keep your pet's face (and body) inside the car - ask at your local pet store.

On your frequent stops at petrol stations, park away from other people and cars if you can.

Some dogs are hesitant to "go" in unfamiliar territory so give them time - walk around a bit and let them relax.

You can get calming medications from your vet but these are not recommended by many for flying or driving - it's best to let them be alert. Whichever option you go with, make sure their vaccinations are up to date and they have some sort of tick and flea protection.

If driving, you will need to find some pet-friendly accommodations for a night. There is an absolutely fantastic app for SA dog lovers that can help you with this.

Called DoggyDo, it has over 700 dog-friendly listings across the country. These include not only hotels and B&Bs where your fluffy companions will be welcome but also pet-friendly restaurants, parks, hiking trails, shelters, trainers, vets and pet stores.

• DoggyDo is free to download and is available on both IOS and Android.