Summer is starting which mostly means that my fridge will begin to feature pitchers of lemonade and tons of salad makings. It also means road trips.

I take a ton of road trips over the course of a year and I like to take Pepper when it’s possible. For any of you who have traveled with dogs you know there are a lot of difficulties inherent in that.

Over the years though, I’ve decided there are a handful of failsafe things you should do when riding in the car with your canine.

1. No food for at least four hours before the trip.
2. Crack the windows a little to help with the pressure changes.
3. If you have a seat that straps the dog in and immobilizes them, face it toward the front or back windows.
4. Take the dog for a run first.

That last one might be cheating, but it works all the same.