Perhaps your dog is already housetrained but have you taken this training one step further? In other words, is he smart enough to take that knowledge with him while traveling away from home?
The answer is mainly up to you and how you teach your dog to behave when you go places together. You might assume dogs would be able to generalize at-home potty manners to all indoor environments but they usually need some guidance to put it all together.
Potty On Cue
To direct your dog to eliminate at rest stops and other places when you're traveling, you'll need a way to let him know when it's time, and the place to potty. This will be easy if you teach your dog to go potty “on cue.”
Pick a word or phrase to use whenever you take your dog to a potty area. Choose something you won't be embarrassed to say out loud around strangers because you'll be using it at rest areas, parks and other public places where other people (and children) may be accompanying.
Some suggestions for cues are “go potty”, “get busy”, “hurry up”, or “eliminate”. Pick one cue and stick with it so your dog will learn that it always means the same thing.
It's easiest to teach the potty cue first at home where your dog is used to eliminating and there aren't a lot of new sights, smells and sounds to distract him. Take your dog to his potty area, then say the potty cue in a casual and friendly voice.
Just say it once. You can repeat it after a minute if he hasn't gone by then. When he relieves himself, praise him quietly and calmly so he stays relaxed in case he needs to potty a bit more.
Be careful not to sound impatient or commanding when you say the potty cue; that might make your dog nervous and tense, and he won't be able to go. Also, don't repeat the cue too frequently; that may distract your dog from the task at hand, causing him to take more time to get his business done.
Your dog won't automatically know what you mean when you say the potty cue at first, so you'll need to use it many times. If you go with your dog to his potty area each time he needs to eliminate, you'll have plenty of opportunities to practice the potty cue. It will also get your dog use to doing his business with you standing nearby, which is another travel skill that will come in very useful.
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