Six weeks out is the point to confirm the basics rather than assume they're already sorted. Check your pet has a working, registered microchip, and if not, get one implanted now — it needs to be in place before or alongside the rabies vaccination to count toward Germany's entry requirements.

Book the rabies vaccination appointment with real margin before your travel date. The vaccine must be given at least 21 days before entering Germany, and if this is your pet's first rabies vaccination ever, build in extra buffer — remember Germany's own 15-week minimum entry age for puppies, covered in the Documents section, if travelling with a young dog.

This is also the point to confirm your dog's breed isn't on Germany's federal import-ban list (Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Bullterrier, or a cross of these), covered in its own Documents article — and, separately, to check whether the Bundesland on your itinerary runs its own Listenhunde permit requirement for your dog's breed. Start booking transport and accommodation too, since pet spaces on Lufthansa flights and DB's pet-friendly carriages are worth securing alongside your own ticket.