In 2 days we go to get our new pup, but it is a 9 hr drive home. As I will be in my pickup, I am not able to put him in a crate but he will be harnessed with a seat belt between my wife and I. Any suggestions would be appreciated as to stops and how to keep the pup preoccupied on the trip home. Thanks
We use a car harness now but when we picked up our puppy, she alternated between cuddling on my lap and snuggling up in the footwell of the car, at my feet. We had a three hour drive so not as long as yours but she didn't toilet at all during the trip and slept for most of the journey. We were given a blanket and cuddly toy that had been with her mum and we brought lots of towels with us and just made the space as comfortable and cosy as possible. Good luck! Exciting times ahead!
We had a six hour drive with Luna. She sat quietly in an open cat carrier for the whole time on the seat between me driving the van and my sister as passenger. I don’t think I would harness an eight week old puppy, especially on a day with such potential already for emotional distress. I don’t know if your pup is this young? If so, I’d take a cat carrier which can go on the seat and keep it open if he’s not too wriggly.
Thanks for your input, I understand about the stress on the pup, that is why I am looking for advice, he is 9 weeks old and I just want to keep him as secure and safe as possible. The breeder we are getting him from says most people just let them sit on their lap. I figured a harness may be easier than a collar on him when we stop for puppy breaks. He eats 3 times a day so we will need to stop twice to feed him and for water breaks. It's been 9 years since I last had a puppy around.
I wouldn’t stop to feed the puppy, personally. What I did was give the food throughout the journey. A piece of kibble here, a piece there. It was rewarding calmness, gave her something to focus on to make the journey less boring for her and also was easier on her tummy than having a meal, so less likely to cause travel sickness. Same with water - the passenger just offered her a bit every now and again. We didn’t stop until she cried, which was after about five hours. Be prepared for lots of standing around waiting for the pup to perform, even if he needs to go! I just used a collar because we weren’t going for a walk, wanting to stay in the same little area to reduce the risk of exposure to parvovirus, and I knew I wanted to introduce the harness very slowly to minimise the chances of her rejecting it later.
Hi there, we had an 11-hour journey home with our Poppy, she was 8 weeks old. She was on my lap or in the footwell, and like snowbunny we used a collar for pee breaks. She was a star. I did have a crate in the back of the car, in case she became too fidgety on my lap, but I didn't need to use it, and she seemed happier very close to me. We did stop to feed and give her water, I think we stopped four times in the 11 hours. Good luck with the journey!
One of our earlier pups didn't fit in the cat carrier we brought. He was a big sausage! We improvised with a cardboard box. Most of the time he snuggled on laps and by feet. It was wonderful puppy snuggle time. We stopped every few hours and he didn't really eat on the six hour trip.
We just brought our 8 wk yellow english lab home and to be honest it went well but only because the pup was very scared. We had our 17 yr old son sit it the back with her. We brought a 8 inch high large cardboard box with us but she just wanted to sleep in his arms. We stopped several times and let her walk around and go potty. Took a day for her to come out of her shell. At 11 weeks today my issue is when will she stop chewing on me
Thanks for all the replies, we made the trip without any problems, We bought a memory foam cage mat and the breeder gave us one a blanket that all his brothers and sisters had slept on and set that between my wife and myself, We made 3 stops along the way and the pup was very good, The only problem was that after it got dark we couldnt see him because of his black color. I only put the harness on when we stopped for a break and it didn't seem to bother him, when we made the second stop he actually put his head through the front just being eager to get out and stretch his legs and do his business. When we got to the breeders he kinda chose my wife and I think he will fit into our family well, he has made the adjustment well, we will see tomorrow as he will meet my 15 month old granddaughter. He met our neighbors yesterday and seems to socialize well.
