Hi everyone! On June 12th we go to pick up our new 8 week old puppy! The drive is 6.5 hours each way. Should we bring a crate or can we just hold him on our lap? We are staying at a motel that evenng, so we can cut the time of travel Any advice is greatly appreciated. We will have wee wee pads Thank you in advance Jon
Wow, we have to travel out of state to pick up our Bella on June 16th, but it's only a few hours each way. You've got quite a trip! We're also bringing wee wee pads, large ziplok bags (just in case), and a dog bed for the back seat, and my wife will sit with her for the ride. We were also thinking of bring a large bin to put the bed in (almost like a 24" x 20" busboy bin they use to clear tables in restaurants) but we're not sure. We're hoping she will just be exhausted and sleep most of the trip.
Hi and welcome. Pup should be ok on your wife’s lap if the journey is split up. I would make sure you take plenty of towels in case of accident, carrier bags, wet wipes, water bowl and most importantly a lead and collar. Good luck
Welcome to the forum! How exciting for you - only 12 days to go! My husband picked Maxx up on his own and it was a 2.5 hour journey each way. He popped Maxx into a crate on the passenger seat and said he barked and howled for about 15 minutes then promptly went to sleep for the entire rest of the journey. Good luck! Please let us know how you go
My latest pup was picked up from Scotland and driven back to Surrey; with traffic and stopping a couple of times to see if she would wee (which she didn’t even though she needed to) it took about 6.5 hours, maybe a bit more. I took a cat carrier with soft blankets just in case she was very active and would be a danger, but the lid stayed open and she was settled in it the whole journey. I took a soft toy for her to chew on and my sister drip fed her kibble over the journey. I’ll try to dig out some photos later
We picked up our little man (now fast becoming a big man!) from the South West of England, and took him back to Scotland, a trip of around 9 hours when stops are included. Ahead of time I stressed no end about the journey, but when the time came it went really well! My approach was: I sat in the back with the pup whilst my wife drove On the rest of the back seat I laid bin liners (water proof) overlain by towels for the pup to lie on (to act like comfortable blankets, but could easily be swapped out for new ones in case of an accident) I had an open puppy pad nearby so that if the worst came to the worst I could grab it and try to get it underneath a squat (had to do this only once, to at least partial success!) I had planned to have him on my lap, but in the end he preferred to lie with the soft toys I brought, alongside me on the back seat The bit I was also stressed about was "pit stops" - how to stop and let him "do his business" given he hadnt had his vaccinations. In the end I lined our fairly large car boot with bin liners and a layer of puppy pads, and when we stopped we let him stand up and wander around the boot (it scares me to think how small he was that he could "explore" the boot!), drink from his bowl, have some food (small amounts at a time, and at the start of a pitstop so he had time to digest before we left - so he didnt get carsick), and do his business on the puppy pads. In the end he didnt cry at all, and got into a pattern of sleeping for around 2 hours at a time. Given this we stopped every 2.5 hours (3 stops in total). After all of the stress, it was fairly easy! Good luck to you!
OK, I went through my photos of our journey home and picked some of my favourites. Squidge filling the cat carry box. What a fatty!! She slept - a lot. Look at the size of that paw!!! Using Lambie as a pillow. Sometimes giving Lambie a good chew: Playing a bit with my sister: Chewing her blankie: Just looking ridiculously cute: "Are we nearly there yet?" Keeping an eye on the road: More cuteness:
It's so tiring being chauffeured: The crocopup emerges: Time for another nap: Pit stop cuddles! Please have a wee!! Conned my sister into giving up her scarf: Aaaah, so comfy!!
