Hi All I have added a now 10 week old (born January 12. 2024) male chocolate Labrador Retriever puppy to my family. I have named him "Bourbon". I picked him up last Sunday (Saint Patrick's Day March 17, 2024) and have been impressed with how easily he is able to pick up most things that I have attempted to teach him. I picked him up in the morning and that afternoon I was able to throw a rope toss toy in my back yard (fairly large property, the entire lot is .41 acres) and he brought it back to me with no hesitation. I am crate training him. The first night he whined & cried for around 10 - 15 minutes each time I put him into the crate during the night. The second night, it lasted for 1 or 2 minutes. The last couple of nights he went straight into the crate with no issues. No "accidents" in the crate during the night. I started with letting him out every 3 hours during the night, have stretched that out to every 4 hours during the night. Now my issue. My mother lives in Assisted Living about 35/40 minutes drive away from where I iive. I have taken him down with me to see her about 5 times since I purchased him, spend most of the day there (about a 5/6 hour visit) and then return home. He seems to enjoy meeting the other residents and staff at the facility and they seem to enjoy meeting him. The problem is with the ride, which it appears he does not enjoy. He doesn't get car sick, but will whine & cry for sometimes half of the journey. I have a 2016 Ford Explorer with the bucket 2nd row seats. I have a seat cover installed for the seats, the kind with straps that go around both the front and rear headrests to create a "hammock" in the footwell area. I have him in a harness attached to the right rear (passenger side in the U.S.) shoulder harness. A couple of times he has wandered through the gap between the bucket seats, over the seat cover spanning the gap into the cargo area, even though he is still attached to the shoulder harness. I have a feeling that it may be due to this is the same vehicle that I brought him home in last Sunday, away from his litter mates. I did not have the 2nd row seat setup at the time, I had him loose in the right front footwell or seat for the 15 minute ride home from the breeder. Thanks for any ideas. Mark
Hi Mark. Congratulations on your new pup. It sounds like he's finding the car frustrating or worrying, or possibly feels a bit sick. These are all pretty normal reactions for his age I'm afraid! If he feels sick he will most likely outgrow it, with practice. It does also sound like he's not very securely held in place by his harness. I wonder if he might be both safer and more comfortable in a crate? You could then provide some toys and/or a filled kong for distractions, too!
