I’m due to collect a new pup in a couple of weeks. There will be a 2.5 hour drive home. Any tips? Also, we have 2 older labs (10 and 12) who won’t be travelling with us but will be at home. Any tips for getting everyone settled in?
How old will the pup be when you do the pick up? I got Captain when he was 8 weeks old. We had a similar drive, and he slept nearly the entire way. We stopped every time he woke up, and if he would have stayed awake for more than 10 minutes we would have stopped about every 30 minutes to afford him the opportunity. We put a blanket on the floorboard of the passenger side, and that's where he rode if he wasn't in my arms. I strongly encourage you bring a couple towels in case the puppy goes inside your vehicle. Introduction to our older dog went well. When we got home i took Captain to a neighbor's yard a few houses down. My wife came home to get our older dog. We did it away from our house and our property because my older dog spends a decent amount of time in both of our yards, so i wanted to try to do it on neutral areas.they sniffed each other for about 15 minutes, and then didnt pay any attention to each other for the next 15. We figured they were good with it, and came home. It hasnt really changed except for now, 3.5 months old, Captain is nearly twice as large as our older dog and she gets upset when he pounces on her to play. If your older dogs have been socialized with other dogs, not just each other, it is probably going to be really quick for them to all "shake hands" and be comfortable with each other.
Hi @Nulasmum Anthony has given you lots of excellent suggestions. Get the dogs to meet on neutral territory. Perhaps all go for a walk. Don't force the interaction. Let it happen at each dog's own pace. Treat all dogs equally. It is important to make sure the older dogs have a respite area free of puppy. I urge you to crate train the puppy.
We had an hour and a half drive when picking Hunter up, put him into the crate and he slept the whole way. He didn't toilet in the car, nor when he first got home. Took him about an hour before he'd go.
