Puppy Travel

[Hettyjen]

Hi
We are going to look at some puppies, a good 4 hour drive from home. My question is if we go back to get, a then 8 week pup, how well do puppies travel, is it ok to stop for a wee, given that it will not have had last jab? What is the best stress free way to bring her home in a car? Any tips plz.

[FredPuli43]

The pup will sleep most of the time. Ideally, you have a passenger to reassure it; after all, it has only recently been separated from its dam and siblings. It will probably want to urinate when it wakes, so be prepared. Unless travelling by train, I don't bother with a carrier or crate. Stopping is not without its risks. Parvovirus is fatal to puppies, yet it may be carried by adult dogs without ill-effects. It is transmitted through the faeces of a dog and may be caught from anything which has come into contact with the faeces. I avoid stopping, keeping it to the minimum if at all. It is easier to let it relieve itself on suitable paper in the car, but I appreciate that , in some vehicles, that may not be easily accommodated.

In my time, I have brought pups from Newcastle, Bradford, and mid-Scotland to Cambridgeshire and have never found any distressed or stressed by the experience. Young pups are easier in that way than older ones and seem content in the journey.

[Ratty2E]

All dogs/ puppies are individuals some are fine with car journeys some not, you won't find out till you do it. I've had some that just go to sleep and some that pant and throw up all the way it's luck of the draw. The safest way would be to put the pup in a dog cage with puppy pads in to soak up any accidents. Do not let him out onto the ground anywhere before he's had his jabs and had the all clear from the vet. Take extra pads some towels and some wet wipes just in case.

[chrissa1]

When we picked our 8 week old puppy, we drove from Norfolk to North Northumberland. We had covered the car in newspaper and sheets etc but bless him, he slept the whole way in the footwell of the car, at my feet. Our journey took five hours.

When we got home, he had the longest pee, ever. We didn't want to let him out at a Service Station because he hadn't had his jabs.

[fredkins]

We picked up our 8 week old pup up 3hrs from home, we had plenty of little blankets and puppy pads.She fell asleep all the way home on my lap,when she woke she had weed,no harm done we were prepared. We did not let her out of the car, it can be dangerous for puppies even if they have had their first injections like ours did.

[Hettyjen]

Thank you very much all, that was very helpful and I will go very prepared! We have not had a puppy before and in fact I am very 'green'. I have read loads but books can contradict, so I might be asking you guy more, when she comes home. Thanks all

[paddywak]

We got Max from a place about an hours drive away.Trish drove and within a few minutes of getting in the car Max was fast asleep on my lap.What kind of dog are you getting/and pictures please as soon as you get your new friend.

[lankeela]

I would invest in a puppy crate and use puppy wee pads with a piece of vetbed (fluffy bedding with a canvas backing) this will allow any wee to drain through to the wee pad and be soaked up but the puppy will still be on dry vetbed. Take some kitchen roll to mop up any poo and sick if the pup doesn't travel well but the vast majority will travel fine. Provided pup has had a wee before leaving you should be ok for four hours but provided you don't put it down in a park or somewhere there may have been loads of dogs then stopping in a country lane would be ok for a quick wee stop on a grass verge as long as there is no traffic of course. And yes, photos and details please!

[Hettyjen]

Really helpful info, thanks to all. I will post photo's, if I can work out how to get them from my camera roll, on ipad to the ab! Lol, I'm a bit 'new at posting'