A little advice needed please

[PaganMojo]

Hiya all,

In 12 days I will bringing home my CKCS puppy Jessica, she will be 9 weeks old. Is there anything I can do/bring with me that will help the journey be better for her? My friend will be driving and Jessica will be on my lap in the back seat. I just want to make the journey as pleasant and stressless for her as possible

Thanx

[Daisy's Mom]

Our breeder gave us a piece of cloth that Daisy, her littermates, and her mother had been laying on. We kept that in her crate for a long time, but honestly, she never seemed too interested in it. We also brought an empty gallon jug of water and brought home water from their house just to make sure the transition was easier for her. I don't really think that was necessary, but for some dogs it might be helpful. The breeder did have well water, though, which tastes quite different from our water, so potentially it could have been an issue.

Daisy never looked back whatsoever. She whimpered about twice the first night and that was literally it. I thought she'd be upset because she was in a crate by herself and she had been used to sleeping with all her littermates. But it didn't seem to bother her in the slightest. She's kind of an independent little thing, though, so some dogs might be different. I had her crate on a chair right beside my bed. When she whimpered, I would either take her outside to potty in a matter of fact way and put her right back in, or if I knew she didn't need to potty, I would put my finger inside her crate and stroke her a little bit, saying "no" softly. That seemed to work well for her. She then was reminded that she wasn't alone.

Good luck with her! It's all very exciting, isn't it? I'm very happpy for you and jealous of you (except for the housetraining, I have to admit! That part you can happily have.)

[Lucysweetie]

When I brought my Golden Retriever home we had an hour drive so I put towls into a wide laundry basket and he slept the whole drive home in the laundry basket. It was like a little nest for him. I think he would have been kind of squrimy spending a whole hour in my arms.
Each puppy got a toy along from the breeder that had the litter scent on it. It helped him the first couple of days getting used to his new family.
Enjoy your pup and remember take lots and lots of pictures they grow up so fast.
Elke

[Gem]

you'll probably find she will just sleep most of the way.
We had long journeys with both of our girls over 4 hrs to get home but they were golden and just slept through. take a blanket or plenty of towels though just in case of any accidents

[hbmama]

Hi, and congratulations on your new puppy! Our breeder required that the puppy be transported in a hard plastic crate, (vari-kennel #200) firmly seatbelted in the seat behind us. We put a comfy crate pad and soft baby blanket inside. She had us come and stay for about an hour or so, visiting with her beautiful dogs and allowing us to get to know Dottie.

Dottie jumped right into my husbands lap and snuggled into him as soon as he sat down. She was 6 months old, so older than a typical puppy going to her new home.

The breeder also gave us Dottie's favorite stuffed toy to put in the crate, and I brought a "Snuggle Puppy" toy along that I had previously purchased, and rubbed it all over the other dogs to get the scent on it.

We had bottled water and a bowl in case we needed to stop, but we didn't on the 2 hour trip home. She just slept the whole way.

I know it is tempting to comfort and snuggle with your new puppy on your lap, but consider little Jessica's safety here. If there was an accident, or a quick stop, your puppy would be thrown from your arms and could sustain serious injuries, or worse.

How about getting her used to crate travel, belt your crate into the seat next to you and you can talk to her and comfort her through the grate on the front? That's what we did, had peace of mind and got home safely!

[PaganMojo]

Thanx for the advice, it's only an hours drive so shouldn't be too bad, I do hope she sleeps most of the way. I just want to make the start of her new life with me as good as possible. I'm soooooooooooooo excited it's unbelievable

[merlinsmum]

soooo exciting

Both mine slept all the way home on my lap in the backseat. When we brought Oakley home Merlin refused to be in the back with me and "that thing" so he lay in the passenger seat with his car harness on, up front with Dad - we still take the mickey out of him now being sooooo afraid of Oakley

[Rocky and James]

Congratulations!! When i brought Rocky home he was 5 months and he just slept on a blanket that the breeder had, on my lap for the ride of about 30 mins. Im sure your pup will just sleep and try to get him/her to go toilet before the car ride. Good Luck and trust me take a lot of pics cuz they will grow.

[Maxxs_Mummy]

soooo exciting

Both mine slept all the way home on my lap in the backseat. When we brought Oakley home Merlin refused to be in the back with me and "that thing" so he lay in the passenger seat with his car harness on, up front with Dad - we still take the mickey out of him now being sooooo afraid of Oakley

That's because Merlin was so spoiled LOL I mean, fancy expecting him to share you with an intruder - what on earth were you thinking of? PMSL.

Maxx came home on the back seat with me but that was 9 years ago. Nowadays I don't take them anywhere without their seatbelts on. For a tiny pup though, you could always borrow a cat basket from someone and strap it in. Just an idea x