A few questions

We'll be picking up our 10 week old puppy in two weeks, and I have a couple of questions. The breeder is 3+ hours away from our home. We'll be putting Quincy into his carrier/crate for the ride - the same crate that he'll be crate-trained in. The breeder said that she'll feed him before we get there, and allow him enough time to pee and poop. I've been reading about how we should gradually introduce the crate to the puppy, but we really won't have a chance to do that. Do you think this will be OK? Do you think he'll want to sleep in that crate that night, after spending several hours in it that day?

Also, he'll need to pee as soon as we get home (if not sooner!). If he's never used a collar and leash, how will we do this? I read that some pups take a while to get accustomed to the collar/leash. We don't have a fenced in yard.

I hope I'm not over-thinking all of this! I just want to make sure I do everything right. I grew up with dogs, but this will be my first dog as an adult. My dad always did all the hard work, and I just got to enjoy them!

Thanks for any tips/advice that you may have.

Nancy

What ever happens don't just put a leash on a collar, Cav's are known for their weak neck, least that is what my vet told me, and should ONLY use a harness. You can put a collar and still use a harness at the same time. I use a Puppia, but I don't know if it will be too big for a pup. Conundrum. As for the ride. Crating a dog is pretty easy, just make sure they have some stimulation and get to go out alot at first. Best of luck with your FUZZY WUZZY!

Post more pics of your baby! :snap:

When we brought Lucy home we had an 8 hour drive home from the breeder. I kept her in a crate and she slept almost the whole way. I gave her water along the way but she wouldn't go potty at any of the stops we made. When we got home she finally went in her litter box (she's litter box trained) but I imagine a fenced yard would work fine. If it is a large yard where he could run off you might put him on a lead w/ a harness. If he doesn't go I would feed him, give him some more water and leave him in the crate for a little while and then try the yard again. He may not know how to walk on the lead but he will probably be willing to follow you around. Keep repeating the process until he goes in the yard. Then praise him w/ treats when he finally goes in the yard.

Transporting it in the crate probably is the best and safest way, but when we got both of ours they curled up in my lap on a blanket and slept nearly the entire way home. It was a little over a 2 hour drive. Once I held them I couldnt bring myself to put them down. They're just the best natured dog I've ever seen. They will probably suprise you with how well they do. Good luck. :xfngr: Is this your first Cavalier?

If your yard is fenced I wouldn't worry about a leash right away. Your pup isn't likely to stray more than a couple of feet from you. When we first got Max when I took him out partway home he just lay right down. He had never been outside since it was winter and there was too much noise/new things. As soon as we got home I took him out in the yard and he immediately did his business. He rode home in his crate and was fine in it. He spent quite a bit of his first day in it - he'd come out and explore a bit and then head straight back in.

He probably won't need to potty on the ride home, but if you are worried, you could buy an x-pen if you haven't already. Those easily will fold and store in the trunk of the car. You can find a rest area to stop or grassy area, whip out the x-pen and let him go in there. You will probably want to get an x-pen for use at home anyway. They are invaluable those first few weeks/months when you want to give them space to stretch their legs and play, but are trying to house train them.
The two trips we made to bring home our pups, either Lizzie nor Bandit had to go the whole ride 3 and a half hours back from our breeder, either, but went as soon as we arrived home. Bandit was 9 weeks and Lizzie was 10 weeks at the time. I agree with the advice on harnesses versus collars. I only use collars for ID, but not for walking. I use the comfort wrap step in harnesses for walking and love them.
Congrats and enjoy the new addition!

If it's possible you could bring the crate to the breeders early so he'll have a chance to accept it. If not, ask the breeder to give you a blanket or towel that smells like his littermates and put it in the crate. I've always left something with the breeder of mine and requested that it be left with the puppy for several days before I took the dog home. That way the dog could get used to my smell and still smell his mother! I found a nice sized dog toy the pup could cuddle up with nice, or a soft blanket.

Also, have a nice toy and a good meal waiting when you get him home. He'll be happy and distracted and less afraid of his new surroundings

Congratulations on your new puppy!

Jen and Ilsa

Definitely transport in a crate. A dog on a lap is the single most dangerous way to transport any animal, potentially lethal for both animal AND humans. An impact at only 35 mph would be enough to throw a puppy forward at enough velocity to *break a human neck*. A dog thrown forward into the dashboard, hit by an airbag, or into the back seat would have its neck snapped. Please never ever allow a dog on a lap or loose in a car and NEVER in the front seat where there's an airbag for the same reason babies and toddlers should never be in a front set before an airbag.

Most likely your puppy will just sleep.

Usually though the advice is not to feed right before a drive as this often comes right back up.

You will need a secure harness and if you do not have a fenced yard you will have to always take your cavalier out on a harness and lead -- never allow the pup or adult dog just to go out on his own. This breed is a frequent target for thieves but also has a strong prey drive to chase things and has NO road sense at all -- they are bred to be 'fearless' (it is in the breed standard) and will quite happily walk right in front of an oncoming car or chase something into the street. As noted cavaliers generally should not be walked on collars but on harnesses -- general recommendation from all my vets and from the neurologists doing work on syringomyelia. It is also safer as it is easier to pick up the pup quickly in case of a threat.

I'd recommend downloading Dr Ian Dunbar's two books, Before you get your Puppy and After you get your Puppy, both currently free on www.dogstardaily.com -- essential reading and excellent owner manuals for new dogs owners!

I dont think you would need to worry about the leash just yet, new puppies are usually quite scared and also slow!so if your keeping your eye on him I doubt he'll try and go anywhere!

When we transported each of our puppies home, we used an x-pen for potty stops. We used the same x-pen set up in the back yard for potty time until they could walk on leads. A 24 inch tall x-pen is fine for young puppies.

India slept most of the time, but when she cried we stopped at the next rest stop to let her have a break in the x-pen. Then she was ready to sleep again. I think our journey was 8 hours or so.

Thank you so much for all your advice! I had no idea about not using a collar. I will definitely be getting a harness instead. We will be using a crate for transporting in the car, and the breeder said she'd be giving us his favorite toy and blanket.

Yes, this is my first cavalier. I grew up with a beagle mix, a basset hound and a dachsund. My family never had a fenced yard either, so we always walked our dogs. Even if our yard was fenced, I wouldn't leave the dog out anyway. Our neighbor has a fenced yard, and their dog is always accidently getting loose because of the neighborhood kids who leave the gate open. We have lots of kids in our neighborhood who all play together and go from yard to yard. Great for the kids; bad for the dogs!

Anyway, I already bought Ian Dunbar's book a while ago, even before I had decided on which breed dog I wanted! I tend to gather lots of information before making decisions. I'm so glad that I found this forum. Books are one thing - but talking to people who have first-hand experience is much more beneficial, in my opinion.

I thank you all so much for sharing your knowledge and experience with me. I look forward to sharing my ups and downs with all of you after Quincy arrives! And hopefully one day I can offer advice to someone as well!

Nancy

Regardless, Love and Giving him/her the best care possible should always be first and foremost. I hope you and your new fuzzy both have a long and loving relationship! :lotsaluv:

And don't forget to post :snap: Please!!!

Agree with all the comments. Since you don't have fenced yard get an enlarged x-pen for your yard. Even though we have a fenced yard, in early morning and evening, we use the x-pen so our almost 7 month old is safe.

We also had to transport our pup about 8 hours and she was quite content in her crate.

I do feel that you must keep pup on a leash as these dogs love to run and explore. We had a plumber in this morning and our pup ran past an inside safety gate and would have gotten outside if door was open. We are trying to teach her to sit on rug away from door when someone comes but it is still a work in progress.

Heather R

It sounds like you're doing all the right things. Congratulations on your new addition.