So as some of you already know I will be brining home my pup from Celestial Star Kennel. CSK is located on the central east side of Florida, where as I live on the central west side of Florida. The trip itself will take anywhere from 3-4 hours, factoring in bad traffic possibly 5-6.

I know the essentials for a long distance car trip with an older dog, but what about an 8 week old puppy?!

What if I do it wrong? I don't want his first car ride to traumatize him for life. Especially since I have every intention of taking him every place I go.

The boyfriend, Ryan, thinks that I am overreacting as I sometimes tend to do. I apologize for this. He says that I have everything together, and thought out when I tell him the game plan. But I still get this feeling that something can go wrong if I'm not prepared enough.

"The Game Plan":
Pick puppy up from CSK or their Vet @11-12am
Have puppy sit in my lap, in the back seat, wrapped in a blanket
Have a battery powered fan on the floor aimed at pup
Keep an extra spritzer fan on hand just in case
Have a portable food/water bowl and a gallon of spring water
Stop every once in a while to let puppy relieve himself (not at rest stops)
Keep a soft crate in the trunk just in case
Bring a chew toy

There is not much else I can think of. If anyone has ever done this long distance pick up, or can think of something I might have missed, please let me know.

Views: 140

Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

What an excited mom. Bring the blanket but he probably doesnt need to be wrapped, it has been darn hot! Only use the fan if he appears to get hot. The AC in the car should be sufficient. Ditto with the spritzer....he shouldnt need it. A small bottle of water should be more than sufficient and maybe a few treats. He doesnt need a meal while traveling. One or two stops on the way home should be more than enough. As long as he is sleeping he probably wont have to go. Congrats on getting your new baby and enjoy him!
I am. I have never owned a dog before. Plenty of cats, but never a dog. I know that there are a lot more things needed in owning a dog. Not to mention the loads of things that can go wrong if I'm not a good mommy.

I can't really rely on the car AC because my mom gets cold very easily, and she'll shut it down on me. Even when it's set to 3 I cane barely feel it in the back seat. I would sit in front but I don't want to leave Ryan all alone in the back, or run the risk of the pup distracting my mom. I might just use the spritzer fan on myself! lol

Thank you for helping, and keeping a level head while dealing with me.

Grah! I'm acting like a 12 year old over this. Sorry! And thank you.
From personal experience, bring a bag too. Some dogs aren't used to car rides and tend to get motion sickness. I might happen a few times in a short span of time too. (I saw a pup vomit twice in a ten minute ride.) Hopefully this won't happen though. Good luck and post lots of cute puppy pictures! =)
D: Ew. *scribbles 'paper bags' on her list* Thanks, and I fully intend to take pictures. I'll be getting a video recorder for the event as well.
My pup from the same breeder slept the entire way home (4 hours to Jax from Oveido). He pretty much did nothing but sleep for 2 days, so I dont think the ride will be too rough. Just try to keep it below 80 degrees.
This is true, and if I'm right they got their vacs and health certificates on the same day right? So the meds in his system will make him sleepy. Or he's just too worn out to do much else. XD
Well, he was awake and fine, he played a little at family's house in Orlando before the trip, but he pretty much slept about 20 hours a day for the first 3-4 days, and when he wasnt sleeping it looked like he was thinking about it. I was worried at first, but turns out that's just what puppies do.
Banzai is going to hate me. XD I'm going to want to poke him every so often.
i doubt you will need everything but i did the same thing (but i had her flown and i got my mom to pick everything up since she was flown from my moms) i got her a special travel kennel with food and water attachments, tons of toys, a dog bed inside the travel kennel, a colapsable crate inside as well incase she hit turbulance and was sooo worried (even though the flight was less than an hour) dont worry, i bet he will sleep the whole way!
We drove 14 hours home with our pup and didn't have too many problems. 4-6 hours should be fine as our biggest problem was coordinating potty trips with gas fill ups and meals-we could never get them together so we were stopping every hour:-) However, if you have room in the car I would recommend a plastic travel crate like a vari. It is comforting to the puppy and helps mitigate any risk of potty accidents getting on your car seat. We also put in a toy and treat from his breeder that had his mommy's scent on it to make him feel more comfortable.

Regarding the air conditioning...have your mom direct all the vents up or out away from her so the air flows to the back of the car. I get cold as well but know the backseat with the kennel isn't so I just shoot all the air back there and it works.

Good luck and enjoy...ps don't expect to sleep much for the first few weeks.
I'm not sleeping much as it is. I'm a night owl anyway.
All you need to bring is a crate, toy, and a container of water (not a gallon). You dont need to bring fans.. You can cool him off by opening a window or point AC at him (Like Monty's mom said). And corgi's coats insulate the hot air in the winter and cool air in summer so there is nothing to worry about. Your just trying to be a good mommy.

RSS

Rescue Store

Stay Connected

 

FDA Recall

Canadian Food Inspection Agency Recall

We support...

Badge

Loading…

© 2024   Created by Sam Tsang.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report a boo boo  |  Terms of Service