Brining Home Baby (a long distance trip)
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.
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.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Vivian on
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I feel the same way. I will be bringing my little one on Friady June 19th. His name is Harry and I can't wait to see him even though I got pics of him when he was born. I had a five hour drive but the breeder I got him from have a dog show the following day an they agreed to coming a day early (about 2 hours from me) to pick him up. Now thats is getting warmer here I got the a/c ready and some goodies for the trip back. I want to say thank you all for the good advice you have given to of us (new mom) and keep in touch or send some more advice. I will also take pics of the trip. Thank you all so much.
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Permalink Reply by Sam Tsang on
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I bet you're counting down the hours :)
I remember the first time when we picked up mocha, we had our old t-shirts with our scent and wipe the scent off his mama and siblings. Silvia was in the passenger seat, Mocha was in her lap, slept most of the way, was a little nervous, panting quite a bit. But he got better after the 3rd car ride and loves it.
I think the fan and the spritzer can be optional, I guess you could split the gallon of water among yourself :) You can use this time to flip him over on his back, practice touching and handling his feet, calling his name and praise him when he respond to you. Have poopy bags handy, prepare to pick up after him for the next decade :) Congrats! You are NOW a dog parent!!!
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Permalink Reply by FuzzyButt on
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Yup, yup that's what I was planning to do with the gallon of water! It won't be just for the puppy, there will be three humans in the car as well.
I went out and got a tote bag (that matches his collar) to hold some of the stuff. I have his poop bags, a ball, chew rope, and his portable food/water bowl. I think if I scrounge around I'll find some old t-shirts to try what you did. Thanks for the tips of things I can do with him in the car.
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Permalink Reply by Kristen on
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I had to giggle. Where I live a four hour trip is a short one! We traveled 7 hours to pick up Brodie--it was more than eight actually coming home with all the puppy stops. He slept most of the way. We also had a blanket that we mailed to the breeder ahead of time so it could be put in with mom and the other pups so there would be a familiar smell in the car. Every dog will be different, but it didn't seem to phase him too much. I wouldn't worry too much about feeding him in the car--in all the excitement it might just all come back up. The long car drive will give you some quality bonding time. I can tell you are excited and that you are going to be a great dog family! I hope you are planning to take pictures to document the event. Have fun!
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Permalink Reply by Mikko (& Danielle too) on
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Hi there! Your list looks great, I think you're very well prepared for the trip. :) I just brought my baby Mikko home (also 8 weeks old) this past weekend and was very nervous about our 4-5 hour drive - I was so worried about traumatizing him. But you know what ~ he did totally fine! He was a little scared at first and cried for maybe the first 5 minutes, but then he totally settled in and fell asleep in my lap. I just kept comforting him and used soothing tones of voice, anything to help him feel safe. I sat with him in the back seat while my husband drove, and Mikko pretty much slept the whole way home. I had the crate there with us as well, keeping the door open, and he voluntarily went in there. I think he felt more safe in the crate, and I put my hand just inside the crate door so he knew I was close by. Also, we didn't feed him until we got home because I was concerned he may get motion sickness and vomit. However, we did give him as much water as he wanted, because air conditioning can be dehydrating. Anyway, good luck with your trip ~ I'm sure everything will go great!
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Permalink Reply by Fay on
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I brought "wee-wee" pads which Lexi used when I put it on the fgloor board, she slept most of the way on the 6 hr drive.
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Permalink Reply by Lexi on
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I definitely agree with what everyone else had to say about your trip. I just picked up my puppy (first time dog owner too!) three days ago. It was a seven hour drive and turns out we packed more than we needed. Kuma slept pretty much the entire way. Initially we were going to keep him in a crate in the backseat, but he was a little scared to be away from his family so my BF and I took turns driving with the other in the front passenger seat with a sleeping corgi in arms. He did spend an hour in his crate while we ate. I'm sure you'll do GREAT! We've taken Kuma on drives about 4 times since and each time he falls right to sleep. Might be a pavlov thing??
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Wow! So many replies I did not expect. Thank you so much everyone! I hope that those of you with your new babies are doing good, and having a great time.
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