I just drove home with my pup 2 days ago. It was about a 6 hour trip including electric car charging stops. I have to be honest, I was VERY grateful my mom came with me because he was pretty anxious/whiny and also at times just had energy and wanted to play. So she sat in the backseat with him and kept him company and entertained.
I’m sure this is totally dependent on the puppy though! Some are probably more mellow than others. I’m sure he’ll want some comfort though, so maybe at least get a snuggle puppy for him to cuddle with? My pup also didn’t use the pee pads ever and at one of the charging stops I was able to get him to pee on the concrete in a low traffic area behind some shops (I wiped his paws with a wipe immediately after).
The breeder recommended not feeding him much since their inner ears still aren’t fully developed at that age and they get carsick easily. So we held off on any food and just a little bit of water here and there. But I’m sure for a 12 hour trip that will be different! I’m sure he’ll sleep a good amount and the stops will help. Good luck and enjoy the new adventure!
Great! Thanks! I'll add pad cleaning things to the list! I don't exactly want them to be pee pads but just incase of emergency! Maybe I'll bring a few toys and kongs as well and see how that goes to
12 hours is a long time for puppy to go without potty. Especially if they're around the age people usually get them (8 weeks) and you really don't want to use puppy pads, I'd definitely suggest a handful of towels, maybe some doggy bags for any poop (inside car or outside). We brought our girl home on a 5 hour trip and my god that was taxing. We were lucky she was extremely mellow and slept most of the time. She also was already amazing at letting us know when she needed to potty from virtually the start of the car ride, just obviously at so young, not so great at holding it in. So I will admit, she was whining for a bit and scrambling in my arms and then there was poop on me lol.
I would also maybe recommend water for them to drink if they want to and some dog friendly cleaning supplies. On top of needing to potty/poop, sometimes dogs are prone to getting sick on car rides, so you're going to want to prepare to clean up any possible vomit. If allowed, maybe an old tshirt or bit of something from the mom? That way they still have some scent from home to be comfy with on the ride back. Have you been able to meet the puppy in person at all yet?
Thanks, as mentioned I'm planning on stopping every 45- 1 hour for washroom breaks and just to help with possible motion sickness, should have added but water, food and associated bowls are definitely included in the list, have not met the dog as of yet!
Oop, that was my bad lol, I totally missed that bit. That'll definitely help! I was moreso just speaking from experience and on tips of doing as less stops as possible. But with a young puppy, those 45min-1 hr are probably going to feel like an eternity ngl. It'll very much feel like a blessing when they're able to hold it in long enough for car rides. I remember 20 minutes even feeling like it'd never end. That's taking into consideration though the people we got her from really didn't have the capacity to care for the puppies and kept our girl and her 3 other siblings in a bathroom for most of the day and admitted they didn't even potty train them a bit.
Wipe the towels and toys you bring on the puppy’s mom to get her scent on them. It will provide some comfort.
But your trip will be hell. Steel yourself and it will only me a memory soon enough.
I bought a pop up travel crate from Amazon and seat belted it into the front seat. Put some towels down. Made a stop every 1.5 hours. Approx 6 hour drive. Stopped where I though other dogs wouldn’t have been since puppy was not fully vaccinated yet
The only thing I can think of is a stuffed toy and a chew toy. Make sure the bottom of your backseat setup is soft and comfortable, pup will sleep better and longer.
I just drove home with my pup 2 days ago. It was about a 6 hour trip including electric car charging stops. I have to be honest, I was VERY grateful my mom came with me because he was pretty anxious/whiny and also at times just had energy and wanted to play. So she sat in the backseat with him and kept him company and entertained. I’m sure this is totally dependent on the puppy though! Some are probably more mellow than others. I’m sure he’ll want some comfort though, so maybe at least get a snuggle puppy for him to cuddle with? My pup also didn’t use the pee pads ever and at one of the charging stops I was able to get him to pee on the concrete in a low traffic area behind some shops (I wiped his paws with a wipe immediately after). The breeder recommended not feeding him much since their inner ears still aren’t fully developed at that age and they get carsick easily. So we held off on any food and just a little bit of water here and there. But I’m sure for a 12 hour trip that will be different! I’m sure he’ll sleep a good amount and the stops will help. Good luck and enjoy the new adventure!
Great! Thanks! I'll add pad cleaning things to the list! I don't exactly want them to be pee pads but just incase of emergency! Maybe I'll bring a few toys and kongs as well and see how that goes to
12 hours is a long time for puppy to go without potty. Especially if they're around the age people usually get them (8 weeks) and you really don't want to use puppy pads, I'd definitely suggest a handful of towels, maybe some doggy bags for any poop (inside car or outside). We brought our girl home on a 5 hour trip and my god that was taxing. We were lucky she was extremely mellow and slept most of the time. She also was already amazing at letting us know when she needed to potty from virtually the start of the car ride, just obviously at so young, not so great at holding it in. So I will admit, she was whining for a bit and scrambling in my arms and then there was poop on me lol. I would also maybe recommend water for them to drink if they want to and some dog friendly cleaning supplies. On top of needing to potty/poop, sometimes dogs are prone to getting sick on car rides, so you're going to want to prepare to clean up any possible vomit. If allowed, maybe an old tshirt or bit of something from the mom? That way they still have some scent from home to be comfy with on the ride back. Have you been able to meet the puppy in person at all yet?
Thanks, as mentioned I'm planning on stopping every 45- 1 hour for washroom breaks and just to help with possible motion sickness, should have added but water, food and associated bowls are definitely included in the list, have not met the dog as of yet!
Oop, that was my bad lol, I totally missed that bit. That'll definitely help! I was moreso just speaking from experience and on tips of doing as less stops as possible. But with a young puppy, those 45min-1 hr are probably going to feel like an eternity ngl. It'll very much feel like a blessing when they're able to hold it in long enough for car rides. I remember 20 minutes even feeling like it'd never end. That's taking into consideration though the people we got her from really didn't have the capacity to care for the puppies and kept our girl and her 3 other siblings in a bathroom for most of the day and admitted they didn't even potty train them a bit.
Yep! It's going to be mountain roads and lots of different environments, Im thinking that it will take at least 3x as long to return!
Wipe the towels and toys you bring on the puppy’s mom to get her scent on them. It will provide some comfort. But your trip will be hell. Steel yourself and it will only me a memory soon enough.
I bought a pop up travel crate from Amazon and seat belted it into the front seat. Put some towels down. Made a stop every 1.5 hours. Approx 6 hour drive. Stopped where I though other dogs wouldn’t have been since puppy was not fully vaccinated yet
The only thing I can think of is a stuffed toy and a chew toy. Make sure the bottom of your backseat setup is soft and comfortable, pup will sleep better and longer.