Hoping to get a rescue puppy, how long before a holiday?

[Italiangreyhound]

We are hoping to get a rescue puppy, (6 months to a year old). We would like to know once our pup arrives how long before we can take them away on a holiday?

We'd aim for a holiday home so own space but, of course, a new space for dog.

Be nice to know what people think, please?

This is in general as we have not get got the dog.

[AvocadosBeforeMortgages]

How long is a piece of string?

In the broadest of terms, not until the dog is "settled", but how long that will take is highly variable for each individual (and is really a continual process, especially for a rescue dog).

I'd want to wait for the following minimum things to happen

• the dog to have bonded with the family, and settled into routines etc.
• house training to be pretty solid
• dog no longer chewing anything it can get its paws on

I'd suggest testing the waters first with a day trip to a friend / relative's house, to see how the dog copes.

[Italiangreyhound]

AvocadosBeforeMortgages that is excellent advice, thank you.

"How long is a piece of string?" I nearly put that in my question because I know what I am asking is difficult!

[puptent]

My 'piece of string' - (for what it's worth!)...

We've had our rescue pup for two weeks now and are planning a holiday cottage for end August (so about 6 weeks time.) I am pretty confident that will be OK. Her training is great in the house (recall/loo etc) and we have just started letting her off-lead on walks, but I'd want to be really sure she is totally 'eyes on us' before we head to another environment. (Tbh, if we were going in 4 weeks I'd be happy.)

However I do think it depends on the circumstances/age of pup. Ours is 6 months and had a pretty solid start. We had a foster pup a while ago who had already been through two homes and he was very tricky. If he had been ours forever, a holiday would have been a loooong way off.

[CMOTDibbler]

The biggest issue regarding taking a pup to a holiday cottage is going to be toilet training. Some of my fosters (usually 4m - 1y) get toilet training straight away, some take weeks and weeks. And even then in an unfamiliar place you are going to need to have an eagle eye on them all the time.
If they are crate trained it is going to be easier as you have somewhere for them to go that they can't chew anything - and just because they don't do it at home doesn't mean they won't in other situations!
So, imo, for a fairly well adjusted pup 8 weeks could be OK (remembering they will have to come with you everywhere, won't be able to go for very long walks, and the general impact on a holiday), others might need longer depending on how secure they are

[Italiangreyhound]

puptent great advice, thank you.

CMOTDibbler Would you recommend a crate? The rescue charity said that it sometimes makes them feel safer to have a crate to go into, a friend said put a blanket on top and leave the door open etc.

We're thinking of getting a week in before dog comes, not sure yet which one we will get! It's all a waiting game!!

SO MUCH appreciate you guys taking the time to speak to me about this/

[Ihaventgottimeforthis]

I'd definitely recommend a crate - we had one from the off with our rescue pup and it really helped with settling him to sleep at night as we moved it around the house and eventually downstairs. It also means the cat can roam happily at night, and we would take it with us to use if we stayed away.
For me a limiting factor would be car journeys - DPup would not really want to go for longer than a 1/2 hr in a car, he was prone to car sickness when small. Now he's nearly a year, he can do a couple of hours easy.

[Italiangreyhound]

@Ihaventgottimeforthis "I'd definitely recommend a crate - we had one from the off with our rescue pup and it really helped with settling him to sleep at night as we moved it around the house and eventually downstairs."

Do crates come in all sizes, how do you know what size crate?

Also you say the dog went " eventually downstairs." Where did the dog sleep and for how long?

[Ihaventgottimeforthis]

You can get all sorts of crate dimensions, roughly proportionate to the size of the adult dog. They need to be able to stand and turn around easily with plenty of space.
We were given a crate for a large dog, so when DPup was tiny we just had his little bed in a corner, and the rest of the space had newspaper and his water bowl. Now he's fully grown, it's all bed. Luckily it fits under the stairs too.
Dpup was in our room in his crate for two weeks, out on the landing for a week, and then moved downstairs into the hall.
He was ridiculously good though, slept through after a week, has an iron bladder, never wakes & barks in the night.
Don't expect that behaviour though, it was definitely a fluke!

[Sunnydayshereatlast]

We have had dpuppy for 5 months. She is going into kennels with another of our ddogs next week for the first time . Feeling anxious as they aren't allowed own blankets or toys due to Covid 19.. Didn't know that when booked trip away!!

[Sitdowncupoftea]

@Italiangreyhound I would give your dog a few month to settle in. I got my rescue pup in June i wont be going away till October providing Covid situation better.

[Italiangreyhound]

Thank you, wise words, we will stick to that kind of schedule.

Thank you.

[ThinkingIsAllowed]

can I recommend joining Dog Training Advice and Support on facebook. They have lots of information from trained behaviourists and they give advice for free. I found them invaluable when I got my rescue dog

[Girliefriendlikespuppies]

We took our puppy away for a long weekend when he was 5 months. He was toilet trained and very bonded to us by then.

I think it was a good time to take him as I wanted him to be used to going to different places in the future.

[Italiangreyhound]

ThinkingIsAllowed excellent, thank you.

Girliefriendlikespuppies thank you for your advice, I am taking it all in.