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The doghouse

If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

Original poster

Long journey home after collecting pup

24 replies

KenAdams · 10/04/2021 14:27

Hi all - we have a 2.5 hour car ride home after collecting our puppy. The plan is to have a good play and tire her out before we put her in the car. My main concern is if she wakes during the journey though. She'll need to go to the toilet outside but won't have had her second jabs yet. Any ideas on how we can do this safely please?

I'll take some toys with her to play with in the car but we obviously can't stop to let her have a break outside for the jab reason.

I'm totally overthinking this aren't I?!

OP posts:
PollyRoulson · 10/04/2021 14:46

Yep you are overthinking this. I would not take toys to play in the car it is unlikely she will be up for this.

Is she 8 weeks old?

Take some towels, newspaper etc and be prepared to mop up any accidents including being car sick. If you are able I would not stop and do the journey in one go if that is safe for you to do.

Have someone with the puppy. I usually collect in a crate that can be attached to a seat belt and someone sits next to the crate so can touch and calm the puppy.

Enjoy your new puppy Smile

RedLimoncello · 10/04/2021 15:15

This is a timely thread thanks OP!
I’m in the same boat- 3.5 hour journey to collect our puppy next week. 9 weeks old.

Do you just let them pee on the towels/puppy pads for the journey and plan on just getting home ASAP then?

sunflowersandbuttercups · 10/04/2021 16:10

I wouldn't take any toys or make an attempt to tire her out - you risk over hyping her.

Make sure she's secured properly in the car (this is the law - we used a puppy harness/carrier in the back seat) and have someone sitting with her to comfort her and to deal with accidents - ideally an adult and not a small child in case the puppy vomits or pees on them!

PollyRoulson · 10/04/2021 16:27

I have loads of paper and towels and bin bags. So if the puppy does soil anything I can remove it, bag it and the puppy is dry and comfy until the next time.

You may be lucky and they may sleep. A lot of this depends on what the breeder has done and how the puppy has been socialised to the car. A good breeder will have taken the litter out together and made trips with the individual puppies. However unlikely that the puppies will have done a long trip.

PugInTheHouse · 10/04/2021 16:50

We had a similar journey, didn't do anything specifically beforehand but he slept most of the way home. He had been playing with the other pups before he left so was probably ready for a sleep. We put pee pads in the car seat then a blanket and cuddly toys in there for him. He was fine but had wee'd by the time we got home. Its no big deal though, I had expected that. I felt it was safer not to get him out at a service station or anything.

FudgeFlake · 10/04/2021 16:59

You're legally obliged to have him secured in the vehicle. A crate on one back seat, lined with vetbed in case of accidents and with a sensible older child or another adult on the other seat to reassure him and keep an eye on him will work. Or a dog seatbelt attachment on his harness and the sensible older child or other adult with something waterproof and something washable and snuggly on their lap cuddling.

Indoctro · 10/04/2021 20:58

I picked my puppy up alone it's a 4 hour drive , I put him in cage in boot and didn't stop till I got home. I never heard a peep from him. He had been sick and had a pee in cage but apart from that he was fine

Just drive home and don't stop

Original poster
KenAdams · 11/04/2021 01:01

Thanks I'm just looking into the best car seat to get actually. I notice someone started a thread about them so I'll go and have a look at that. DD will be in the back of the car with her. I didn't consider not stopping. I knew I was overthinking, I just wanted to make sure I get everything right!

OP posts:
Floralnomad · 11/04/2021 01:05

How old is your daughter as it may be better to have the dog sit with an adult just in case of vomiting etc .

BiteyShark · 11/04/2021 06:12

I sat next to mine in a soft crate. Fully prepared for accidents and vomiting but he just curled up and didn't move for the entire journey. As soon as we got home though he vomited Sad

Frenchfancy · 11/04/2021 06:15

Pee and poo weren't a problem but she did vomit about 6times. I did stop to clean out the crate but didn't get her out. She didn't wee or poo.

NoSquirrels · 11/04/2021 06:17

It’s less stressful for the puppy if you just get him home as quick as possible, no stops. Expect some pee - your life will be full of it for a bit so might as well get used to it! Puppy pads, vet bed fleece, bags for vomit but fingers crossed he will just sleep most of the way.

Wolfiefan · 11/04/2021 06:25

Car seat? I would use a crate. I wouldn’t put pup next to a child though. If it starts throwing up or poos they wouldn’t like that very much. No toys. Just get straight home. Towels or vet fleece are your friends here! Good luck.

HollyBollyBooBoo · 11/04/2021 06:45

Ours just slept the whole way home. Think it was the best sleep of his little life having come from an extremely busy home full of puppies!

Original poster
KenAdams · 11/04/2021 08:41

I have a crate that's more like a carrier but its huge so I could just use that actually.

DD is 9 but she's quite responsible and can keep an eye to let us know if we need to stop. I don't like having her in the front for long motorway journeys either.

OP posts:
sunflowersandbuttercups · 11/04/2021 08:56

Would your 9yo be happy if the dog vomited, pooed or weed on her though?

HavfrueDenizKisi · 11/04/2021 09:10

We did this when collecting our puppy - 2 hour drive.

Had puppy in travel crate in the boot with DD12 sat next to her (7seater car).

We stopped half way and put a puppy pad on the ground and she did a wee straight away on that. Luckily no poo or vomit but I was prepared for that. She slept mostly.

FirewomanSam · 11/04/2021 09:18

I had a journey of just over 2 hours when we collected our puppy and I was really worried about the same thing but I (like you) was totally overthinking it. A dog trainer advised me that most puppies feel really overwhelmed by the car ride and they tend to kind of ‘shut down’ and just go to sleep, and that was pretty much exactly what happened with ours.

I had put some puppy pads in his carrier just in case, but he hated being in the carrier and ended up fast asleep on my lap the whole way (I know this isn’t legally what you’re supposed to do as dogs are meant to be secured, but it was what had to happen in the end!) and there were no toilet accidents at all.

Prepare for some vomiting when you start moving (take an old towel and some kitchen roll and a plastic bag with you) but then I’m sure you’ll be ok! And if she pees on you, she pees on you. It’s not the end of the world and their bladders are so tiny anyway that it won’t be very much.

Definitely don’t play with her right before the car journey, you need the whole thing to be nice and calm and relaxed. You could buy some Adaptil spray for the car too which might help her stay calm.

Good luck!

Plantlover23 · 11/04/2021 09:25

I had a 1.5 hour journey home with my puppy and I was alone on the journey so no one to comfort her etc. She weed in the car crate and cried the entire way, but otherwise came out pretty unscathed. She loves the car now so no problems Smile

Indoctro · 11/04/2021 09:30

Put him in the boot and just drive home. He is best left alone and gotten home as quickly as possible.

Floralnomad · 11/04/2021 11:06

I can’t imagine any 9 yo staying that calm if a puppy starts vomiting on a motorway where you could be miles between services , it really needs an adult in the back .

XelaM · 11/04/2021 15:30

Our puppy just slept the whole car journey. My 11-year-old sat in the back with him. We put him in a doggy car seat with a blanket and he curled up and slept. But No poo/wee/vomit at all, but the breeder didn't feed him before we left. He is still very good during car journeys and usually just sleeps (touch wood).

midnightstar66 · 11/04/2021 15:54

We picked ours up last April DD was 10 and sat with her on her lap and dutifully replaced the blankets each time she puked and wasn't at all bothered. Eventually we had to stop as she'd vomited over everything we brought, thankfully I had a bin bag of clothes for the clothes bank in the boot so we improvised then carried on. She didn't end up going to the toilet. Our journey was a bit over 2 hours

HappyThursdays · 12/04/2021 20:30

Have you got her yet @KenAdams ? We're waiting for the puppy tax :)

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