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The doghouse

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Original poster

Where can we stop for toilet breaks for puppy?!

14 replies

awkwardusername · 14/05/2021 20:09

Bringing her home in a few weeks and we’re very excited!
We live about three hours from the breeder so we know we’ll need plenty of stops, but once you’re out of the rural village they live in, it’s pretty much motorways until you reach our town!
I’ve read you shouldn’t stop at service stations as puppy will only have had one round of vaccinations and therefore won’t be protected, so what do we do? Advice please!

OP posts:
idontlikealdi · 14/05/2021 20:14

I wouldn't stop, loads of puppy pads and change them in the service station if you need to. We had a 3.5 hour drive with mine many years ago and I can't remember stopping at all.

SimonJT · 14/05/2021 20:17

You can’t put the puppy on the ground outdoors, so I’m not sure why you’re planning to stop. If the puppy needs the toilet she’ll do it in her crate.

BiteyShark · 14/05/2021 20:17

Same as PP I wouldn't stop unless for a quick clean up. Can't remember exactly how long our trip was but it wasn't far off yours.

Take spare towels/bedding in case of an accident or vomiting

Mine slept all the way home and then vomited as soon as we got him in the house.

loubieloo4 · 14/05/2021 20:34

We stopped at the services and put a load of puppy pads in the boot!

GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman · 14/05/2021 20:44

Do you have friends who live vaguely en route who either have no dogs or vaccinated dogs whose garden you could use? We did this when coming home a two hr drive with a puppy.

Original poster
awkwardusername · 14/05/2021 21:08

@idontlikealdi

I wouldn't stop, loads of puppy pads and change them in the service station if you need to. We had a 3.5 hour drive with mine many years ago and I can't remember stopping at all.
I’ll definitely need a wee on the way home so we’ll have to stop at some point! I’ll nip inside while my partner waits with the puppy, thank you for the advice!

Would you (all) recommend a crate for the way home? We have one but it’s quite a big one as she will get quite bit (we have dividers for now) so didn’t know if we should crate her on the way back (don’t want to encourage her to dedicate in the crate if possible) or whether to have her wrapped in mums blanket on a knee, or in a totally different sort of dog car seat? Open to anything, just want what is going to be best for her!

OP posts:
SavannahLands · 14/05/2021 21:09

Plenty of Puppy pads and a soft blanket that smells of Puppy’s Mother if possible will help them to settle. Offer water, but not food during the journey, if it’s the first time they have travelled any distance in a car then the chances are that they will vomit, partly because they are nervous of their new surroundings, and partly because of the swaying and motion of the car.

I would recommend that you do not nurse them on your lap to travel, for their own safety as well as your own, and should they decide to vomit, they may well cover you in it, or worse still do a runny Poo as well!

Original poster
awkwardusername · 14/05/2021 21:09

@GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman

Do you have friends who live vaguely en route who either have no dogs or vaccinated dogs whose garden you could use? We did this when coming home a two hr drive with a puppy.
None, other than my partners parents who live about half an hour from us, so by that time we might as well just get her home!

Didn’t think of it though so thank you for the idea for next time (if there is one!) Smile

OP posts:
SimonJT · 14/05/2021 21:10

A crate is the best as she is safely secured and it will contain any mess.

If you use a seatbelt harness it will be much harder to prevent wee/poo going on the car seats.

She can’t travel on a lap as dogs like humans have to be secured in a vehicle.

guzzywuzzy · 15/05/2021 07:50

We had a 3 hour drive home when we picked ours up. We made one stop, for OH to use the toilet and get a coffee and I stayed in the car with her. She sat on my lap the whole way, asleep. Probably slightly shell shocked at being away from littermates. I had planned to put her in boot with puppy pads down if we were stopping for a puppy toilet break and I had several towels etc on my lap just in case, but she didn't go.

FirewomanSam · 15/05/2021 08:14

I was worried about this but then our trainer told us that puppies usually kind of ‘shut down’ on the journey and just go to sleep, and that’s exactly what happened with ours. I put puppy pads in his carrier but we were in the car for almost 3 hours and he didn’t wee at all. A bit of whimpering and vomiting when we first started moving and then he was out for the count!

Original poster
awkwardusername · 16/05/2021 21:00

Thanks everyone!

Does anyone have any recommendations for a way to give her water on the way home? I’ve seen all sorts from spill proof bowls to kind of giant rabbit water bottles!

OP posts:
FirewomanSam · 17/05/2021 07:23

Again I really don’t think you need to, but if you’re stopping for a wee (for yourself) anyway then you could bring her water bowl and a bottle of water and offer her a drink then. No need to overthink it!

(I was exactly the same as you and couldn’t stop thinking about all the logistics and then in the end we just drove home a sleeping puppy and that was that!)

Summer23 · 17/05/2021 08:39

Puppy pads on the knee and blankets. Ours slept all the way home. Had intended to put him in the boot but he was much happier on a knee getting a cuddle. No accident but take wipe just in case!

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