Recommendations for transport tips - new puppy, long drive home

[NewMaltese]

Hi all,
I'm collecting my new puppy on Friday 😍😬😍

For various reasons, I will be collecting her by myself. The biggest issue with this is a 3hr drive home.... I'm praying she sleeps a lot of the journey but I'm more than prepared to stop as often as is needed and for as long as is needed.

• what can I do/take to make sure she's comfortable? (I currently have a heartbeat pup, am getting a toy or blanket from the breeder, a portable water bowl, puppy treats, towels, wipes)

• is a harness or crate or carrier better? I'm guessing a crate/carrier for longer journeys so she's enclosed. How does a crate stay secure in the car? Do seatbelts attach to them, or do you put them somewhere they won't move?

• If the puppy is asleep when I arrive, I'm planning on asking the owner to wake her, so that she doesn't wake in the car and have no idea where she is and be permanently traumatised 🤦🏼‍♀️ Does this sound sensible or am I overanalysing?

• If i need a pee on the way home, um......? I wouldn't leave her in the car, but can't imagine many toilet cubicles have room for a dog carrier 🤦🏼‍♀️😅🤦🏼‍♀️

Any other ideas/suggestions would be greatly appreciated, so the journey is as stressfree as possible and doesn't put us both off car travel for life 🫠

We had the same drive. It was fine. Pup whined a bit then slept, threw up, then slept and then when we got home slept for about three days after that!

I would have her in a crate if you are on your own. If you can fasten it to something on the front seat so you are nearby then that is ideal. I held mine (2.5 Kg) on my lap as I wasn't driving and we managed to do it without a break.

Her breeder had taken her in the car before several times so we had very few problems and she is a fantastic traveller now and always has been.

I have a new puppy that I haven't left yet. You can get a puppy sling so I'd use that if you need the toilet. Good luck!

I’d go with a crate (appropriately sized for her - big crates can be dangerous for little dogs or puppies as if you need to break sharply they can be thrown around in them). That way she’s fully secure. I’ve known dogs wiggle out of harnesses as well and puppies are wiley little things when they want to be. So a crate would be safest. And yes, put her in a sling for if you need to wee.

Best of luck, OP! She’s going to change your life so much 😊

When we collected ours the breeder had already had her in a crate in the car so it was nothing new, we stopped and fussed her every hour or so.

If she's going to be on her own then she definitely needs to be in a crate for safety - puppies are wriggly buggers and the last thing you want is for her to escape a harness and be loose in your car. It also means accidents etc. are contained and easier to clean up.

You'll need to buy a proper secured, metal crate for your car - don't use a mesh one as they're absolutely useless in an accident and won't offer any kind of protection. Remember if the crate isn't tied down, it just becomes a projectile in the event of an accident or even if you have to brake hard.

If you need a wee then just carry her in with you, she'll be fine. Good luck!

I did this and it was pretty awful, not least as it was hot. Think about your route - is it possible you'll get stuck on a motorway and not be able to get off when the puppy (or you) is desperate for a wee? Most service stations will let you take them in with you in a sling, but not all, so you need to plan your stops (and where the puppy will wee). Many garden centres are dog friendly so that's a good alternative. You can get a cheap sling from Amazon.

I couldn't fit a metal crate into my car so had to do a travel crate in the back seat. It was okay but he did wee and poo and the journey was pretty horrible for both of us. If I ever had to do it again I would beg someone to come with me so they could hold the puppy on their lap.

Don't worry about waking the pup, they'll wake up when you put them in the crate. And they will probably cry a lot of the way home, and it's going to break your heart, so be prepared for that too. Best of luck.

I used a cat carrier for the last puppy I brought back, you can strap them in with the seatbelt, just to add that in as a suggestion.

Also, you’d really have to try hard to move a sleeping puppy into a car without waking it up, and even then you might not manage it - so honestly I don’t think you’ll have to make a decision on that one.

Definitely something to catch/mop up vomit in.
My pup was massively sick on the way home. Though we’d been warned he wasn’t a good traveller

Depending on the time of day you are picking up you may want to ask the breeder to delay or feed a meal early, so they're not travelling immediately after eating.

We've had 3 hour journeys home with both our pups, no wee, poo or vomit for either one. Both slept with the occasional whine, but we had someone alongside a crate in the back. They've been great travellers ever since so if at all possible I'd try and find someone to travel with you to give them the best possible introduction to the car.

We had a sling I could take ours out and about in before he was vaccinated. I suggest get that in advance and put them in that if you need the loo.

You shouldn't really put a pup on your lap as law (uk) says pup or dog must be secure in a car.
Crate is the best option. Brought our pup back 5 hour trip he slept most of it.

@Sunflowers098 I agree. If a dog must travel in the front seat then it needs to be in a harness and secured with the seatbelt. The front passenger air bag should also be switched off and the seat moved back.
Enjoy your new puppy!

Thanks everyone.
So we have a metal crate for in the house - if I put her in that in the footwell behind the passenger seat, would that work?

or can I put in on the back seat and feed the seatbelt through/around it? Or would that be less safe? I'm getting stressed now. It's like the first car journey with a newborn 🥲

Looking at slings now too 😍

We drove 4 hours when we collected our Labrador pup. Put him in a crate in the boot of our estate car.

We stopped once en route at the motorway services to let him out on a lead for a wee.

He slept most of the way, cried a little but soon settled down.

I'd be inclined to put your crate on the back seat with the seatbelt through it (or both belts if you can), Put a cozy blanket in there and he'll be fine.

I had a soft crate that I secured on the front seat with the seat belt, and had a journey of 90 mins, but puppy. screamed for 10 minutes until we got onto the motorway and then slept until I was about 10 minutes from home when he started whining as we were back on bumpy. twisty roads, I took water and food in case we got stuck in traffic, and puppy pads and bin bags incase he vommed and I had to clean up, but thankfully he didn't. I picked up the soft crate cheaply from Facebook marketplace and found it really handy for the first few weeks for taking pup out in the car, I then resold on market place for the same as Ii brought for. I did thoroughly clean and disinfect it before use.

If putting in a crate, I would cover it so pup can't see passing movement through window. Will help to keep settled and not travel sick. Also make sure they can't pull the cover through and chew without you realising as you're driving. If pup is settled, keep going and don't stop.

I wouldn't put the crate in the footwell - on the back seat is best, and secured with at least two seatbelts if at all possible.

But I really would look and trying to get someone to travel with her - if she cries or is sick, it's going to be a horrible journey for both you, and could be really dangerous.

Thanks, argh some sites say footwell is safer 😄 my head is frazzled

Dogs need to be secured in the car by law - I'm not sure a crate shoved in the footwell would count.

Secured meaning if car crashes and door opens dog won’t run loose and cause an accident.
The law has nothing to do with safety of dog.

I had a similar length of drive when I picked up my pup (three years ago now!!) and it went brilliantly.

I'm sure that being lulled in the car into a sound sleep in his new Amazon Basics fabric crate helped him to settle easily on his first night at home: His night-time bed was the same crate so it was already a familiar place associated with zonking out

For the journey, I put the crate on the front seat, with a seatbelt stretched round it. He slept the whole time. I stopped once and sat in the back of the car with him so he could stumble round the big wide world of the boot.

The main worry is making sure you feel relaxed and focused enough to drive safely with the darlingsome distraction of a tiny fragile pup. I seem to remember I stopped after about 1 mile to check he was still alive.

@Dontfuckingsaycheese - I know.

But I just can't imagine a tiny puppy being very happy at being confined in a crate, alone, in the back footwell of a moving vehicle without even being able to see or touch anyone.

Honestly, loads of sites and vets say the footwell is safest, ie adjust the passenger seat until it's it's firmly wedged behind it. The dog would be secured as it's in the crate., ie not loose in the car.

@NewMaltese - but how are you going to keep an eye on the puppy if it's down in the rear footwell in a crate?

I'm not just talking about physical safety; I'm talking about your ability to see if you need to pull over because the puppy has vomited, or weed on itself, or decided to start chewing a blanket etc.

I would put the puppy in a crate in the boot, assuming you’ve a hatch back. Cover the floor of the boot with newspaper and put something soft that is easy to wash in the crate. Most puppies are car sick at first.