Jump to content

3+ Hour Drive With New Puppy - Stopping For Toilet Breaks


vegemite_toast
 Share

Recommended Posts

Today we get our new puppy. She is just a hair over 8 weeks old. We have just over a 3 hour drive home with her. She has had her first set of vaccinations.

I know that until puppies finish all their vaccinations, they shouldn't be out and about, but is it ok to let our new pup out of her cage for a toilet break chance every 30-60 minutes on the trip home? We would stop at petrol stations, service centres, etc for this purpose, so she would be out on pavement, not dirt and grass.

Or should I just pack the crate with papers and leave her in there for the whole trip home?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Today we get our new puppy. She is just a hair over 8 weeks old. We have just over a 3 hour drive home with her. She has had her first set of vaccinations.

I know that until puppies finish all their vaccinations, they shouldn't be out and about, but is it ok to let our new pup out of her cage for a toilet break chance every 30-60 minutes on the trip home? We would stop at petrol stations, service centres, etc for this purpose, so she would be out on pavement, not dirt and grass.

Or should I just pack the crate with papers and leave her in there for the whole trip home?

I think she is okay so long as you watch her very carefully (which I'm sure you will be as she's your new baby !) Have a collar and puppy lead with you so you can pop that on her while she goes to the toilet, and keep her away from obvious marking areas (ie poles, corners of buildings etc. etc).

It might be an idea to hang at the breeders until she you see her go, and then take off - you might get away with only one toilet stop that way.

Personally I think letting her out is a better option than having her soil her crate, in a trip that's already a somewhat strange & stressful already.

Congrats on new pup !!!! Do you have any photos, what breed is she ?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Pandii

I would stop and let her go the toilet

remember everything will be strange, she may not like her collar and lead, she my be to upset to go pee

Give her alot of praise after she goes but before she goes just let her sniff and not pay her any attention so she can concentrate

Good luck

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Leave your puppy in the crate with papers for the entire trip. ;) Plenty of time & opportunity to start proper toilet training when you get home. :wave: I wouldn't be putting a new puppy on dirty "unknown" ground before you even get a chance to get her home!

You will probably find you have a whining puppy for the first hour of the journey and then she will fall asleep.

Tip: Take some baby wipes! :laugh: If she poops in the crate, just stop the car and clean up the mess so you don't get stinked out! :rofl: (And a plastic bag to put messes in.)

Have a FANTASTIC day!! :rofl:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you can take her to a spot where there is likely to not have been many other dogs, that would be better. Reduces the risk of diseases etc.

Yea the lead and collar might not be welcomed well, but good time to start. You don't want her trying to run away.

If she doesn't go, no worries.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Leave your puppy in the crate with papers for the entire trip. :laugh: Plenty of time & opportunity to start proper toilet training when you get home. :rofl: I wouldn't be putting a new puppy on dirty "unknown" ground before you even get a chance to get her home!

Absolutely agree! The sort of places you would be stopping are where everyone travelling with dogs would stop, just too high a risk to take if you ask me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We would stop at petrol stations, service centres, etc for this purpose, so she would be out on pavement, not dirt and grass.

I wouldn't stop at these places - instead go down a side road and stop in an out-of-the-way place (not a picnic spot by a lake for example) - somewhere it is unlikely anyone else would have stopped and toileted their dog. Take a lead and collar and use them. If it's a very quiet road and you park on a straight you could even possibly get away with toileting pup in the middle of the road (be careful with that advice!)

Edited by Sandra777
Link to comment
Share on other sites

we had the same issue when we got our puppy (a 4 hour trip home), we stopped once and putting newspaper down at a truck stop (somewhere we thought other dogs would not have gone ordinarily), but he wouldnt go, he didnt go all the way home after getting back home he waited about 30minutes then finally went lol

good luck with it :laugh: and enjoy ur new puppy :rofl:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

DO NOT let your puppy out of her crate, until you get her home, you do not want her escaping. She may not be used to a lead yet.

We purchased a puppy from Sydney, taking into account the drive to the airport, check-in and flight times, including the drive home she would have been in her crate at least 6 hours. She was fine. :laugh:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

She may not be used to a lead yet.

I'd be very surprised if she was - but I have put a tiny light leash on babies in all sorts of odd situations long before they're "lead trained" and if they need to pee, they sure do pee!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Don't worry about letting her out. I had a 10 week old puppy come down from Sydney in a friend's trailer and she did the whole trip without a toilet break and didn't wee or poo in the trailer. Three hours isn't very long.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You've probably got your puppy by now, how was the trip? When we brought Tilba home she was 11w 5d's old. We had a 6 hr trip & let her out 3 times to toilet but she wouldn't. At the time she had had her 2nd vac. We were lucky in that the litter had travelled to & from Canberra when they were about 6 & 9 weeks old so she was well travelled.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hope all went well with picking up your puppy :(

We had a 3 hour drive too. Kei slept 90% of the drive, the only time he woke up was when we stopped to grab some lunch and that was just to 'sniff' :o

He didn't need to pee until we got home.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for all the advice. I didn't have time to read everyone's post before it was time for us to leave.

Maple did fairly well. We stopped once about an hour into the trip. Kids and OH went into a restaurant for a quick dinner. I stayed with Maple. She didn't want to get out of her crate, but I coaxed her to the front of it with food and was able to get her collar and lead on. It had been raining, so pavement was wet, but the spot beside our car was vacant with a big dry patch where a car had been sitting. I spread newspaper out on the dry spot and lifted Maple out onto it. She just stood and shivered and didn't do anything. So into the car for some cuddles, then back into the crate. This time she settled right away in the crate.

About 45 minutes from home I could smell "dog" in the car, and sure enough, she had peed in the crate. When we got home she took a little bit of time to come out of the crate, and was timid. We took her outside, and she pooped on the grass! :o

She seems to know naturally to be subordinate to our old dog, a 12 year old kelpie X shepherd. So far no major problems, other than Gromit wants to claim all the new toys as his, but we are supervising very carefully.

Maple is a Murray River Curly Coated Retriever. Here she is with my daughter and Gromit

PIC_0727.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...