Car Travel With Young Puppy?

[Hannahmania]

We are possibly going to visit my MIL sometime in the next couple of days. We can arrange for my mother to take Charli (9.5 week Maltese X) but I would like to take her with us if possible. It is a 2 hour trip, and we would be doing the trip there and back in the same day, so 4 hours all up.

She has been on a few short trips (like literally 2 mins tops) to my daughters kinder, and has coped fine, but I am concerned about motion sickness issues on a longer trip.

Is 9.5 weeks too young for a puppy to go on a longer trip? If so, how do you build up to a long trip like this?

Thanks!

[GoldenGirl85]

Lots of people take longer trips than that just to pick up their new puppy...take his favourite toy and he will be right

I recently did a 1500km trip with my 4 month old who just slept the whole way

[ophnbark]

When we have picked up pups from the airport they have a two hour trip home after their plane flight and they are usually only eight weeks old.

[Hannahmania]

Thanks! Are there any things that you need to do to prepare (eg. not eating/drinking for x time before hand, or similar?)

[Gayle.]

We had a 2 1/2 hour drive home from the airport when Dusty arrived. She was 8 weeks old and had flown from Adelaide to Melbourne.

We just stopped on the way in case she needed a wee, and had a small bottle of water and a bowl with us in case she was thirsty.

I didn't feed her until after we'd got home as I wasn't sure if she'd be sick in the car and I preferred to leave her meal until the time she would normally have it anyway.

Somewhere safe and secure for puppy to travel.....either in a crate secured to your car, or a harness attached to a seat belt. She needs room to turn and lie down, she doesn't need room to climb and crawl over anyone else.

[GoldenGirl85]

Before my trip I didnt feed my girl her previous meal (would have been breakfast) only because I wasnt sure how she would go on such a long trip, next time I do the trip I wont be with holding food, or ill at least give her half her normal meal

[WreckitWhippet]

Buy a crate and travel your puppy in there. They have their own space, you can keep them below window height and they are much less excited/stressed, when travelling in one.

[Hannahmania]

Thanks!

We will probably have her traveling at my feet for this trip (me being passenger, not driver!), as both my kids are in car seats, and my youngest is not really used to her yet (he has been in a hip cast until today, and so has not really been able to interact with her save for when she is jumping at him and licking his face when he is stuck unable to move on the ground) so I think it would be more stressful for all involved if Charli was stuck in the back with the kids this trip). Generally she has been traveling in a harness attached to a seat belt for the little trips we have done, though, and will do the same for future trips.

ETA - we don't have space in either car for a crate.

Edited May 15, 2010 by Hannahmania

[GoldenGirl85]

My dogs dont travel in a crate, Im thinking about getting a little cat sized one to see if it will help my JRT with her car phobia but generally they just have the back seat

I used to have them clipped into the seat belts like you do with your pup, but I found it was too easy for them to release themselves by accidentally stepping on the release, now Ive made straps that go from the anchor point to the harness...no more free dogs, but then I suppose if you have two kids in car seats then you probably dont have a free anchor point lol

[Hannahmania]

Quick update before I go to bed... lol.

Of all the animals in the car, Charli was by far the best behaved! She slept the whole trip there and back at my feet.

The kids, on the other hand, were horrid. Mostly the 2.5 year old who skipped his nap, then flat refused to sleep on the trip home!

Meanwhile, I am really glad it was a fairly nice day today, as my mother in law made it clear that Charli was not welcome in the house (despite the fact that my brother in laws golden retriever is regularly inside?!) so she was allowed either in the back yard or the laundry. When she gets a bit older, that will be fine, but I would not have arranged the trip had I known that Charli was going to be shut off from us for most of the time we were there. DH thinks it is because she is not happy that BILs dog is in the house so she was making it clear from the start... but I mean, come on, she is a baby! Had it been wet/colder I would have been very unimpressed.

[Stera]

Sounds like some exciting times ahead!

When we picked up our little pup we stopped after approx. 30 mins at an oval for a 'puddles' stop...

Nothing happened, but it was a good spot for us to stretch and pup to run around for 15 minutes.

Slept for the next 2 hours on the drive home!

Take a blanket and a toy (maybe dish for water - but that will encourage puddles) and you should be ok!

Good luck!