DRIVING TO YOUR PUPPY
pick-up
Our puppies frequently travel home with their new families on long drives. We often hear back from our families on how well their puppy did on their trip home. Often your little puppy will be so excited to meet you that they tire themselves out and nap most of the way home!
We want to help ensure that your trip to pick up your puppy becomes the great experience we have planned it to be for you! Before arranging your trip there are several things you may need to consider.
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1
choose a carrier
Some families traveling by car prefer to wrap their puppies in a towel, carrying their puppy in their laps all the way home while others feel more comfortable using a small travel carrier in the car. Generally the pups end up sleeping most of the way home. (We wake them up early that morning and get them running around, they see you and are all excited. After all the excitement of meeting you, they are usually pretty tired!)
To figure out the right carrier size for your puppy, here is a little formula that should be helpful: take your puppy’s projected full-grown weight from the puppy announcement and divide that number by 4. That is an approximate weight of your puppy at 8 weeks of age.
For example, if your puppy’s projected weight is 8-20 pounds fully grown, take 14 (the mean value/the central number between 8 and 20) and divide it by 4 = 3.5 pounds. You can approximate that your puppy is in the 3-4 pounds weight range.
2
items for the road
If you are traveling a long distance, it's a good idea to have a small bowl and a water bottle along to give your puppy the opportunity to get a drink when you stop for potty breaks.
You can never go wrong with having a few paper towels handy, and a little toy in the carrier might also be a nice touch for those playful puppy moments!
Check out our New Puppy Checklist where we've selected our favorite puppy items from the must haves, to the just because's.
public places precautions
It is very easy for your puppy to contract a parasite on your way home. Puppies can get parasites simply from standing water, bird, animal, or insect feces, etc.
Please use great caution as you maneuver through public places during your travel. Avoid grassy areas or dirty pavements. Also, be very wary of places that unvaccinated dogs may have been.
An easy solution could be to have a puppy pad with you. If your puppy needs a potty break, pop one in the back of your car, or lay it on a clean area of pavement and the puppy can safely relieve himself/herself on the puppy pad, keeping your furry family member safe and sound!
3
4
car sickness, ruh-roh!
Yes, puppies can get car sick! To help with this issue, we actually put them on a special feeding plan starting the day before pick-up as it will help to stabilize blood sugar levels that otherwise can lead to nausea for your puppy. Please do not give your puppy food while traveling – that will make them quite nauseous! However, if you have an exceptionally long drive, (i.e. over 8 hours) a little food would be appropriate. Nausea is better than low blood sugars due to lack of food.
Some other little tips are: ensure that the vehicle stays cool with good ventilation (not too stuffy or warm), also, when it allows, have their crate facing forwards as that can help with the motion sickness. Or if they're sitting on your lap, have your puppy facing forward, if possible.
Sometimes plans change
If you choose to pick up your puppy and will need to make airline and/or hotel arrangements, please be sure to also purchase travel insurance.
Your puppy's pick up date is subject to your pup passing their final vet check. Although it's extremely rare, sometimes your Puppy Pick-Up Day may need to be adjusted to the vet's recommendations. We will notify you ASAP if your Puppy Pick-Up Day changes so you can update your flight/hotel arrangements.
We're not able to reimburse you for those costs, so we strongly recommend you purchase travel insurance for your protection.
