I am collecting my Chocolate Lab puppy in 3 weeks time. The journey home is about 2 1/2 hours and I am thinking of just wrapping her in a big cosy blanket to bring her home. Is this the right thing to do or is it better to put her in a paper box with a blanket and sit in the back with her. I have read many books but am still a little unsure. She will be my first ever puppy and I just want to try and do everything right from the word go.

All help and advice on this would be gratefully appreciated.

Also on the first night some books say leave the puppy and some say to stay with it or some even say to bring it into the bedroom in it's cage! Which is best?

I was only told to put a cool hot water bottle and a ticking clock in the puppies bed, as the warmth and ticking remind her of her mother & brothers and sisters. Not too sure about taking the puppy into the bedroom room, I did that week my 8 week old Sheepdog and she stayed there for 15 years (althought we did both enjoy it !!) If the puppy starts sleeping in your room it will be harder when you want to move it to it's own bed. Start as you mean to go on. Have fun, and I hope your puppy has a long and helathy life.

Thanks for the help. I know I will feel as awful as the puppy on the first few nights...plus I am a bit of a soft touch. I am getting really excited about getting my first puppy but a little nervous aswell as I want her to be happy.

Thanks again

Georgina

when I bring puppies home i always get someone either to come with me or to drive me, and the pup travels on my lap. They usually fall asleep!
One of my pups was collected from my last litter, with the new owner sat in the back, c/w cage for pup...but she reassured him through the bars the whole journey. its another option.

Thanks Sam I think I will probably let her sit on my lap whilst my husband drives. I know cages are a good idea but I am not too keen. Also ......silly question really what if she needs to go to the toilet? or will she be ok for that amount of time....I know the breeder won't be giving her any food on the day of travel.

I had exactly the same thoughts when I collected my pup, it was also a good few hours drive.
I spent a long time chatting with the breeder & made sure the pup had a pee before I left. I put him in a crate in the passenger footwell as i was on my own, there I could keep an eye on him and he sat there good as gold & had a little snooze. I didn't risk stopping as I thought it would be best just to get on home asap. If the pup did need to go then it would have gone in his crate & I'd deal with the mess at home.

The hot water bottle, a large soft toy & some background noise like leaving the tv on might be an idea for the first few nights. You will need to be strong though! Once he learns that the more noise he makes, the more of you he sees, he won't be encouraged to stay quiet! He may end up a night time howler and then no more sleep for you! Ever again! We always used to have a big play session to make sure the pups were really tired before bed.

But I'm sure, on his first night, you could be a little lenient...;)

Thanks for the advice... I suppose I am a little nervous about doing things right. I have read so many books over the last year and one say one thing and another says something completely different. I think the first night will be the worst and then after that I will have to try not to be so much of a soft touch.

Kindest Regards

Georgina

Hi,
We collected our puppy a few weeks ago.Fortunatly we didn't have too far to go and he sat in the back with me.The first night though I put his bed next to ours and he was fine,the next night he was a bit more used to everything so we left him in the kitchen with a radio etc.I also put the dishwasher on and eversince he always falls asleep when I put it on!!.I can't beleive it's been 3 weeks(nearly4!) already,he sleeps fine now,no whining.Good luck with your pup and I am sure with your attitude he'l be fine,
Hazel

Hello - We brought our Lab pup home just 2 1/2 weeks ago and the journey time was the same as yours will be. We made sure he toileted before we took him into the car and we sat him on a blanket which I had given to the breeder to put in with the litter prior to us collecting him, so that it would have a familiar smell. Anyway he HATED the car - crawled all over me and cried for about the first hour despite my best efforts to reassure/distract him and he simply wouldn't sit or lie in the cardboard box which I'd lovingly lined with blankets etc....Still - we all survived, and we take him out in the car regularly (but always on an empty stomach - learned that one the hard way -LOL), and he is now a lot better.

As for the first night - my breeder said that we wouldn't be doing him or us any favours if we got up to him in the night, as the more you respond to the barking/whining, the more they'll see it as a way of getting attention. So, we put him in his bed, in the kitchen after we'd taken him out to toilet and we closed the door...He cried for about 10 minutes every hour THROUGHOUT the night. It was really awful and being the mother of 2 small children it really went against the grain to just leave him. Still, the next night he cried for about 5 minutes in total and for the first week he cried just as we left him and now he doesn't cry at all!!! We put him to bed at 11 or 12pm and he wakes us at about 6.30am AND there is now no mess at all on the kitchen floor. (He's also reliable during the day and goes outside to the toilet- how clever is that after only a fortnight?!!!!).

I think from my very limited experience all you can do is make the journey home as comfortable as possible and remember - it WILL end, as will howling the house down because he's been left. If you love your dog and show it love, kindness and consistancy, hopefully, it will soon settle into its new home. Hope that helps and you have as much fun with your pup as we're having with Archie.

Thanks for the advice. This forum is brilliant. I feel better now that I can get advice when I need it. What is your puppy called? and what breed?

Georgina

Hello there.

I bet you are getting excited !

We have always brought our Lab pups home on a blanket on laps.

Moose was a right pest and wanted to look out the window and was a heavy lump and so the journey was two hours, having a break half way home where we swapped places ! My legs had gone dead by then !

MB our latest one was slightly different. She was a wee little girl and so was quite light which was lucky as I was really suffering from morning sickness at the time ! She was quite happy to snuggle on me all the way home !

Both of the girls had had breakfast only and had been for a pee before we set off as well!

Good luck, I am sure it will be fine !!

Lucy

hi congrats on your new puppy, i got my 3rd lab 2.5 weeks ago and she is a choccy girl too, so we'll have to swap notes.we brought her back wrapped in an old balnket, and i held her whilst hubby drove.
At night she was put into her crate after going out for a wee etc, with a comfy blanket and a safe chew toy.although she howled a bit the first night, we left her to it and now she sleeps through from 11pm till 7am and then goes straight out for a wee.
All this is very different from my first lab who cried so much that i took her to bed with me and she has remained very clingy and demanding ever since.I use wax earplugs to blot out the worst of the howling, theyre brill!!good luck!
ps what are you calling her?

Hi there.

We will be picking her up in about 3 weeks time (if my husband is back as he works away). We are thinking of calling her 'Morgan' which is a Celtic name although I also like the name 'Poppy' and 'pepper'. I have tossed and turned about a chocolaty name like 'Lindt' or 'Suchard' (Suchie for short). When I get her home and see what she is like I will probably change my ideas again and after she wrecks my kitchen I think a few other little nicknames may come into play ;0).

I really cannot wait now as I haven't seen her since she was 3 weeks old.

Keep in touch, we can swap nightmares and amazing first time accomplishments .... on my part and my puppy.

Georgina

Hello, I collected my boxer pup, Dylan, 3 weeks ago, and the journey home was almost a couple of hours. I took someone with me, and also a cardboard box, with plastic in the bottom, then newspaper, then a blanket. He alternated between sitting in the box and sitting on my brothers lap. The box was a lifesaver, however, when he came to throw up, cos I could see what was about to happen, and my brother put him in the box a bit quick!

As for the first night, I intended to keep in shut in the kitchen and only come down to let him out for a toilet. However, it rapidly turned into a night from hell, he sounded so upset, and was howling and crying, and I was a bit worried about upsetting the neighbours, so in the end I slept on the sofa cuddled up with Dylan. On his first full day with me, I realised that he preferred to be in the living room, so I moved his bed from the kitchen to the living room, and he snuggled up in his bed with a sigh of happiness :) He fell asleep, and as I was due to go out, I thought I would try leaving him there, with the run of the house, and when I came back, he was absolutely fine! So, now thats where he sleeps at night, with the run of the whole downstairs, and he's happy as anything.

im due to pickup my boxer pup in 3 weeks, i know its bad but he will have a bed in my room and sleep there until my other half gets in around 12pm and then take him into the kitchen around 1.30am.
trial and error. (im off to see him 12.30 tommorow).

>m<

Good luck for tomorrow Em,I know you've been worried.The wait will be worse after you've seen him,
Hazel

We had our puppy on the back seat in a large cat/pet carrier strapped in with the seat belt, with someone sitting next to it for the 3-4 hour journey. Didn't feel safe having the puppy on a lap in case the car braked suddenly - wouldn't have new born baby just on a lap :)

Daisy

Finally some words of true wisdom. I would never (anymore) have a puppy loose in the car. If you have to brake suddenly or god forbid someone smashes into you then your puppy is either dead or seriously injured. Just not worth the risk. As much as I wanted to hold my new pup for my trip home 2+ years ago, it just was NOT happening. She was in a small cat carrier. At first with the door open and hubby had his hand in, and once she was okay it was with door closed.

To me it's not worth risking pups life.

Wendy

Exactly - the weight of an adult behind the puppy would force it forwards into the windscreen :(

Daisy

Would the puppy not get upset being put into the cat carrier. We have a large one for our cats but you cannot see out of it very well it only has small air gaps you see. I am confused now as what to do for the best.

First I have to be completely honest and say I'd rather deal with an upset puppy than a dead or injured one. But then again, I also have restraints on all dogs in my car and believe dogs should be restrained/crated etc for their safety and the safety of any passengers.

However, hopefully the pups have been trained to a crate. You can hook the cat carrier into the back of the car with the seatbelt going through the handle. This works. I've done it until my pup was too big and then she was harnessed into the car. She was absolutely fine. A little bit of whining, which is why we had the door open for the first few minutes and a hand inside. They usually will fall asleep very quickly - and the closeness/darkness can actually be a comfort too the pup - not too much new information to see and take in. If you sit in the back with it you can have it sitting sideways on the seat with the door facing you so the pup can see you - you can stick your fingers through the front and reassure it, and occasionally open the door and reach in for a bit more comfort. The dog will deal with it, and you might as well start off safe and happy:)

I know tons of people have brought them home safely in their lap. I did in the past, my family still allows their dog to sit on their lap. It now terrifies me! The worst can and does happen. I'd rather it not happen to me - or at least minimize the damage if it does.

About a year ago on this board someone was travelling back from a show with all but one of their dogs crated safely. One dog was loose as she travelled better that way and she was good. There was an accident and the dog was killed. The owner posted shortly after to say she wished now she'd have crated or restrained all her dogs. I belong to several dog/whippet lists and the stories I've heard in the past three years about dogs being killed - or drivers being killed/seriously injured by a flying dog on impact - are enough to make me never let my dogs loose in the car again - not even for a quick pop down the road.

Congrats on your new pup whatever you decide.

Wendy

Good luck Em.... My Sister had a boxer last year and she stayed with it during the night downstairs in it's own part of the kitchen barriered off with a baby gate. She had bought the puppy it's own sofa aswell as a basket so they were able to have a cuddle. She did cry alot the first few nights but then settled down great. She is absolutely gorgeous all back legs and a wiggly bum. It was then that we decided to get a dog for ourselves, we had been deliberating for ages but she ('Georgie') made our minds up. We decided on a Lab in the end for reasons I cannot remember now but it has taken us since Christmas to find the right breeder etc.

I hope everything goes OK with your new puppy....... I am sure it will.

when i picked up my lad we had a 4 hour journey home, he sat with me whilst my friend drove us home. It was my first ever dog and i wanted to do it all right, i had blankets, hot water bottles (just in case he got cold in the car!), toys, food, water....you name it i had it. Did i need any of it??? NO, he slept like a baby on my lap in his blanket, legs in the air! We stopped for a bit so i could carry him around the services for a bit of fresh air, apart from that not a peep.
I know i may have just had the luck of the draw, and some pups do get stressed when travelling, but i think as long as you can make them feel secure and you are there to comfort when they look up at you with the expression of "where am i?? are you going to love me??" then you'll have one calm, good travelling pup.

I bought a box from Wilkinsons, very similar to the ones in the big pet stores, but £15 cheaper. They are Mesh front with a carry handle - much safer, and they come in all sizes. My pup LOVES hers :)