Hiya
I need a bit of advice. I'm going to collect my new pup in a couple of weeks. It's a Cocker Spaniel. Today I got my dog crate which I will use as his den. The breeder is keen that I use a crate when I go to collect him, but it seems big for a little puppy. (it's 34") What do you think is best? Should I take the crate or should I use my wicker cat basket that he can sit on my knee in, & he can see out of that. The journey is about one & a half hours.
Penny

I brought my boys home on my knee curled up on a towel - just n case and had lots of kitchen roll etc with me. One travelled half an hout, the other an hour and a half - both slept soundly although Buddy was awake for the first half hour - looking out og the window.

Many don't use crates for the first journey home - but then do for all journeys after that - as did I. However, many do also use a crate for the first journey. It is safer should you have an accident. A large crate as you described is prob going to be too big - could you borrow a smaller one and have it on the back seat with you sitting next to him? A cat basket would do - but if it's like mine, he couldn't see out and that might distress him.

Make sure you pick him up early in the morning and that he's not been fed. This will give him all day to settle in his new home, reduce the chance of him being sick and help him him to eat when he gets home as he'll get hungry:D

hth

Pam n the boys

Thanx for the speedy reply :-) Our cat basket is a wicker one with a caged door so he could see out. I'd feel much happier with that. I just worry the breeder may think us a bit odd turning up with a cat basket lol. I'd forgotten about the kitchen towel, must remember that.
We're aiming to pick him up between 8.30 & 9am, it'll be a Sunday morning so hopefully a nice quiet drive there & back.
On another note, I've just bought the Gwen Bailey book that I've read so much about on here. Its brilliant, I'd recommend it to anyone about to get a new puppy. I haven't had a dog for years so I wasnt feeling very confidant, this book covers everything though. So hopefully I should get a happy & well behaved pup. I can't wait now, busy counting the days down!
Penny

Hi,

I picked up my puppy last Saturday and spent ages trying to decide what to bring him home in. I had nobody going with me so I bought a smallish crate in the end which he goes out in the car in now. He also has a bigger one for when he is older and I keep the smaller one just inside the big one at the moment so he doesn't have access to the big one at the moment. However, I would recommend having your pup on your lap or in the cat basket. I don't think that bringing Ollie home in the crate did much to boost his confidence with it. He cried most of the way home and then kicked up a stink whenever I took him out in it in the car. He's getting a bit better with it now but I don't think that first journey helped. It's traumatic enough for them to leave their littermates. It will be nice for your pup to be close to you and be cuddled.

Then you could introduce a smaller crate to him at home where he feels more comfortable and use that for car journeys until he is old enough to either have a bigger car crate or a harness.

Hope this helps a bit.

Sarah.

Don't worry about using a cat basket. When I picked my cocker pup up last year I did the same. Willl be picking up cocker pup no. 2 in 2 weeks and I'll take my cat basket with me again. The breeder didn't comment at all about the pet carrier.

Hiya
Thanx for the help, I think you're right I think he'll have enough to worry about going in car for the first time without being in a large crate. If he's on my knee in a basket & can see out he should be happy enough. I don't want to put him off his crate, it sounds like they are so usefull if you want to pop out & not have a wrecked house when you return.
Frankie where are you getting your pup from? Its not the same breeder is it? I'm off to Lincoln to collect mine.
Penny

When i went to pick my beagle puppy up i wasn't sure how to bring her home it was a three hour journey, so i took a towel and put the cage in the back of the car. When we picked her up and were ready to go i was obviously carrying my puppy and she started to get very distressed. I immediately decided to hold her on my knee. She cried for the first hour of the journey, but then started to settle by cuddling into me. I think thats when she bonded with me and that was really important. It was so stressful for her i couldn't have put her in the cage. The breeder had fed her well before i got there, so she had been to the toilet. We only had one little accident but as long as you have a couple of towels you will be fine. My breeder also gave me a little piece of the blanket that they all slept on, so she had something familiar with her.
When we got home i had a crate up in the dining room with her new bed inside. I put her old piece of blanket in the bed. Within about 5 minutes she went in the crate into her bed. I just kept the crate door open so she could wander in and out as she pleased.
This is how my beagle reacted but when i got my labradors they were fine. They weren't stressed at all, they settled in really quickly. They didn't mind being taken away from mum. Enjoy going to pick your puppy up and do what you think is right. Good luck

we also brought ours home in a peice of vet bed which had mums smell on. lots of cuddles on way home and then left to explore crate and get used to it. also took baby wipes....kitchen roll....iced water ect.

No, i'm getting my cocker from a breeder in Cardiff (a boy this time called Wilf).