Would like some advice re: travelling with puppies in cars. What's the best way of 'securing' them? For bringing our puppy home from the breeder, I'm planning on sitting alongside him on the backseat with him in a cardboard box with a blanket. But in a few days (once he's had some time to settle in with us), I want to start getting him used to travelling by car - only short journeys initially, such as the school run (15 mile round trip). At lot of the time it will just be me and him in the car (husband at work, daughter at school), and I want to make sure he stays safe and doesn't get frightened or end up round my feet near the pedals! He's an 8week old standard poodle pup by the way. Any advice welcome, thanks. :)

I would suggest investing in a crate that is small enough to fit in the car but big enough for the dog when adult. 
http://www.ukdogcrate.co.uk/

They even do some folding shaped ones that are easier to fit in the car than the standard rectangular one, but still fold up the same, so can be used in the house too.
http://www.canineconcepts.co.uk/item--Universal-Car-Crates--carcrate

I have always held them on my lap for the journey home, just to reassure them as it must be very scarey for puppy leaving the litter and going in the car.

Over the next few days I get them used to a crate in the car, if the crate is too big at that age, put some comfy bedding in it so they don't get thrown around.

Little tip......take a roll of kitchen towel and wet wipes with you when you collect puppy, some are a bit car sick on their first journey, I usually put a towel on my lap just incase too.

A crate within the body of the car strapped in with the seat belt is probably the very safest option of course for most of us this is not practical in which case probably the next safest option is a crate in the hatch area.  When he has grown you could also opt for a harness attached to the seat belt, also a very safe option, but not practical when they are small (and wriggly ;))

We'll pay the journey home by ear - either on my lap or in a little box next to me, whichever he seems happiest with. Thanks for the tip about the kitchen towel, wet wipes and towel - I'll remember those.

There could be a problem with having our crate in the car as I drive a Volkswagen camper, so no bootspace as such. I was planning on getting one of those harnesses that attach to the seatbelt for when he's grown, its just how to transport him when he's small that I'm having trouble with. I suppose it might be possible for my husband and I to swop cars for a few months as he has a Toyota Rav4 which would be able to take our crate. Thing is, my husband absolutely hates driving my camper (he's no good at it either, but don't tell him that!). Will have to give the whole situation some more thought... Any more suggestions?

Could you not use a crate on the floor space of the camper, lots of show people do this, you can collapse the cage when you reach your destination.  I suppose it would be ideal if you could secure it to something fixed with a strong bungee.  If, God forbid, you do have an accident with the pup on your lap it would be impossible for you to hold onto it and it would definately fly forward and very likely be injured. I must admit I would not let any of my puppies leave my house like that.  At least in a box you could secure the seat belt round the box.
PS Please don't be tempted to sit it on your lap inside your seatbelt the weight of your body thrown forward into the belt in the event of a shunt would kill it for sure.

Has anyone you know got one of the larger pet/cat carriers ? We brought our pup home in one of those, strapped onto a back seat with my daughter sitting next to it :) They won't last a pup long (a few weeks, depending on the size of the pup) - but it will give you a chance to sort something else out.

Daisy

Before we got Pippin I got a crate for the car and he travelled well in it with just a little bit of crying.We put vet bed in it and a soft toy the same size as him and he has been in the car for  little 10-15 min trips the last few days and has stopped the crying now!! He just sleeps or sits on his bed, am so glad he is adapting to it :)
Carol

When we collected Lennon he sat in the back with OH and our other dog for the journey home.  Since then I have purchased and used to death a car harness which is a Godsend.  As it turns out, he is very calm in the car and never moves.......better to be safe than sorry though! :D

We found the best way was to get a high sided card board box, which we put on the back seat them my mam sat back there with him and I drove! I put a piece of plastic in the bottom along with a towel and a piece of fleece..in case of accidents. And, ashas been said, poo/sick bags, baby wipes and kitchen roll should be kept nearby ;)

We were quite lucky with Idõ when we brought him home as he was only a bit sick and then slept for the remaining 3 hours of the journey! The high sides of the box are reminiscent of the whelping box and therefore helps the pup to settle.
With our previous pups they travelled on a knee but the trouble with this is that pups are quite wriggley and on a long journey they can become very restless, as well as it being quite dangerous in the event of an accident :(

We carried on using the box until he was a little bit bigger and then he travelled on the front seat with a car harness on, and now he's in the 'boot', in his crate if it's just us and with the other 2 otherwise :) He still drools a bit but apart from that he travels well, especially in the crate, he usually is alseep on most of our journeys :D He comes most places in the car with me, I think this is important to get them used to travelling, its essential esp. as we show him and his breeder lives 3.5 hours from us, and family visits are very important to us all!

Good luck with your puppy
Emily :)

hi.... i fetched kai home on my knee but got him a seatbelt harness a few days later. although he is a large breed dog i found that the large harness i got adjusted down to a size small enough to comfortably fit him when he was 9 wks old.. he's now 5 mths and theres plenty of room for further adjustments as he grows :-)

i use a car harness on the back seat for my husky.you can buy these from most pet stores,i find mine very useful as i have a hatchback,no room for a crate!!!

while my pup was still tiny we cut down a big cardboard box to fit into the footwell of the passenger seat so its tightly secure, and placed the pup in there with a cushion.  I dont know how safe it is, but probably as safe as a crate! 
When she got bigger we used a dog car harness... a godsend :)

Get a proper doggy car! An estate with a Bargo (or similar) cage in it. My pups travel in the double cage from day one and it is the safest place for them to be, plus very secure. My middle boy won't get in anywhere else! ;-)

I think it would be very foolish to bring pup home in a box on your lap...if you have an accident NO WAY will you hold on to it, what ever you think. Would you hold a baby on your lap in a car without strapping it in? ( or maybe you might, I dont know..)  In any case,  I would get a crate and either secure it in the hatch, or secure it with the seatbelt. i do not breed , but if I did I would not allow anyone to take a pup of mine with it in a box on their lap. (Sorry if I sound a bit harsh on this, but I have seen and treated SO many badly injured kids who were not strapped in by a seatbelt, because their silly parents thought they would be able to catch them   :(  )

My JR Pup travelled home in a cardboard box beside my teenage daughter.   But after a few days because we wanted him used to the car from an early age we bought him a proper car harness, and he wears that either on the front seat beside me if its only he and I in the car. Or he goes in the back seat if I have a passenger.  He is 4 months old now and has always been happy travelling this way.