Hi,

We are due to pick up our new Labrador puppy in a couple of weeks and I wanted to check a few things as we are all very excited and I don't want to overlook anything.
We have bought :- Crate, bedding, bowls, collar, lead, ID tag, selection of toys, brush and puppy shampoo and of course food. Can you think of anything else that i may have forgotten? Could anyone please advise on 'good' treats for puppy when training? as I would like to start this asap.
Also, what would be the best thing to put him in when we collect him? we have bought a 36" crate but feel he could be rather lost and frightened in this whilst in the car. We were hoping to use the crate in our home just whilst we are training him and then we will buy him a proper bed when he is less likely to chew. Would it be irresponsible of me to have him on my lap on a towel on the car journey home, it is just under an hour? Thanks for your help, Lauren.

Hi Lauren,

i don't know what others will say, but i had our pup on my lap in the car as I didn't want to traumatise him too much by putting him in a noisy boot (we have a pick-up truck with fibre glass roof) in his crate... we travelled about 1.5 hours with him and stopped at my mums on the way to let him have a break and he was fine. Have you thought about insurance yet? I know that the KC insurance which came with my boy was fine for the first 6 weeks (as it was free lol) It turned out to be quite expensive. Just so you are aware as time does fly when you bring those little ones home :-D

Hi, Thanks for your reply. With regards to insurance he is coming with 6 weeks free insurance and then i think we will be going with Petplan, although i am still looking into that, am finding it hard to get insuance quotes as they don't seem to quote until the pup is at least 8 weeks. I am thinking along the lines of Pet plan as from what I have read they are one of the few companies that will pay for any ongoing medical treatment for the pups life rather than just the year after diagnosis.

Just wanted to say Petplan has been very very good with my dog. However you have to have the maximum policy to get the unlimited treatments I believe.
Before he was two he had an operation to remove wire he had eaten from his intestines. They paid out very fast directly to the vet. All done that would have cost us over £500.
My dog suffers from seizures and with out Petplan we could never afford his treatments and blood tests. So far I am only guessing he has racked up well over £2000 worth of care and that is in the first year alone. They always pay the vet direct and quickly.
Any other policy might not only have a year limiting care but a cost limit as well. One I was going for had a limit of £5,000 PER illness not matter how fast it was aquired.
Nothing else usefull....just a vote for Petplan...(and no I dont work for them...  )

Hi lauren
i always think its also a good idea to travel the pup home on your lap ....i'm sure that a lot of people will not agree but it is a short journey and your quite right it will be less stressful for him and  its a good way to start the bonding process .... also wen you put him in his crate whatever you travel him home on .. ie blanket or towel .. you can then put that into his crate and it will then have his familair smell on it ...... we include a recipe for liver cake in our puppy packs ... its a good training treat and they love it ..... if you want the recipe then pm me and ill send it to you ....its very simple to make .....

Don't forget puppy training and socialisation classes..........

Personally I don't think that the short length of a journey makes it any less dangerous to have a puppy on your lap. No-one (hopefully) would carry a new born baby on their lap, even a few miles home from the hospital. Any collision - however small - could throw the puppy forward or backward out of your lap. We used a large pet carrier strapped onto the back seat, with my daughter sitting next to it to transport our puppy home :)

Daisy

It's up to you but if you decide to carry the puppy on your lap you should be under no illusion that your arms will not fly apart at the smallest of impacts and the puppy thrown forward to hit whatever it meets first.  I think the best transportation for a puppy is a small basket such as you take a cat to the vets in, secured by the seat belt, perhaps you know someone you can borrow from but any crate can be made smaller by securing a box at one end.  It's den like qualities will encourage the puppy to settle down. Someone can sit next to him and give voice encouragement if at all necessary.  It is no more normal to sit on a strangers lap for an hour and you will find puppies of this age will generally take things in their stride as, after all, every day brings something new to them :)  You will want to be getting him used to this sort of secure travelling anyway so no time like the present.

Hi Lauren

Personally I think it's fine for the first journey to be in your arms, on your lap.  That's how we brought our last one home and it was a 4 and a half hour drive too.  You might want to cover the seat with a bin liner and have a towel on your lap, just in case of pee/puke/poo.

The only thing which seems screamingly absent from your list is (as someone else mentioned) a training and socialisation class set up.

It's important to watch classes before you choose which one to take your puppy to, and there's no time to watch when you get your pup, believe me.  So in the next few weeks it's essential you go and watch.

I would recommend www.puppyschool.co.uk  for a good friendly, reward based class for puppies and then www.apdt.co.uk  for a follow-on class.  Where are you based?  We might know of a good trainer near you.

ps Don't overdo the puppy shampoo - only shampoo dogs when they really need to be shampooed (ie because they've rolled in something) - if you shampoo too much you will strip the coat of its natural oils.

If you have pup on your lap, in the event of an accident the pup will fly out of your arms and be hurt or killed. Do not be deceived into thinking that you will be able to hold on to the pup...it just doesnt happen. That is precisely why it is illegal to have a baby on you lap. The length of journey is irrelevant....accidents are just as likely on short or long journeys. Secure the pup in a small crate on the back seat with the seatbelt round it. If your crate is too small maybe you could borrow a smaller one.
I put my afghan pup in a small crate in the back seat, and she was much bigger than a lab pup. There was still room for a passenger next to her. You pup will almost certainly experience some distress on each car journey for a while, and will have to learn to be crated. You may as well start as you mean to go on.
I would ALWAYS put safety first...better a crying pup than a dead one