Going to fetch new pup in July. The breeder is 250 miles away. Will be bringing pup home in afternoon so wont arrive home until 8pm to 10pm at night.  Any tips for pups lengthy journey please?  We will be travelling for about 6 - 7 hours, so what about food? Should I not feed him during the journey and what about toilet breaks, is it worth me trying to put him on grass somewhere to pee??

Feel awful about getting home late, but that is the only option. Should I just spend an hour or 2 with him when we get home and try my best to settle him in that time before going to bed??

thanks chaps.

Feel awful about getting home late, but that is the only option.

Don't feel bad - collecting your new pup is a time to enjoy :)

Pup won't have completed his course of puppy injections and will be susceptible to picking something up in areas frequented by other dogs.  You would need to stop somewhere 'rural' and let him out onto the grass but of course ensure its away from traffic and have pup secure on a lead.  A 6/7 hour car journey should be done in at least two parts for the driver anyway so yes it would be an idea to let pup out and you could stretch your legs at the same time :)

The only other alternative is for you travel with pup in a crate with a puppy mat at one end and a 'bed' at the other.  This way if pup needs to 'toilet' when in the car (which is likely) he will not soil/wet his 'bed'.  If you are crating pup at home this is also a good idea to have as a set up for the first few weeks just in case of 'accidents' :)

I wouldn't recommend feeding pup in the car.  Pup shouldn't have eaten for a couple of hours before the journey but I would recommend you give him a meal about 20 minutes after you've got home and he's had a chance to explore his surroundings a bit.

Personally I would spend time with pup when you get back home as it will be a very strange environment for him.  If pup gets tired soon after your return home and goes to sleep then you can always carry pup to his bed and go to bed yourself.

Hope this helps and enjoy your new puppy :)

We had a 300 mile trip to get our girl so I sympathise, I was very lucky in that she slept for most of the journey, I popped her in a travel crate with a fleece with underlying newspaper, and her toy from the breeders home. She slept half the way and then when we stopped, I let her out in the car (wouldn' take the risk on outside grass, never know if they can pick something up) and she played with my boys had some chicken and a drink and had a wander around the car, she toileted on the fleece in the crate and I just popped it in a carrier bag and changed it for another fleece she cried a little when back in the crate when we started up again, but she soon fell back to sleep.

We got home at approx 5pm so a few hours earlier than you. But yes if you can, stay up for a few hours with him, let him explore (he won't be sleepy after all that travel sleep unelss he is not a good traveller.) and get used to the scents and sights of his new home, it will be harder being so late.  Plus side though, it will also be dark so he will be used to sleeping at this time and may settle into a long sleep, after his initial explore and loads of cuddles, but will be less aware of his surrounding when waking up.

It can go either way, whatever you do, some pups settle very quickly, others take some time.

*Just watch the road, not the pup! :-) whilst travelling* 

How exciting for you, bet you can't wait!

250 miles a short hop for the right pup!!!!  personally i wouldnt stop for a pee, just keep going......no food for hour or so beforehand & none on journey....may seem tough but better than having sick everywhere. Be prepared to stay up most of the night entertaining a new puppy though!

Yep I agree with Sam.  Once they've settled then it's much better to just keep going.  I've never had a young puppy pee in the car on a long journey.  And I bet you don't have any problem with travel sickness in the future! :D

Could you travel up the night before and stay in a B&B and have a nice fresh drive back for the driver & family in the morning, thus arriving back in plenty of daylight?

Already booked to go down the day before as at Paignton show. Am showing the day of collecting puppy, so cannot collect him until my friends bitch has been in her class. My friends and I had booked trip a while ago before I bought the puppy, so cannot change trip as they are also coming with me.

Have  always picked up our pups early before this one. This one is going to be more tricky, but I will try to stay up as long as possible until putting pup to bed and putting ear plugs in Ha" Ha!!!

What age do you have your pups vaccination started??  My vet will do 8 and 10 weeks, I know some will not do until 10 and 12 weeks.

We went a couple of hundred miles to collect our pup last week.  However, we was 11 weeks and due to go out the next day so we did let him out, just right beside the car and no where else but he didn't want to pee.  I think it is all too strange for a puppy out in the big wide world so I wouldn't bother about a break for him.  A good idea about setting up the crate for him too.  But overall I wouldn't worry about a long journey - we have always had a distance to travel with a pup - never had one sick or one that found the journey too much.  Good luck.

Louise

I am  hoping to pick a puppy up soon , as long as it develops well .
I live in Mallorca and my puppy is in Sweden . I think that young pups sleep if left in peace ,I will buy a soft pup carrier and stay away from too much stimulation from people who have to touch and say "ahh" .I think its best to stay away from service stations etc as everyone will want to stroke the pup and there are lots of germs around .
I have never taken a pup on a plane though , I hope the landing and taking off will not affect its ears ?
Good luck with your journey , I am watching this post also for extra advise , I also arrive home very late after being up more than 24hrs .

You need to be careful about taking germs back to the breeder from a show and also the pup.  My breeder did just that once, took a couple of people back to look at pups after Birmingham Show some years back and lost all but two of the litter through parvo. She will not let anyone near the house when she has very young pups and certainly not anyone that has been to a show on the same day. I went over there to collect something the other week and had to wait outside since her pups were a few weeks old.

Two of my pups flew to their new homes last year using soft carriers in the cabin of the plane.  One was a two hour trip to Spain, and the other to USA which was 8 hours.

Both pups were clean through the plane journey and were able to pee before and after the flight.

To be hones the chances of exposure to some germs at the airport where another sick dog just might have walked is pretty remote.

Both pups were as good as gold and were 8 and 9 weeks respectively, only just small enough to be able to go in the carriers in the cabin..

Thanks for that Barbara,
Its always reasuring to speak to someone with 1st hand experience . What a shame that kennels in England cannot share the same ease in importing . I understand that a pup would be a minimum of 10 months old before being allowed to enter from a foreign country , foreign babys yes but poochies no !

That is correct unfortunately which is why I am taking the extremely expensive option of taking my bitch to Scandinavia to be mated.

My boy started his life with us having a flight on a plane too, he was 7 weeks and a tiny one at that. No problems at all. It was a small private plane that took little over an hour. It raised a few eyebrows but was a cheaper and kinder option than the usual boat and car.

I bought Bani from friends in Ireland and decided to fly him back rather than ferry and car as it was much quicker.  I felt dreadful, worrying about him being in his cage in the hold at 8 1/2 weeks.  I was in tears when I collected him from the airport staff as I felt so guilty, but he was fine.  I got him out and cuddled him and he just kissed my face (wouldn't let anyone else touch him though, just in case - and put him straight back in his carrier to drive him home). 

As an aside - be really careful about the quality of the carrier you buy.  I got one that was approved, and flew it over to Ireland empty, to bring him home in.  Imagine my horror when it came onto the conveyor belt with the door undone.  I had to buy a new one over there as there was no way I would trust it after that. (Bani wasn't put onto the conveyor belt in his new box, of course, the staff delivered him to me!!)