I'm about to get a flat coat retriever puppy from an excellent breeder but it will involve about a 5 hour car journey home. The puppy will be 7-8 weeks old. Any hints on how best to manage this as the puppy will not have had its vaccinations so cannot be let out of the car, I presume.

How lovely, wonderful breed. My current gsd came from yorkshire I am down in Surrey. He was put in a smallish crate Baby gsd size) with vet bed and a soft cuddle toy that had been with him at this breeders. after a few minites he fell asleep through out the journey. We had water with us but as he slept it wasnt needed and we had no wee's or poo's. Others have told me much the same
Dont know if I am right but I would definiatley not have put him down on the ground at that age  as I was going to vaccinate, so just risked him weeing in the crate.
My flatti had a 3 - 4 hour journey when we got her and she just sat on my lap on a towel, again no problems.
good luck have fun

Our journey was about 4.5 hours.

We used a crate and gave the pup a small cut down cardboard box that had been fixed in by cable ties to stop it sliding.  We put an old rubber cat mat on the floor of the crate covered in layers of newspaper, and a fleece in the box.

I don't recal any wee or poo but there was a lot of sick so we also went armed with spare newspaper, kitchen roll, and a bin bag. 

We have split rear seats so we put the crate half in the boot and half in the back so that I could sit next to him and manage the quick grab and wipe so that he couldn't paddle about in the mess!!  I did have water to offer but he wasn't at all interested - he just cried, puked, and slept, in roughly that order!!

We were so excited we just floated home...

hi buy some puppy training pads (they have waterproof backing) and keep some of them handy for the car journey.  You may be lucky and your pup may sleep the whole journey.

Good Luck with your new puppy.  x

What a fab time for you, new puppy!
My current pup (4 1/2 months) travelled for 10 hours home!  5 hours?  No problem!
Firstly I would wait until pup was 8 weeks old, and if a KC accredited breeder then that should be the age it should be released - if allowing it earlier, why?!
Obviously you have to let pup have a wee during the journey.  Check with the breeder, if it's paper trained, if it is then you can lay paper on the floor, or take pup into service area toilets with paper on the floor.  I've not done it but the breeder of 3 of my 4 dogs has!  With my current pup, I just let her have a wee where I was able to minimise the risk from other dogs - rather than letting her have a wee at standard service areas, I parked up and carried her high up onto a verge.  Alternatively, just let her wee in crate, or whatever it is you're transporting her home in.  This one occasion wont do any harm and will give you peace of mind.  Enjoy!
PS if you're unsure how pup will travel, give a couple of cocculus tablets and a couple of drops of rescue rememdy half an hour prior to travelling - you may well find puppy will sleep the whole way home - make sure it goes to toilet before hand.  Top tip:  also make sure you get a bag of it's poo (not in a scented nappy bag)  before coming home - place it in the garden where you want it to go to toilet in the future!

I travelled 5 hours, took a grate with me, she did whin at first but soon settled....She slept most of the time . I had a ruber type toy ( for puppies) and a sweaky one

Stopped at a few service stations to clean the wee up , Used human incontient sheets as they asorb better then human ones

I did have my brother with me which helped entertain her if needed

Would recomend a grate though

Good luck and have loads of fun with him/her

When we picked up girl last January our journey home was roughly 10-11 hours, we took a crate, a million and one towels, kitchen towels, poo bags, DAP spray - you can never be too prepared!  Luckily after an initial whimper she slept for most of the journey (we were stunned), had a pee in her crate which was vetbed one half newspaper the other half this made it much easier to whip out the paper.  She only got fidgety the last hour of the journey which we could cope with and I ended up with her sat on my knee chewing the toggles on my jumper! 

We picked up our golden retriever in August this year and we had a 4-5 hour car journey home.

We had loads of towels and kitchen towels with us.  The breeder also didn't feed him before we picked him up.  We made a little den out of the towels in the footwell of the passenger seat.  After 5 mins of being really nosey he fell asleep in the footwell and that was him until 30 mins before we got home.

Good luck with your new pup!!

Firstly I would wait until pup was 8 weeks old, and if a KC accredited breeder then that should be the age it should be released - if allowing it earlier, why?!

Research has shown that 7 weeks is actually thought to be the ideal age for rehoming as at 8 weeks they are entering the fear stage and so rehoming then can be more stressful.

Make sure that the pup hasn't been fed for a couple of hour before you plan to start your journey and I would just put the pup in a crate with a soft toy to cuddle up to and drive.  Within a few minutes the pup will settle and sleep as long as you don't stop.  As soon as you stop the pup will be disturbed.  Have fun.

>Firstly I would wait until pup was 8 weeks old, and if a KC accredited breeder then that should be the age it should be released - if allowing it earlier, why?!

The KC's own website recommends that  the best age for rehoming is between 7 and 8 weeks.

But, to go on the accredited breeder list don't you have to agree not not homing a pup until 8 weeks?  That's what I understood.

Many thanks for all your suggestions - I feel very reassured! The breeder is KC reg and very experienced and I am sure would never let a puppy go too early. I have not yet agreed our 'pick-up' date and I suspect it will mean that the puppy is a few days either side of 8 weeks.

> But, to go on the accredited breeder list don't you have to agree not not homing a pup until 8 weeks?  That's what I understood.

It is not one of their requirements
Are you confusing it with dog breeding licencing requirements?