[Zoe]

I'm bringing our new puppy from the breeder next week. The question I have is should I bring a crate and keep the puppy in it on the way home?I will be my myself and its about a 3 hour ride. Also, we are going to crate train it so any advise on potty training would be great.

P.S. How soon should I bring it to the vet for the new puppy check up?

[sdrudge]

I would if it is just you.
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Samantha, Cacao and Beau

[lmtoth2]

we bought a soft crate at Target and set it up for Dexter's ride home. We had a 4 hr drive. We put some toys and a pee pad in it. We did not zip the crate (my husband sat in the back seat) and Dex spent some time sleeping in the crate and some sitting with my husband.

I would bring the puppy to the vet asap. Some breeders offer a guarantee that's only good for so many days after you pick up the puppy. Good luck - can't wait to see photos
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Leslie M

[deepnite10]

Toby came to us in a travel crate and we had intended on leaving him in
there till we got him home..

it was a very cold stormy night and the wife held him in her arm s in the back seat for the 2 hr drive home..

i was so jealous

but, if i was alone i would have definitly left him in the crate..

[Jac]

If you are traveling alone you would be wise to crate your puppy. Also, they often get car sick...so crating is good. Just be sure to spend some time with the pup before you put it in the crate and then make the crate a positive experience by putting little treats inside, let him go in and out for a bit, then close the door for a few seconds, open it, let him play a bit, then repeat until you are ready to go.
He may or may not cry...but traveling alone that is the safest thing to do.
I know that it is not safe, or even recommended...but when my pups are going with more than one person, they do travel much better if they are held.
You could get a puppy harness that hooks to the car seat belt and keeps the pup safe too.
We tried a soft crate once and it rolled whenever we turned! I prefer the wire crate, besides the pup can see out and the air circulates better.
There are many, many sites that will help you with potty training advice...but some people tell you to withold water...I think that is wrong...especially when it is hot weather. I am going to give you two good articles about both water consumption and crate training...the crate training also has potty training at the bottom.
Congratulations!
http://www.inch.com/~dogs/cratetraining.html
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=2314
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jacque.bayley.lexie.chase.rosie.nitos.amelia.dupree.madison.sherwood.gerry www.backporchlabradoodles-jacque.blogspot.com www.backporchlabradoodles.com

[hmz819]

Congrats on the puppy. If you are by yourself I would crate the puppy. (Maybe you can bribe a friend to drive you so you can hold him on the way home...that's what I did) Also Maya went to the vet the day I picked her up. I got her at 2pm and she was at my vets at 5pm.
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Heather, Morgan, Maya, and Sadie
He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion-Unknown

[Taryn L]

I agree, you should definitely get a crate. There are actually travel crates with the plastic sides (with holes) and a metal door.

If you get a soft crate, you should be able to seat belt it (thats what we have for Jaxy). We dont have an SUV, so we put him the back seat in a soft crate and seat belt it in...otherwise it will flip on the floor when you stop suddenly.

I was told by the lady I got Jax from that we should bring him within the first week, but it is probably best to get it out of the way as soon as you can.

[Tink]

One thing I encourage my buyers to do when they are picking up their puppy is bring with them a blanket, towel, or whatever they will want to put in the crate with the pup once they get home so that we can rub it on Momma and littermates. This gives them something to cuddle into the first couple of days alone that at least smells like something familiar. Many have said that the pup did seem comforted by it and it's a simple thing to do.

I agree with the others that if you're going to be traveling alone you do need some type of crate to keep them in. For a 3 hr ride I'd also stop once or twice and just give the pup a chance to sit still for a bit if he seems restless or fearful.

Have fun. Getting a new puppy is so exciting!
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www.tinkerdoodle.net
Hickory, Ava, Hana, Misty, and Chip (happy master of his Harem)

[Jac]

Yes, it is nice to have something from home to smell like their mother and littermates. I always buy new blankets for the puppies and use them from the time they are born, washing them doesn't remove mama's scent...and I send it home with the puppies. I always add a well used toy from mama and the other dogs too...I agree that this is very comforting for the puppies to have something from home.

If you think that the pup may have any issues being alone, you can also get a snuggle puppy....
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jacque.bayley.lexie.chase.rosie.nitos.amelia.dupree.madison.sherwood.gerry www.backporchlabradoodles-jacque.blogspot.com www.backporchlabradoodles.com

[Tink]

Jac, Have you had any experience with the snuggle puppies? they sound good... but I've never so much as held one.
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www.tinkerdoodle.net
Hickory, Ava, Hana, Misty, and Chip (happy master of his Harem)

[Jac]

Hi Tink...love your little avatar! Cute, cute pup!

I have never personally used one, but I did have a family buy one for a puppy when they were worried about it and they said that she (the pup) really loved it. The snuggle puppies have heartbeats and you can microwave the insert to make them warm like a littermate. They are cute!
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jacque.bayley.lexie.chase.rosie.nitos.amelia.dupree.madison.sherwood.gerry www.backporchlabradoodles-jacque.blogspot.com www.backporchlabradoodles.com

[deepnite10]

OH!! about the 1st vet visit..i made the appointment a week in advance
befor he came Toby came home..Toby came with his health history
from his previous and we had him brought up to speed on any shots, wormings he was given a exam..

i went old school with potty training..during the day i took him out every hr...at nite i lost alot of sleep..every two hrs on a leash..

of course he did nt like the cold but i kept him out saying potty over and over till he went..by 2 weeks he was going out on command..even faking a wee just so he could come back in and finally i was able to sleep thru the nite..

during this period i only fed him half his normal feeding..3 time s a day..
and no food 5 hrs befor he went to bed..and no water 2hrs befor..

[goodheart]

i'm certainly not an expert, but my sammy LOVED her snuggle puppy the first few weeks. we just got the simple one (just a heart beat, doesn't heat up) and would put it in the crate with her at night. she would often curl up to it during the day too. the one thing i'd recommend is to buy rechargeable batteries - it goes through them very quickly since the 'heart' mechanism is quite sensitive and turns on with the slightest touch. the snuggle puppy was well worth the money though - she only cried at night once!

[Sam]

Sam had to fly across the country to get to me. He arrived in a crate and then had a 15 min car ride from the airport. He was a bit whimpery as he had messed his crate in flight. After a quick wipe down, I drove him home and gave him a bath and a feed. He whined a lot for about the first week but now he sleeps in his crate all the time. I took Sam to the vet the next day and he got a clean bill of health. As Sam is my first puppy, I found it very helpful to be able to chat to the vet about general puppy things. Sam is now 7 months old and while he's firmly planted in puppy adolescence, he's a gorgeous little doggy. He loves car rides and I haven't used the crate in the car for ages.

[Taryn L]

Sam is beautiful!!!