Getting puppy home before jabs

[Shoskyns]

Hello everyone. Just joined the forum but have been using it for lots of research - it's such a great resource.

We are picking up our new whippet puppy within the next couple of weeks. She will be 14 weeks old. She will have only had her first set of vaccinations done and I've just had a panic about how we get her home. We live about 3 hours away from the breeder. If we stop and she needs a wee or poo what can we do? If we do stop, should we keep her in the car but out of her crate on lots of newspaper in the boot? Obviously, we can't let her out in a public place. I'm hoping that at 14 weeks she will be able to last the journey as long as we wait for her to do her business before we leave.

Any advice gratefully received.

Sarah

 

[excuseme]

Hi Sarah,

This can be such a difficult situation to get right, we all have different views and all of our puppies react differently to their first journeys too.

I always like a new puppy who is being taken away from mum and sibblings to have happy first journey and not stuck in a cage in the boot of a strange moving object (the car), with no one to cuddle up to for re assurance, (maybe I'm too soft ).

Can the cage go on the back seat and someone sit next to her or is she still small enough to sit on your lap for the first journey leaving home.

If your puppy has had her "full" first set of puppy vaccinations and her last one was 7/10 days before you collect her she should be well protected and you able to offer her a wee on the grass somewhere. If she has had only one part of her puppy vaccinations I would take care and cover the boot with newspaper for "a one off" wee !!

If she is settled on your lap she may sleep through the whole journey. As you say she is 14 weeks old.

It may be best if she has no food for the last 2 hours before the journey, there is nothing worse than puppy sick everywhere!

Good luck with your journey, 3 hours is not too bad, enjoy your new puppy.

 

[goldenbear2013]

I totally agree with the above advice from Excuseme.

I travelled a fair distance when we picked up Bear. My other half sat in the back covered his lap with towels and had Bear snuggled up on his lap. He was so good. He just buried his head (I think he was a little overwhelmed!) and went to sleep.

Please do keep your new puppy on your lap (obviously with someone else driving of course!) as they will feel so much safer. You don't want them to fear the car and travelling around before you have even got them home!

Personally I wouldn't bother with taking the crate, but as Excuseme said, everyone's advice differs.

I would just have towels on the person who is holding hers lap and towels covering the back seat too just in case your puppy does get sick. Also keep them in the back, because if your pup does start to become poorly or move around you don't want to distract the driver.

Letting them on the grass at a stopping point should be fine if the puppy is fully vaccinated and at 14 weeks they should be. usually the first is at 8 weeks, the second at 10 weeks and then 2 weeks after that at 12 weeks they can start going out for walks.

Good luck with your new pup!

Picture please when you get him/her!

Sophie x

 

[Shoskyns]

Thanks so much for your advice. The puppy will only have had her first set of vaccinations so won't be fully covered. So I don't think I can let it out on grass, just in case. The breeder was going to keep her and so had not yet done her vaccinations, but said she would get the first set done for us and then I can get our local vet to do the second set. I will get full paperwork about the first vaccinations so that the vet knows exactly what she has had.

At home, we've sometimes had friends over with dogs (two dogs), in the house and in the garden. There has been one dog poo done about 2 months ago. I am checking if the dogs are up to date with their vaccinations. If they are, it should be fine to let our puppy play in the garden with us straight away, shouldn't it?

Thank you again. Advice very very much appreciated.

Sarah

 

[excuseme]

I always reccomend that absolutely no contact with others untill your own puppy is fully protected by it's own vaccinations.

The other dog/s may well be protected by vaccination themselves but what other dogs they might have had contact with that may have something nasty !!

I would suggest that for the few extra days you would have to wait must be worth while for complete peace of mind.

Maybe I am just too carefull!

Have fun.

 

[Shoskyns]

Thanks for latest reply. I wasn't planning on having any direct contact with other dogs until after the second set of jabs have taken effect. I was just wondering if she would be ok in our house and garden where there have previously been two other dogs. They've not been in our house regularly, only one dog has actually been in our house and that is maybe just once in the last 3 months. But my neighbours dog has occasionally wandered into our garden if we've left the gate open. Again, not that often and only near the gate.

What do you think?

Sarah

 

[excuseme]

That's great, I wouldn't worry.

Have loads of fun with your new puppy.

Best wishes

 

[LillyBlue]

Hi, I'm new to the site too and need advice. We're picking up our 8.5 week whippet puppy on Saturday (Lilly). Very excited!! Our journey is 2hrs so fingers crossed she will be ok on my lap. We were told not to put her in a crate but to hold her as she may never want to go in a crate again if the experience is bad.

On another subject. What should we do for her first night at home! She will not be used to a crate to sleep in. We've made a pen area, should we put her in there with some puppy pads and hope she uses them, or do we need to set the alarm every 2 hours to let her out? I know her bladder will not hold all night. But people say don't go down to her if she's crying, it will teach her crying will get attention. It's so hard to know what's best! Any help welcome. Sandra

 

[goldenbear2013]

Hi LillyBlue,

She needs to be in the crate right from the word go otherwise she will not learn that the crate is where she sleeps and you must be consistent with this.

Right here goes:

First Night: Crate in your bedroom, crate door locked. bed in the crate with puppy pads next to it. Don't respond to every whimper, just ignore her. If she sounds slightly distressed then she may need the toilet (trust me you wont need an alarm!). Pick her up, don't fuss her just hold her, pop her outside and stay with her (even if its raining so be prepared for change of night wear!!!) reward when she goes, pick her back up and straight back in her crate. Keep your bedroom door open, and the landing light on.

Do this for 2 weeks

Then:

Put her on the landing and leave a small lamp on and keep your bedroom door open. Repeat the same process with toileting. 2 weeks in they should be able to hold it for at least a few hours.

Do this for 2 weeks.

Then:

Put the crate downstairs in the room where she will always be sleeping, and the landing light on with doors open. If not the landing light, maybe a lamp or a night light.

After a few days if she is settled then turn the light off and ta dah!!!!! Night time trained puppy

Now when she whinges please do ignore her, otherwise she will catch on very quickly that whinging gets attention. this type of behavior needs to be ignored, especially at night time or she wont sleep.

Whippets are very loving dogs and they love to be right next to you, even on you when they sleep, so do not under any circumstances get her out of the crate and sleep with you for the first night thinking that this will help her settle. It will at first but she wont go back in her crate.

Put a blanket over the top of the crate to make it like a den, a teddy that she loves to go in her bed with her and a hot water bottle as well wrapped in one of your old t shirts.

Being on your lap for the journey to her forever home is fine. Just lots of towels on and around you just in case!

Good luck and pictures please when you pick her up!!!

Sophie x

 

[LillyBlue]

Thank you so much Sophie, this is most helpful! Unfortunately Lilly is ill so the breeder may keep her another week. She's an upset tummy due to her mum being on antibiotics and them getting to the pups through her milk.
I'm trying to attach a picture or her at 6 weeks, fingers crossed it works!

 

[excuseme]

Hello,

How unfortunate about your new puppy being poorly.

A properly weaned puppy should be totally independant of mums milk for at least 1 week before it leaves home, no furthur milk is required !

It should on 4 good quality solid feeds daily and ready for it's new home.

The breeder should have done all of the weaning and prepared your puppy for it's new home without any milk.

I hope she gets well soon and that you can collect her when she is ready.

Best wishes.

 

[LillyBlue]

Hi there, the pups mum got in with the puppies by mistake and they took advantage of her milk while she was there. It's all been a bit of a nightmare for the breeder, just at a time she has people wanting to take them to their new homes. Little Lilly is now bouncing around and seems much better according to the breeder. I've a vets appointment Sunday to have her checked over and for her first jab.

One more question... Should we put water in her crate at night? I've read mixed views. Some say no because then she will need a wee and some say yes you need to as a puppy.

Any advice welcome.

I'm so excited about getting her tomorrow I may burst!

Many Thanks,

Sandra

 

[goldenbear2013]

Oh my goodness she is sooooooooooooo adorable! Look at them eyes!!! :wub:

I never put (and still don't) put water in my dogs crate and he is nearly 2.

Never bothered him, but I suppose it would be down to matter of opinion really.

personally I would say no water of a night time, whilst you are training her to sleep through the night with no toilet breaks, but when you start to leave her on her own in her crate when you go out then yes do leave a water bowl I there. You can get the small ones that clip onto the crate so they wont spill any water.

With the summer coming having water readily available when she is in her crate is a must.

Cant wait for more pictures!!!!!

Good luck xx

 

[LillyBlue]

Thank you goldenbear2013.