[kpw85]

Hey All,
End of April I will be picking up my new puppy.
It is a pretty far car ride home ( 15hrs )
Just wondering if anyone has done a ride home like that with an 8 week old pup and any tips.
I’d rather take the ride over shipping the puppy on a plane.

thanks in advance
Kevin.

 

[arcouillard]

We drove 7 hours with a 9 week old this past summer, I know its not as long...but he did absolutely great! He slept most of the way, and we just stopped every couple hours and woke him up for potty & water breaks. No accidents, no upset tummy. With that being said, every puppy will be different, I remember as a kid we picked up a Lab puppy about 30 min away from our home, and she screamed and clawed (basically panicked) the whole 30 min drive home. Turned out to be a great dog, but never did like to go in the car. I would advise to have a comfy crate, a few changes of bedding/towels just in case. Also with a trip that long, it might be worth looking into stopping overnight somewhere to break up the drive...or take a couple longer stops so the pup can stretch his legs. Try to choose places to stop that aren't likely to be dog hot spots (avoid rest stops/gas stations) to minimize exposure to disease.

 

[Knute]

Yes, definitely plan on stopping frequently. Each stop is minimum 20 minutes off the highway.....translates into about 25 miles not consuming blacktop. This increases your travel time because it adversely impacts your average road speed. When you are walking the dog, you are not covering miles.

I can travel from central Iowa to Chicago O'Hare airport in about 5 hours. When I came home in December with an adult mini- schnauzer the trip required 7 hours. In my experience, you should allow roughly 40-50% increase in travel time. So, on a drive such as you are taking you should allow 6-8 additional hours of travel time. This will likely require an overnight in a pet friendly hotel.

Are you sure flying isn't a better option? You are looking at 15 hour drive to get the pup and another 20+ hours to return. If the pup is small and can fit in an under seat carrier, then flight may be a less stressful path. Probably cut your travel time in half or more.

Some breeders can help coordinate shipping of the pet.

 

[storyist]

How it goes will depend on your puppy. I brought an Akita puppy home by car years ago, and it was about 10 hours. Not fun. She was sick all the way. Would perk up and want to play every time we stopped, but the nausea resumed as soon as we were back on the road. She never was good in a car but, with many short trips to fun places later, got to where she could tolerate it without sickness.

Then I was involved in a trip that probably was 15 hours (Oklahoma City back to Denver area hauling horses) years ago with a Border Collie pup. The engine of the truck of the people we went to the show with blew up, and I had to cadge a ride home for me, my horse, and another friend who had come with us. The guy who agreed to take us had just bought the pup. So 3 people and a puppy in an old pickup with a bench seat. That puppy was wonderful. Never sick, slept most of the way. Was reported to be fine once home with new owner.

If the breeder will introduce your puppy to a crate, it will help, especially if you're going to be alone. They seem to settle better that way. The breeder of one of my current girls put a puppy-sized crate with door removed in with the puppies. They crawled all over it, chewed on it some, of course, went in and out at will, and occasionally one would fall asleep inside.

 

[kpw85]

Yes, definitely plan on stopping frequently. Each stop is minimum 20 minutes off the highway.....translates into about 25 miles not consuming blacktop. This increases your travel time because it adversely impacts your average road speed. When you are walking the dog, you are not covering miles.

I can travel from central Iowa to Chicago O'Hare airport in about 5 hours. When I came home in December with an adult mini- schnauzer the trip required 7 hours. In my experience, you should allow roughly 40-50% increase in travel time. So, on a drive such as you are taking you should allow 6-8 additional hours of travel time. This will likely require an overnight in a pet friendly hotel.

Are you sure flying isn't a better option? You are looking at 15 hour drive to get the pup and another 20+ hours to return. If the pup is small and can fit in an under seat carrier, then flight may be a less stressful path. Probably cut your travel time in half or more.

Some breeders can help coordinate shipping of the pet.

To mt understanding I can’t bring a puppy on a flight till it’s 12 weeks old.
The one I am getting is 8 weeks.

I’m flying Down to Florida and plan on renting a car and driving back

 

[hanksimon]

If you can, I'd recommend going with a friend, so one person can drive and one can watch the puppy - even if he is sleeping. Just makes things simpler. Also, as ppl have suggested, with all the stops, the trip may take you closer to 20 hours, and both of you could take turns, so one of you might nap, while the other drives.