[carebeaar]

Hello everyone!

I'm getting my new puppy in two weeks, but he lives in Nanaimo, BC, which is 1.5 hour ferry-ride away from our home terminal (Horseshoe Bay, BC). We will be travelling as foot passengers (i.e. not bringing a vehicle with us). The ferry has a designated pet zone area, which is a small room for pets onboard. We are planning on bringing a crate with us, where we will keep him inside, while we sit in the pet zone since pets are not allowed inside the ferry. I read online that we're not really supposed to bring dogs outside until they get their second-round of vaccine shots, but I feel bad for the little guy if he's stuck in his crate the whole ferry ride. Would it be okay to let him roam in the pet zone here and there, or should I just keep him in his crate the entire time? I was planning on giving him little breaks outside of the crate (maybe 10-15 minutes out, then place him back inside the crate). I'm also worried that placing him in his crate will confuse him later with his crate training. I was thinking that we could use the onboard kennels, so that he won't have negative feelings towards his actual crate.

Thank you for reading~

 

[GSD_Titan]

Hello everyone!

I'm getting my new puppy in two weeks, but he lives in Nanaimo, BC, which is 1.5 hour ferry-ride away from our home terminal (Horseshoe Bay, BC). We will be travelling as foot passengers (i.e. not bringing a vehicle with us). The ferry has a designated pet zone area, which is a small room for pets onboard. We are planning on bringing a crate with us, where we will keep him inside, while we sit in the pet zone since pets are not allowed inside the ferry. I read online that we're not really supposed to bring dogs outside until they get their second-round of vaccine shots, but I feel bad for the little guy if he's stuck in his crate the whole ferry ride. Would it be okay to let him roam in the pet zone here and there, or should I just keep him in his crate the entire time? I was planning on giving him little breaks outside of the crate (maybe 10-15 minutes out, then place him back inside the crate). I'm also worried that placing him in his crate will confuse him later with his crate training. I was thinking that we could use the onboard kennels, so that he won't have negative feelings towards his actual crate.

Thank you for reading~

Since he hasn’t had all his vaccines, I would say to leave him in his crate and only to take him out for potty breaks. Also you can give him treats, chew toys, etc to keep him busy in the crate and to also establish a positive feeling towards the crate.

 

[Lillith]

Since it is likely that many dogs who you don't know the vaccination status of have been in that room, I would not let him out in the pet room. Leave him in his crate. 1.5 hours isn't that terribly long, so as long as you make sure to give him a potty break before you board the ferry and perhaps play with him a bit before to tire him out, it's likely he'll just sleep the whole trip.

A short trip like that isn't likely to cause any severe setbacks. Worry about getting him home safely first, then worry about starting on training.

 

[storyist]

A lot of puppies have to travel to new homes by air and are in crates for that long or longer. Leave your puppy safe in a crate and keep it away from other dogs. That is, don't let dogs loose in the pet area come up to the crate and greet your dog through the grate or mesh in the door of the crate. Same for the owners of those dogs. Even if your puppy has had one vaccine, which most do when they leave the breeder, it's not yet safe from the diseases vaccines are for.

 

[Kyllobernese]

I have been on that ferry with a puppy and I would advise you to just leave him in the crate. You can always put a puppy pad in the crate if he is very young rather than risk him getting sick.

 

[Quinsation]

I agree with the others. It's not that long.
If you feel you must take him out, holding him on your lap would be okay, but I wouldn't let him wander on the floor.

BTW, HI! We're almost neighbors. I'm down on an island in WA.