[sandrea61]

Hello! We are picking up an 8 week old Bohemian Shepherd in April and want to have an adventure and drive back to ST Louis with an 8 week old puppy. I have not had a puppy in 22 years, nor a dog in 10! So we have never needed to find pet friendly hotels before. I have AAA and they have given me books for the states we will be traveling to help with this. Just want anyone's thoughts on how hard, easy it is to find them. And any tips you may have for this road trip! I will have a kennel, blankets, toys... Plan to stop at lease every 4 hours and probably only drive every day for 8 or so. We plan to make a lot of overnight stops.
I am so excited to welcome a puppy into our family again! We hope this road trip ends up being a good idea! But we are looking forward to it!

 

[Shell]

Is there a reason you don't just fly out and back with the pup? Especially if you can ge a direct flight (non stop is best but no plane change is decent)?

Its a LONG drive. I have driven from San Francisco to Kentucky (so only a little different distance) and its tiring unless you plan lots of recreational breaks for sightseeing and plain old resting. Sightseeing is nearly impossible with an 8 week old puppy. Potty breaks mean seekin out places without other dogs or wild canines to reduce risk of parvo exposure but more places to stop that allow dogs will of course then have dogs around. 8 week old puppies often need to pee every 1-2 hours when awake and 1-2 potty times overnight. Waking up and takin a pup outside in a hotel situation is not fun.

Don't plan on all the humans going into any restaurants at the same time, you cant leave a pup like that in a car safely and while crated in a hotel for a very short period unattended while you get takeout may be fine, a few hours can mean pup barking a storm and hotel getting upset calls from adjoining rooms.

A road trip with a vaccinated and potty trained adult dog can be fun. A long drive with an unvaccinated and not potty or leash trained dog is likely to be miserable.

 

[RonE]

I've travelled with dogs. We're driving to Austin, Texas (about 1200 miles) in a few weeks with a smaller dog, a cat and a gecko. (Sounds like the start of a bad joke.) Lots of places will accept small dogs (maybe up to 20-25 pounds.) Travelling with a 116 pound lab was more challenging.

As a national chain, La Quinta has a reputation for being pet-friendly.

 

[Kyllobernese]

When we had to travel with an eight week old puppy, we took lots of puppy pads and had a small pen that we put them in at night in the motel room so we never had to take them outside at night. I found that they sleep most of the time the car is moving and usually let us know if they had to go to the bathroom. If they did go in their crate it was easy to clean up with puppy pads down.

 

[Jen2010]

Honestly I think most hotels are pet-friendly these days. A check of their website or a quick phone call can confirm. You might be better off to stay at a smaller motel though since it will make potty trips outside a lot easier. Some motels don't necessarily have a pet policy, but will allow it if you ask. Some won't even charge a pet fee (but most do).

Make sure to bring lots of puppy pads with you.

 

[sandrea61]

Well we decided this is our vacation as well. We could fly back but think seeing some country and taking our time with a little one could be an adventure! There are some great parks along the way. Not to get out and hike, but drive through and stop for a view. With crates and puppy pads these days we are thinking it will not be too miserable. we realize eating and sleeping will be different, but from the time we pick her up and for the next few months at least it will be different! We have a son in Phoenix also who would like to meet the puppy. Not sure if the lack of all vaccinations will be an issue. the puppy will be up to date when we get her. For what she can have at 8 weeks. I will check with my vet as well.
thanks

 

[sandrea61]

Thanks everyone! They did not have puppy pads 22 years ago! Will make sure to have those on hand and will worry about really potty training when we get home.

 

[Jen2010]

Well we decided this is our vacation as well.

Honestly I would not recommend that with a new puppy. It will likely not be a relaxing vacation for either of you. You'll be cleaning up pee/poop, dealing with crying, chewing, etc. The puppy has just been taken away from her mother and it's a stressful time for her. Even if you decide it will be fun for YOU to travel with a puppy and show her off, it's not really the best thing for HER, imo.

I would just take the most direct/efficient route and get the puppy home where things can stabilize and she can start to familiarize herself with her new life.