[jsk428]

I have a 9 1/2 week old puppy. I was thinking about taking him with me on vacation to a cabin in the mountains in a week (he will bealmost 11 weeks old then). We don't plan to leave him alone much while there and plan on spending most of the time in and around the cabin.
He is still in the process of potty training and isn't doing too bad and we are using the bells as a way for him to communicate. He has successfully used the bells 2 times now
and has also gone to the door at times to tell us he has to go potty. With that being said, is it a good idea to take him with us to the mountains to focus on potty training (and leash training)? We plan to bring the bells with us and hang them on the door in the cabin.

 

[Amaryllis]

Why not? He'd probably have fun and you'd get to spend time with him.

 

[Gally]

I would be more worried about whether he has all his shots or not and what kind of area this cabin is in. Is it a public cabin that may have been frequented by other dogs in the past year? There is also the small chance of contracting rabies from wildlife before he is vaccinated.

 

[jsk428]

He has gotten his first of three distemper shot and he gets his rabies shots in October. The cabin is a rental propoerty in the Smoky Mountains. With that being said, do you think it is wise to just pass on the vacation?

 

[doxiemommy]

It would be hard for me, personally to pass on a vacation!

You can easily take him with you, but, just remember, dogs do not generalize well. That means, you have STARTED the potty training process with the bells at home, and he is starting to get it. When you get to the cabin, you will have to START OVER by showing him the bells, and showing/teaching him what to do. Just because he understand or kind of understands what to do at home, doesn't mean he can transfer that information to a new place.

The vaccination issue would worry me, too, but I have never been to the Smoky Mountains, and don't know the area. If there have been other dogs or there is wildlife near the cabin, it might not be a good idea.

 

[winniec777]

You never know what a puppy that young will get into, so you need to provide 100% supervision. That means tethering, crating when you can't supervise, etc. The plus side is that it gives you a great opportunity to do some house training in a new location, which will help him figure out that going inside anywhere is not ok.

We always take our dog with us unless we're flying. Just be prepared for stuff happening. Even though she was watched very closely and crated when we were out, our puppy managed to chew a couch and rug in one rental, which cost us $500. It was a rainy afternoon and we were reading/napping. We assumed she was similarly engaged. We were wrong.

 

[Contact_Zone]

I took my last pup on a week's vacation 3 days after getting him, he was 9 1/2 weeks old.
There were only a couple of "accidents"; I was able to take him out very often.
I did not have him meet other dogs in those circumstances, but plenty of people.