Spoon River NAVHDA Chapter

I've recently joined the Chapter and I am pick up my first GSP from Green Bay, WI in two weeks. It's going to be a long car ride for the puppy and want to make it as easy for her as possible. Any suggestions on what to do or things I should bring?

My sister is going with me so she can drive and I can take care of the puppy. I've also heard to bring a blanket to rub on the mother and it will help the puppy on the car ride. I'll have leash, collar, food and water. I've mapped out places to stop and let her out on the way home. I was thinking every two hours? Is that to much time between stops? Anything else I should bring or can do? I appreciate the suggestions and look forward to meeting everyone at future training days.

Jeff

Jeff-
sounds like you got your trip planned out.  I went to the middle of Iowa to pick mine up That was the 1/2 way point for the puppy He came from Bismark ND.  7 hours I think was my trip.
The owner of the pups had t shirts and old blankets they had in with the pups and mom the last couple weeks they were there.  They gave me a t shirt and a section of blanket.  The pup crawled up on my lap and slept.  When he got fussy I pulled over and found a spot and  ran him for 10 to 15 minutes let him pee poop and drink more water.  Then back on the lap and back on the road.  I think every couple hours is too much he may go 3-4 hours.  Good luck

Jeff,

I have a disclaimer to post before offering my first suggestion;  I am recovering from knee replacement surgery and cannot move very fast. Even so I would still offer this suggestion. Bring a light weight lead and small collar. Small pups , 8-10 weeks old, can move very quickly.This allows you to control the pup at your various stops.

A roll of paper towels, a plastic bag, and some water for clean up.Young pups can be put to sleep with car rides, this is good. However such rides can also cause them to relieve themselves of their last meals by regurgitating or defecating.  Riding in your lap  can help with "bonding" but  it might also lead to a mess.

I have found that a cage of suitable size is also desirable as you may need to stop for your own comfort.

Good luck with your pup.

Ed

Jeff-

Sounds like you have a good plan already. So I'll only share a couple pieces of advice/experiences I got when I picked up my pup  a couple years ago.

1.  Avoid rest areas on the interstate.  They are used by a lot of dogs, and you don't know what dieseases, worms, etc they may have.  Since they puppy will not have all of the shots yet, avoiding these areas help prevent a nasty diesease you don't want to deal with. 

2. Music is good.  When I picked up Omar, he was fine getting in the truck, but when we started to move, he whined.  It lasted for about 10 miles, when the baseball game that was on the radio ended, I turned on a cd, and the whining stopped.  He's never whined in the the truck again. 

3. Like Ed mentioned, be ready in case of travel discomfort for the pup and the associated accidents. 

4. My personal opinion is, a dog's place in a vehicle is a kennel. Make sure it is large enough for the pup to lay down, but not too big.  This is a good place for the blanket or t-shirt that has the scent of the mother or litter-mates. 

Good luck with the trip, and look forward to seeing you both at a training day.

Thank you guys for the great advice!!  I feel a lot more prepared now that I've read your suggestions. 

Thank you all again for your help. I picked up my little girl today from Green Bay, Wisconsin. She couldn't have been better in the truck. Hope everyone had a great testing weekend.

Glad to hear you had a successful trip, Jeff.

Good luck with the pup, and look forward to seeing you at our upcoming training days.