# 3 Hour Car Ride With Puppy? How to?



## MysticRealm (May 30, 2007)

I will be picking up my new Pom puppy on sunday. He's 14 weeks old and it's going to be a 3 hour drive (6 hour round trip). And he'll have been on the road with the breeder for an hour before we meet.
I likely will hold him (my mom is coming with me to drive) for at least some of the time but will be bringing a crate with me (need to ask the breeder if he's crate trained).
Should I be stopping to let him go to the bathroom? How often? He is not leash trained yet and has only gone indoors on pee pads, how would I handle that if I need to let him go potty? Should I somehow try to get him to go between the breeder's trip and transferring him to my vehicle for our drive?
Should I offer any water or something to chew on?
I've never traveled so long with a young puppy before. Thank you!


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## JohnnyBandit (Sep 19, 2008)

MysticRealm said:


> I will be picking up my new Pom puppy on sunday. He's 14 weeks old and it's going to be a 3 hour drive (6 hour round trip). And he'll have been on the road with the breeder for an hour before we meet.
> I likely will hold him (my mom is coming with me to drive) for at least some of the time but will be bringing a crate with me (need to ask the breeder if he's crate trained).
> Should I be stopping to let him go to the bathroom? How often? He is not leash trained yet and has only gone indoors on pee pads, how would I handle that if I need to let him go potty? Should I somehow try to get him to go between the breeder's trip and transferring him to my vehicle for our drive?
> Should I offer any water or something to chew on?
> I've never traveled so long with a young puppy before. Thank you!


My dogs are all road warriors... I have one that has ridden at least 80-100 thousand miles...

So three hours 14 week toy breed.... I would play it by ear... The Pup has the potential to make it. Me, I would crate the pup from the get go and hope it went to sleep.. Not everyone can do that... So what you want to do is watch the pup, If it gets antsy... Make a pit stop... 

I would give NO water, No toys....

Depending on where you meet you might try to get a pee out of the pup before you head home... 

IF you have to stop... Follow these rules with such a young puppy....

1) Do NOT stop at a rest stop with a dog walk.... Do not take the pup anywhere near where other dogs have likely been. 

2) Choose a spot that had good open area, WELL away from traffic and wildlife...

3) I would try a loose leash for safety but do not know how that is going to work for you if the pup has never had a leash on... A 14 week old Pom should NOT be able to outrun you.... But that is YOUR call.... Also if the pup has never peed outside, it could be an issue...


And.... Take a good supply of paper towels... And accident on the ride home is not a terrible thing.... The pup's entire world just got rocked... Some pups might take it in stride and pee freely..... Others may hold it... Until they cannot... Hence the paper towels...



Above all, I would not stress over it... A lot of folks make more out of riding with a dog than it is.... As I said... I have a dog with a TON of miles.... I have a nine month old puppy with about 7 or 8 thousand miles in a vehicle... Including a 2600 mile round trip...


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## Marvel (Sep 26, 2015)

My pup did a 12 hour drive when he was 10 weeks! Luckily I had had him for a bit already by then, so I had a good sense of potty training and the like...but I was still nervous so anticipated taking at least 15 hours to do the drive due to stops and stuff. It went very smoothly! He passed right out, woke up and whined a bit when he had to go, etc.

I didn't crate, just buckled him in because honestly...crating would have made it a much louder, longer trip for the both of us!

I tried to stop every 1-2 hours for a potty break, using pull offs and such where there would have been fewer dogs. I would probably try to offer at least a mid-way potty break if possible. Honestly, I don't think the leash will really be that big of an issue. My puppy didn't really need much direction the first time I put him on a leash. Personally, unless you are really far from roads, I would leash just to be on the safe side and only take it off if the puppy is *really* doing badly on it. But yeah, stuff to clean up an accident with is definitely a good idea.

I would also ask the breeder about food and water. It would be ideal not to feed before everything, incase the puppy gets car sick and also to eliminate the need to poo during the ride.

I gave my puppy a toy to chew on, and if you're worried about the puppy chewing on you it might be good to have something to redirect to. Maybe a nylabone or something that won't get puppy too excited, but will give something to gnaw on.

Honestly, I was surprised by how easily my guy traveled on such a long trip! Mostly he just slept and barely made a peep. I hope your trip goes as smoothly!


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## MastiffGuy (Mar 23, 2015)

Mouse did a 5 hr drive and we did 2 potty breaks when I got him at 8 weeks. You should be fine. as listed above crate or not for those reasons.

Having a 2nd person with you does help if not crated.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

Both of my dogs had a 2.5 hour drive home from the breeder. We didn't stop for a potty break, though my second one did pee in the car right when we pulled into our house. Just get some old towels to cover the bottom of the crate and you'll be fine.


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## KayaScout (Nov 13, 2015)

Our 12 week old puppy had a 3.h hour drive home after driving all the way up from TN to NH. We tried to get her to pee before we left but she was too over stimulated. She ended up sleeping the entire time so we didn't stop for potty breaks. We covered the seats in blankets and towels just in case though. NO water! Sit in the back with puppy that way is has some space to lay if it wants to. 

If you do stop for a potty break BE CAREFUL. Puppy probably doesn't have all of its shots yet so try to avoid high doggie traffic areas like gas stations and stuff. Try taking them to the back of the grassy areas where other dogs haven't been so that puppy wont pick up and illnesses.


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## OwnedbyACDs (Jun 22, 2013)

MysticRealm said:


> I will be picking up my new Pom puppy on sunday. He's 14 weeks old and it's going to be a 3 hour drive (6 hour round trip). And he'll have been on the road with the breeder for an hour before we meet.
> I likely will hold him (my mom is coming with me to drive) for at least some of the time but will be bringing a crate with me (need to ask the breeder if he's crate trained).
> Should I be stopping to let him go to the bathroom? How often? He is not leash trained yet and has only gone indoors on pee pads, how would I handle that if I need to let him go potty? Should I somehow try to get him to go between the breeder's trip and transferring him to my vehicle for our drive?
> Should I offer any water or something to chew on?
> I've never traveled so long with a young puppy before. Thank you!


Lincoln's breeder was about 3 hours from where I was (with traffic). I had someone drive, and I rode in the back seat with him, he was fine, got him out into the yard after we got home and he went potty, and that was it. His litter was litterbox trained and they had a crate in their enclosure they slept in, so that made things a LITTLE easier.


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## MysticRealm (May 30, 2007)

Thanks for the advice. Feeling a bit more confident though still a little worried


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## K9Chaos (Jun 27, 2014)

Tomorrow we are driving 7hrs to pick up our new Borzoi Puppy. We will be staying over night at a hotel and then coming back on Monday. She'll be making the 7hr trip back with us. I have stocked our van with trash bags, paper towels, baby wipes, some dog towels, and extra blankets for the crates, oh and trash bags! We plan to stop at the 3.5-4hr mark to let her go potty. We will also be making sure to run some of her energy off on Monday morning before we make the trip home! I do not plan on feeding her Monday morning before we leave because I'm not sure if she suffers from being car sick (Basil does!). I am bringing some frozen marrow bones with us though and she'll get one of those to keep her occupied. 

I also recommend crating your puppy for the trip home. It has been my experience that they settle down and go to sleep easier if they are crated verses in your lap.

We will be bringing our other two Borzoi with us - so she'll not be alone in the car. 


Bea
Amelia: Afghan hound
Coraline: Borzoi
Basil: Borzoi
MacGuffin: Italian Greyhound
Tallahassee: Borzoi


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## InkedMarie (Mar 11, 2009)

K9Chaos: make sure you share pictures, can't wait to see your pup. If you're on FB, look up "Vintage Dog" or something like that. Lots of borzois!


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## MysticRealm (May 30, 2007)

Ooo I want a borzoi at some point!
So I learned the puppy isn't crate trained so I will probably try to hold him at first. I don't want his first time crated to be for this long drive when everything will be new and scary. Otherwise I will try to take everyone's advice into consideration. Thanks!


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