What to expect on the journey home
The chances are that your puppy has never been in a car before. He has also never been away from the home where he was born and where he feels safe. If you put your puppy in a crate in the back of your car and drive home with him shut in there, one or all of the following three things may happen.
This is simply because the puppy is stressed and feels abandoned. He may be perfectly safe in the crate in the event of an accident, but your driving is likely to be adversely affected by the noise and the smell. All in all, it is not a very good start to his new life.
For this reason, when I collect a puppy, I always take an adult passenger with me, or get someone else to drive. Then the puppy can sit in the footwell on the passenger side of the car. Pressed up against someone’s legs, he will feel safe and won’t scream with fear. It is the screaming and stress that tend to make the puppy move his bowels during the journey. Transported this way, most puppies sleep for at least part of the journey and don’t get too upset. He may still be sick, though, from the motion of the vehicle.
Line the footwell of your car with newspaper and cover with an old towel. If you have a long journey home, the puppy may wet himself. Don’t be tempted to put the puppy down outside the car because he is being sick. You just have to deal with any mess inside the car, if and when it happens – another reason why you need a helping hand.
You should also have a crate in the car ready and prepared for the puppy, in case you need it. Occasionally, a puppy will not settle in the footwell of the car, cries constantly and does his best to leap all over the front seats. This is unusual, but it can happen and it is very distracting for the driver. This is why you must have a crate ready in the car. Pull over in a safe place, transfer the puppy to the crate and complete the journey with him in there.
He will scream very loudly most of the way. He will be sick. He will empty his bowels.
This reinforces your position as pack leader and is just good manners!
This is simply because the puppy is stressed and feels abandoned. He may be perfectly safe in the crate in the event of an accident, but your driving is likely to be adversely affected by the noise and the smell. All in all, it is not a very good start to his new life.
For this reason, when I collect a puppy, I always take an adult passenger with me, or get someone else to drive. Then the puppy can sit in the footwell on the passenger side of the car. Pressed up against someone’s legs, he will feel safe and won’t scream with fear. It is the screaming and stress that tend to make the puppy move his bowels during the journey. Transported this way, most puppies sleep for at least part of the journey and don’t get too upset. He may still be sick, though, from the motion of the vehicle.
Line the footwell of your car with newspaper and cover with an old towel. If you have a long journey home, the puppy may wet himself. Don’t be tempted to put the puppy down outside the car because he is being sick. You just have to deal with any mess inside the car, if and when it happens – another reason why you need a helping hand.
You should also have a crate in the car ready and prepared for the puppy, in case you need it. Occasionally, a puppy will not settle in the footwell of the car, cries constantly and does his best to leap all over the front seats. This is unusual, but it can happen and it is very distracting for the driver. This is why you must have a crate ready in the car. Pull over in a safe place, transfer the puppy to the crate and complete the journey with him in there.
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