[Elizabeth]

Hello Poodle Forum members,

I've placed a deposit on a puppy that will be 8 weeks old in mid-August. I will have to travel by car from New York to Florida to retrieve this puppy. The breeder has told me that during the trip, it is safe for the pup to relieve itself outside, as it will have had its initial vaccinations and biweekly deworming. I'm a bit concerned about this advice and would appreciate input from experienced Poodle-iers.

I'm a novice at dogs and am nervous, nervous, nervous that I'll mess up some aspect of Poodle ownership, so I'm sure I'll be a frequent flyer on this forum. I'll try not to be too much of a pest, and I promise pictures once puppy arrives.

Elizabeth

 

[Johanna]

If you can, purchase an exercise pen that you can set up at stops along the way. You can even get mats that allow urine through and can be hosed off. That is what dog show folks use.

One warning - either stay by the pen when the dog is in it or purchase a top for it. Poodles are notorious for climbing/jumping out.

 

[fjm]

Welcome, and congratulations on your puppy!

I would plan on taking a puppy playpen and puppy pads - that way you can create a safe toilet space wherever you need to. At 8 weeks your puppy may still be protected by maternal antibodies, may be protected by vaccination or may not be protected at all, if the maternal antibodies inhibited the vaccination but have now worn off - this is the reason for giving a course of vaccinations and a booster at 1 year. A pen is also safer than relying on just a harness, and if you use pads you can ask the breeder to "anoint" one or two before you leave, to encourage the pup to pee.

[eta - Two minds with a single thought, Johanna!]

 

[Elizabeth]

Thanks to you both! The breeder did recommend an x-pen. I will get one of those plus puppy pads and maybe plastic so I can safely put the pen down anywhere.

 

[Raindrops]

I made a 12 hour trip with my pup and did the x pen with pee pad method. Rest areas are especially unsafe because there are so many dogs from all over the country using them to potty. I would advise bringing twice as many towels as you think you need, and try to plan for ways to clean the pup if there's diarrhea or vomit. Maybe have some jugs of water. Some puppies get carsick and so it is best to plan for the worst.

 

[Elizabeth]

Do you think a rest area would be safe if the pen was on entirely placed on plastic?

 

[Raindrops]

Do you think a rest area would be safe if the pen was on entirely placed on plastic?

Yes I did this and did not worry about it.

 

[vandog]

I had a fair drive home with my pup (took about 14 hours with traffic and snow in some sections + border crossing). We didn’t stop at rest stops with her but rather stopped at parking lots that had grass patches and then wiped her feet off after. We did stop at a few non dog friendly hotels, side of road pull outs, or parking lots with no pet stores. I did a bit of research on the route we were taking and deliberately chose the more scenic route to avoid busy areas.

We did have to stop to get her a harness, leash, water + food dishes because accidentally forgot those on the truck bed cover at one of first stops and they flew off. 🤦🏻‍♀️ I didn’t allow her to go on the floor - she stayed in my arms the whole time and she didn’t go potty at the parking lot. I didn’t bring a pen for potty breaks but that’s smart!

 

[Johanna]

Do you think a rest area would be safe if the pen was on entirely placed on plastic?

Yes. The plastic "rugs" keep your dog off the ground where others have been.

 

[cowpony]

When I brought Pogo and Snarky home we pulled off the highway and found office parks far from residential neighborhoods. I figured the chances were pretty low that someone would have walked a parvo or distemper infected dog in that location.

 

[cowpony]

I agree with others that I would not assume a puppy has functional immunity after the first set of shots. All sorts of stuff goes on during the transitional period while the maternal antibodies are fading and the puppy antibodies are starting to be produced.

 

[PeggyTheParti]

Congratulations!! That's going to be such an exciting trip.

We only had a 5 hour drive, but we stopped at a shopping plaza and let Peggy potty at the far end of the parking lot. It didn't seem like somewhere people would commonly walk their dogs. We also stopped at a small turnout, off the highway, when she was seeming restless. It wasn't a rest stop, just a safe place to pull over. Again, it didn't seem like somewhere that would be frequented by dogs.