How To Bring A Puppy Home In A Car
Are you bringing your puppy home in a car but you have no idea how to prepare, what to buy and what to do during the trip? Luckily you have come to the right place as in this article we go into depth about everything you need to do and know when you are bringing a puppy home in the car for the first time.
Table of Contents
How To Prepare Your Car For The Drive Home
To bring your puppy home in a car, you firstly need to prepare it. To do this you need to make sure that you have bought and packed dog car products such as a dog seat cover, dog seatbelt, a travel crate, a collapsible dog bowl for water, an old towel, an empty folder and a container for dog food.
Check out the full dog car accessory checklist below…
Puppy Checklist For The Car Ride Home
1. Empty Folder To Store Dog Records
One item that most people forget when preparing their cars from the drive home with a new puppy is an empty folder. While this may seem like an unusual must have dog product, it is actually very important for storing all your dog’s records including their birth certificate, information about food and care as well as vaccination records.
2. Dog Seat Cover/Hammock
A dog seat cover, also known as a dog car hammock, is a piece of fabric that sits over your back seats, secured with loops around the front and back headrests. They can come in both full and half sizes depending on how many dogs or people you usually transport in your car.
The main benefit of a dog seat cover is that they protect your car’s upholstery from dirt and mud your dog may bring into the car. It can also protect your seats from scratches as well as shedding fur if your dog is not a hypoallergenic breed.
Additionally, a dog car seat cover contains your dog in a smaller area of your car and with the side walls, prevents your dog from climbing through to the front of your car and posing as a distraction. Overall, it makes your car a much safer environment for your puppy.
These Dog Seat Covers Are Great Options…
1. Kurgo Half Seat Dog Hammock Car Seat Cover
Find Out The Current Price On Amazon Here
2. Dirtbag™ Dog Seat Cover
Find Out The Current Price On Muttropolis Here
3. Dog Seat Belt & Car Harness
In addition to a dog seat cover I would suggest that you get a dog seat belt to secure your dog, like how you would a human passenger, into your car. They simply work by clipping one side into the red seatbelt slot and then connecting the other side to your dog’s harness.
Safety Tip: Never connect a dog seatbelt to a dog’s collar as it can cause them to choke in the instance of heavy braking or an accident. Always connect it to the back of your dog’s harness.
Check Out These Dog Seat Belts & Car Harnesses…
1. A Pet Hub Adjustable Dog Seat Belt
Find Out The Current Price On Chewy Here
2. Petmate Ultimate Travel Harness
Find Out The Current Price On PetMate Here
4. Soft Dog Travel Crate
The alternative way to transport your puppy home from the breeder is to use a soft dog travel crate. One of these is a great dog product investment if you have a tiny or small dog breed that will get use out of it once they are fully grown. Many people use these travel crates for trips to the vet in addition to car rides.
This Is One Of The Best Dog Travel Crates..
1. Gen7Pets Commuter Pet Carrier
Find Out The Current Price On PetMate Here
5. Collapsible Dog Travel Bowl
When your puppy is travelling home in the car, you will need to bring a collapsible dog travel bowl to ensure they stay hydrated. They are generally made of silicon and have a clip on the side so you can attach it to your backpack when you are out and about with your dog. When you need to use it you can simply pop it out to its full size from the flat way it is stored. In addition to water, you can also feed your dog kibble or treats out of one of these, which is handy when you go on long car rides.
Pro Tip: It’s a really good idea to store one of these in the glove box of your car so you can always give your dog access to water when you are away from home.
Check Out This Collapsible Dog Travel Bowl…
Find Out The Current Price On Chewy Here
6. An Old Towel or Puppy Pads
When you are bringing your puppy home in the car from the breeder, they will not have a very large bladder capacity and subsequently won’t be able to hold on for long periods of time. While you should factor in stops during your car ride home, sometimes a puppy can just not hold on for long enough. That is why you should put an old towel or puppy pads over your car seats to soak up any accidents.
Find Out The Current Price On Amazon Here
Read Also: How Often You Should Stop When Driving With Your Dog
7. A Blanket Or Toy From The Breeder
Before you leave the breeder, you should ask if it is possible to take home a toy or blanket as a source of comfort for your puppy. If the answer is yes, put this as close as possible to your puppy during the car ride home. The scent on the toy or blanket will calm them down and put them at ease.
If your breeder doesn’t offer to give you a blanket or a toy from the litter, ask if you can rub your own blanket over your puppy’s mother or siblings to transfer the scent. Again, this will act as a comfort source and curb anxiety on the big car ride home.
8. A Container With A Sample Of Puppy Food
The last thing that you should have in the car for the drive home is a container with a sample of the food your dog was eating at the breeder. This means you can slowly ween your dog off this food and onto your preferred food to avoid an upset stomach.
Read Also: Everything You Need To Bring When Taking Your Puppy Home In The Car
Where Should Your Puppy Sit In The Car?
Ideally, your puppy should sit on the backseat of your car with a dog seatbelt or in a dog hammock or dog booster seat. While a dog can sit on the passenger front seat of your car, they can pose as a distraction risk and some countries even have laws against this. It is also much more dangerous for your dog to sit in the front of the car compared to the back seat in the instance of a car accident. The final option is for your dog to travel in the boot of your car, however this is not a great transportation method for young puppies as it can make them anxious about car rides and reluctant to take them in the future. Whatever you do, your puppy should never sit on your lap while driving.
How Often Should You Stop When Driving With A Puppy?
You should stop for a toilet break when your puppy’s bladder is around a third to half full. You can calculate this by using the formula that a puppy can hold their bladder for roughly one hour for every month of their age. A puppy is usually 8 weeks old (2 months) when you take it home from the breeder. Therefore it can hold it’s bladder for roughly 2 hours however you should stop roughly every 40 minutes to an hour for a toilet break.
How Do You Calm Down A Puppy In A Car?
The best way to calm down a puppy in a car is to have someone sit next to them (if possible), speak in a soothing voice and pat or massage your dog to make them feel loved and comforted. Before your car ride you should try to exercise your puppy for about fifteen minutes to tire them out and decrease stress. The main reason why a puppy will feel stresses or anxious during their first car ride is because they are being separated from their family for the first time and are in a foreign location.
Another reason why your dog may not be calming down is because they need to go to the bathroom. In this case, pull over and let your dog have a toilet break. If your puppy still doesn’t calm down, they may be experiencing motion sickness. At a later date you can consult your vet about motion sickness medication, especially if car anxiety and motion sickness becomes a recurring problem.
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