New puppy and summer vacation (vet, training, rabies, children)
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Two weeks ago, I found an abandoned puppy...or maybe, he found me? Either way, I was NOT expecting to bring home a puppy that day (a friend hooked me up with some "essentials"), but I'm so glad I did. He goes for his second round of shots next week, and just had his last dose of de-wormer today (eek). He's smart as a whip, and already knows how to sit and lay down at all of 12 weeks old. Several people who know better than I do have said that he is a cattle dog mix.
So, with that being said, we have a vacation planned at the end of July (he'll be just over 4 months old then). He'll have had at least two rounds of shots by then, as well as his rabies vaccine and will be microchipped. As we have it planned now, it will be my bf, his dog, myself and the puppy driving for about 21 hours to get to a family reunion, where we will be for about 4 days before driving back.
I have a collapsable crate which we will bring with us (as we will be staying in a cabin with about 7 other people). I'll bring his food and a couple of his favorite toys, to make him feel more "at home". We will have water and food available during the trip, as well as all of the necessary "potty breaks" (which will probably more for me than the puppy, to be honest ). He has been absolutely great in the car for the short drives that we have taken. Fortunately, it seems that the car puts him to sleep.
My query to all of you dog lovers is this...we have had this trip planned for about 2 years, and I am the type to sort of "go with the flow" when it comes to stuff like this, but does anyone have any experience with taking car trips/vacations with lots of people around with a young dog? Any helpful hints? He's absolutely terrific around people (his tail will immediately start wagging when he sees people, especially children). I'm sure there are many things that I haven't even thought about, so any insight would be appreciated greatly.
Make sure you don't leave him in the car for long periods. I used to travel alot in the summer (only 4 hour drive but still) If you have to stop to eat, use drive ins and eat in the car. Its too hot for pups in the car in the summer. Stop at rest stops as much as you can and let him stretch his legs. And remember a 21 hour drive could possibly become a 30 hour drive with a puppy because of stops.
We traveled with a 4 month old pup a few years ago, similar circumstances.
We weren't traveling with others though - just the two of us and our two young kids. 10 day roadtrip, 4000 miles to see family, with Mt Rushmore on the way.
We found a boy to watch the pup at the hotel near Mt Rushmore (manager's son, prearranged before the trip), but he got bored after 2 hours, so he called every 15 minutes to ask when we were coming back. We ended up cutting a planned 10 hour day down to 4 very disappointing hours, promising the kids we'd go back "someday".
Forget restaurant eating on the road - everything will be fast food once you run out of the stuff you bring along in a cooler. We love to "just pull over" and see the touristy stuff... total pain with a young pup.
If I had to do it over again, I probably would've just rehomed the pup before the trip, rather than after.
Even before the pup, we were planning on pretty much doing a straight through trip. We had spoken about a side trip to Mount Rushmore actually, but that's obviously out now.
Realistically, how long should we be able to go between stops?
If you don't want to travel with the pup you might consider enrolling him/her in "kindergarden" with an obedience trainer whith whom you can also board your pup while you are at your family reunion. In this way the time apart would be productive for the pup.
I traveled often on long road trips with my dogs. Plan your trip as you would if you had small children and crate train/pack/drive accordingly. It is always a good idea to carry with you your dogs' shot & remarkable medical histories (if any) in case they need to be treated by a vet while you are away from home.
For a 4 month old, he should be able to hold it for 4 hours... the main problem I see with him not having completed all rounds of shots is that he could be exposed to something on the trip. I've always been told not to take your puppy to public places until all shots have been given. So you might want to ask your vet about the risks. Other than that, it will be a great thing for his socialization... something that all puppies need a lot of but many people don't do. Especially if he's a cattle dog mix as they can be very protective of their owner so the more situations you expose him to early.. the more likely he will do well in a lot of social situations and will be able to go anywhere with you. Have fun!
My vet said that after the second round of shots, he will have enough immunization to do this. (This was just about the first thing I asked her.) From what she said, I wouldn't want to take him to the dog park, but to be around dogs that we know are immunized will be fine.
As far as the socialization goes, I am very conscious of this. I've seen way too many "good dogs" become weird around people because their owners sheltered them too much. From the start, my little guy has wanted to be around people, so that's what we will continue to provide him.
I will have to have his vaccination history, as we will be going across the border, so at least the rabies vaccination will be required.
Sounds like you have it covered then My main worry with the shots is rest area's or potty stops. They have dog areas there.... and that is similiar to a dog park. I guess if I was worried I might try to stop somewhere without that huge of a dog presence so he could do his business... of course with you following up with a plastic bag Have a great vacation!
sounds like you have everything planned pretty well.... and have gotten good advice here as well.....
i make a xerox copy of bailey and dave's shot records when we get home from the vet's office and keep them in the glove box of my car...... i almost always have one or both of them with me and want to have them handy in case anything ever does come up.......
when traveling with a dog, i stop about every 3 hours or so for leg stretch and potty break for both of us (dave hasn't traveled with me yet, but bailey has been to 9 states with me so far) ..... as i am usually alone, i bring the extra key to my car so that i can lock it and leave it running with ac on while i SPRINT inside for my own bathroom break...... with 2 of you on this trip, you can just take turns, leaving one with the car while the other goes......
also, when we stop, the dog gets walked first.... and for a good 10-15 minutes or so........
bailey is a cattle dog mix herself and LOVES to ride in the car with me..... she is a GREAT traveler.... and either sits up and watches out the window like a little human (gets LOTS of smiles as we pass or are passed on the highway) or curls up and sleeps......
she HATES having her picture taken and jumped into the backseat for a while right after this one.......
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). He has been absolutely great in the car for the short drives that we have taken. Fortunately, it seems that the car puts him to sleep. 
