Bringing Your Puppy Home: First Car Journey Tips
The day you collect your Labrador puppy is exciting, but for your puppy it’s also the most demanding day of its life so far: it leaves its mother, its littermates and the place it knows, and makes its first car journey. With a little preparation you can keep it calm, and lay the foundations for a dog that travels happily as an adult.
Here’s how to prepare for bringing your puppy home by car, from the day before to your arrival home.
Before you set off: tell the breeder
Agree the day and time of collection with the breeder. They need to know so they can keep the puppy on an empty stomach before the journey: with an empty tummy the risk of vomiting and car sickness is much lower. Usually it’s enough to skip the meal before departure, without overdoing the hours: for a puppy, fasting should be short, and water should never be taken away.
It’s also the right time to ask the breeder for:
- what the puppy has been eating and how much, so you don’t change its diet suddenly;
- a cloth or blanket with the scent of its mother and littermates, which will help it feel safe in the car and during the first nights;
- all the puppy’s documents: health record, microchip and pedigree details.
MyLabrador’s puppies go home after 90 days of age. If you live far away, ask us about our puppy delivery option, available on request after your visit to the kennel.
What to pack for the car
- Towels, old cloths, newspaper or an absorbent puppy pad in case of car sickness or accidents
- A bottle of fresh water and a bowl, especially in hot weather
- Poo bags and wipes
- A light collar or harness and a lead for rest stops
- A travel crate or a blanket
- The cloth with its mother’s scent, if the breeder can give you one
Don’t go alone
Always take someone with you. That way, while you drive, your passenger can keep the puppy close, and it won’t suffer the shock of finding itself alone in the boot right after leaving its mother and littermates.
After a while it will settle down and sleep like a baby at your passenger’s feet or on their lap. Don’t worry about spoiling it: a calm first journey with someone close by is a good memory. When it grows up it will happily jump into the car, and you’ll see it relax within minutes of setting off.
A safety note: your puppy should travel on the back seat or at the passenger’s feet, never in front of an airbag and never loose near the driver’s feet. For later journeys, and as it grows, get it used to a secured crate or a car harness clipped to the seatbelt, as traffic rules in most countries require animals to be suitably restrained.
During the journey: stops, heat and car sickness
Take regular breaks
On a long journey, stop every hour and a half to two hours to give your puppy water and a chance to relieve itself.
Be careful at service stations
Your puppy hasn’t finished its course of vaccinations yet. Avoid letting it walk on the grass verges and dog areas at motorway service stations, where lots of other dogs pass: that’s where it risks catching diseases such as parvovirus. A quiet patch of grass, or a puppy pad on the ground next to the car, is a better choice.
Never leave your puppy alone in the car
Not even for a few minutes, and not even with the window open. In warm weather a parked car heats up fast, and a puppy can suffer heatstroke very quickly. If you stop to eat or use the toilet, take turns: one of you stays with the puppy.
Drive gently to prevent car sickness
Take bends slowly and avoid sudden braking and accelerating. Keep the car cool and well ventilated. After all, children get a bit car sick too: it’s normal, and in most puppies it passes with later journeys.
Coming from abroad?
Many of our families travel to Modigliana from other countries. The nearest airport is Bologna Guglielmo Marconi (BLQ), about 1 hour 15 minutes’ drive from the kennel, and we recommend hiring a car there. If you’re making a longer trip, see our tips on where to stay nearby. Remember that taking a puppy to another country also requires specific documents, such as a pet passport and rabies vaccination for travel within the EU: talk to us about timing when you book.
Arriving home
When you arrive, before going inside, let your puppy sniff around a quiet corner of the garden or outside your home so it can relieve itself. Then give it some water and, after a little rest, a light meal of the same food it was eating at the kennel. Keep the first day quiet, without too many friends and relatives visiting.
In the first few days, book a check-up with your vet, taking the health record with you to plan the boosters. For feeding, here is our approach to natural dog food.
Frequently asked questions about your puppy’s first car journey
Should my puppy travel on an empty stomach?
Yes, it’s best for it to skip the meal before departure: with an empty tummy the risk of vomiting and car sickness is lower. The fast should be short and water should never be taken away. That’s why it’s worth telling the breeder what time you’ll collect your puppy.
Where should my puppy sit in the car?
On the first journey it can travel on the back seat or at the passenger’s feet, close to someone, never in front of an airbag and never loose near the driver. For later journeys a secured crate or a car harness clipped to the seatbelt is safer.
How often should I stop?
On long journeys, roughly every hour and a half to two hours, to give your puppy water and let it relieve itself somewhere few other dogs have been.
Can my puppy get out at motorway service stations?
It’s best to avoid the grass verges and dog areas at service stations, because your puppy hasn’t completed its vaccinations and could catch diseases such as parvovirus. Choose a quiet patch of grass or use a puppy pad.
What should I do if my puppy is sick in the car?
Stop as soon as it’s safe, clean it up calmly and give it a little water. Set off again driving even more gently, with the car cool. In most cases car sickness improves with later journeys; if it keeps happening, talk to your vet.
Can I leave my puppy in the car with the window open?
No. Never leave your puppy alone in the car, not even for a few minutes and not even with the window down: the car heats up fast and heatstroke is a real risk.
About to collect your puppy?
We look forward to welcoming you in Modigliana (FC), in the Tramazzo Valley in Italy. On collection day we’ll explain everything you need for the journey and the first days at home, and we’re here for you afterwards too. Discover our Labrador puppies or contact us to arrange your visit.
