The day you collect your Labrador puppy is exciting, but for your puppy it\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s how to prepare for bringing your puppy home by car<\/strong>, from the day before to your arrival home.<\/p>\n 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<\/strong>: with an empty tummy the risk of vomiting and car sickness is much lower. Usually it\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n It\u2019s also the right time to ask the breeder for:<\/p>\n MyLabrador\u2019s puppies go home after 90 days of age. If you live far away, ask us about our puppy delivery<\/a><\/strong> option, available on request after your visit to the kennel.<\/p>\n Always take someone with you. That way, while you drive, your passenger can keep the puppy close, and it won\u2019t suffer the shock of finding itself alone in the boot right after leaving its mother and littermates.<\/p>\n After a while it will settle down and sleep like a baby at your passenger\u2019s feet or on their lap. Don\u2019t 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\u2019ll see it relax within minutes of setting off.<\/p>\n A safety note: your puppy should travel on the back seat or at the passenger\u2019s feet, never in front of an airbag and never loose near the driver\u2019s 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.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n On a long journey, stop every hour and a half to two hours to give your puppy water and a chance to relieve itself.<\/p>\n Your puppy hasn\u2019t 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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s normal, and in most puppies it passes with later journeys.<\/p>\n Many of our families travel to Modigliana from other countries. The nearest airport is Bologna Guglielmo Marconi (BLQ), about 1 hour 15 minutes\u2019 drive from the kennel, and we recommend hiring a car there. If you\u2019re making a longer trip, see our tips on where to stay<\/a><\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n Yes, it\u2019s 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\u2019s why it\u2019s worth telling the breeder what time you\u2019ll collect your puppy.<\/p>\n On the first journey it can travel on the back seat or at the passenger\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n It\u2019s best to avoid the grass verges and dog areas at service stations, because your puppy hasn\u2019t completed its vaccinations and could catch diseases such as parvovirus. Choose a quiet patch of grass or use a puppy pad.<\/p>\n Stop as soon as it\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n We look forward to welcoming you in Modigliana (FC), in the Tramazzo Valley in Italy. On collection day we\u2019ll explain everything you need for the journey and the first days at home, and we\u2019re here for you afterwards too. Discover our Labrador puppies<\/a><\/strong> or contact us<\/a><\/strong> to arrange your visit.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The day you collect your Labrador puppy is exciting, but for your puppy it\u2019s 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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":27883,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"image","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[486],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27909","post","type-post","status-publish","format-image","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-labrador-behaviour","post_format-post-format-image"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mylabrador.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27909","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mylabrador.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mylabrador.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mylabrador.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mylabrador.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27909"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.mylabrador.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27909\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27912,"href":"https:\/\/www.mylabrador.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27909\/revisions\/27912"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mylabrador.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27883"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mylabrador.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27909"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mylabrador.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27909"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mylabrador.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27909"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Before you set off: tell the breeder<\/h2>\n
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What to pack for the car<\/h2>\n
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Don\u2019t go alone<\/h2>\n
During the journey: stops, heat and car sickness<\/h2>\n
Take regular breaks<\/h3>\n
Be careful at service stations<\/h3>\n
Never leave your puppy alone in the car<\/h3>\n
Drive gently to prevent car sickness<\/h3>\n
Coming from abroad?<\/h2>\n
Arriving home<\/h2>\n
Frequently asked questions about your puppy\u2019s first car journey<\/h2>\n
Should my puppy travel on an empty stomach?<\/h3>\n
Where should my puppy sit in the car?<\/h3>\n
How often should I stop?<\/h3>\n
Can my puppy get out at motorway service stations?<\/h3>\n
What should I do if my puppy is sick in the car?<\/h3>\n
Can I leave my puppy in the car with the window open?<\/h3>\n
About to collect your puppy?<\/h2>\n