Moving with a dog: How to ensure comfort on an 8-hour car ride?

Yes, that will be fine for Aurora to make a two hour road trip. I wouldn't feed her right before you go in case she gets car sick, and I would make sure she goes potty right before you leave as well. It's a relatively short trip, I see no problems with it :-)

As long as Charlie likes car rides, your best option is to take him for a long walk or a game of fetch. The goal is to drain some of his energy so he is more calm and less anxious/excitable in the car. Make sure to feed him a couple hours before the ride and take him out to go potty just before he gets in the car. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It is safe for her to make the trip. I would just make frequent stops so she can stretch her legs and go to the bathroom. I wouldn’t feed her during the trip in case she gets car sick. Kisses to your new pup!

Congratulations on your new puppy! I've been in this situation as well, driving several hours home from a breeder's house with a new pup who needs to pee :) Your puppy will almost certainly need to go to the bathroom at some point during the trip - so yes, you'll need to stop somewhere. As long as he has started his vaccine series, his risk of contracting parvo or other diseases is really quite low as the vaccines are very effective... so you should use common sense and not put him in high-risk situations, but there's no reason that he can't walk in the grass for a few minutes to potty. I do normally recommend avoiding rest areas and other places that large numbers of people walk their dogs - instead, stop at a fast food restaurant or a gas station a mile or two from the highway, since this should be a much lower-traffic area in terms of strange dogs. And yes, I would recommend a crate for the car ride, for safety. Put a soft blanket and a toy or two from the breeder's, if she has one that she can send so that he has something that smells familiar.

Great question! I would make sure to mark out places along the way where you can stop to let her out to go potty. Coraline will probably need a potty break every four to six hours, and to stretch her legs. Make sure any hotels you stay in definitely accept animals, and call them to be sure. My parents made a reservation at a hotel recently that said on the website they accepted animals, but when they turned up with their cats, they were told the hotel didn't accept pets. Needless to say, they were quite upset and had to scramble to find a hotel that did accept pets. Because you mentioned that she likes to chew things in a previous post, I would note down vets and vet ER clinics in towns you stay overnight in just in case. You might want to take a few long drives with Coraline before the big trip just to make sure she doesn't get car sick. If she does, you can talk to your vet about prescribing medications to prevent that. I hope this all helps!

Thank you for submitting your question. Yes, it is ok to take young puppies on a long car ride. I would do some practice drives beforehand though to help them become acclimated to the car. You want to ensure that they will not experience any motion sickness. On the day of the drive, be sure to provide them with plenty of water. They will need bathroom breaks every 2-3 hours. A head of time, practice teaching them to urinate and defecate on the surfaces that will be readily available on your drive (grass, concrete, etc). Finally bring toys or any comfort objects along for the drive. I hope this information helps!

Hello, and thanks for your question. I would double check with your vet (who knows the specifics of the type of fracture Ernie sustained and how strict they want you to be with your exercise restriction), but I would probably be ok with you driving with him, as long as he's confined in the car so he won't be bouncing around. He should be in a well-padded small kennel where he can lay safely and not be jostled or at risk of falling over. However, make sure you're following your vet's guidelines on how much activity he's allowed to have on your trip! Hope this helps!