Traveling home with new puppy question.

[lynnt-wa]

Hi, I am new here and I have a question about traveling. We are headed home from Arizona to Washington (state) and travel in a Class A motorhome. Puppy is only 11 weeks old and has not had all of her vaccines so I need to avoid dog parks etc. She is not totally potty trained so I still need to take her out at some time in the early morning to do her duty. Does anyone have any suggestions ideas etc. of how I can accomplish a 2-week trip (side trips)? I do have a crate and an exercise pen which I can roll out a piece of linoleum to cover the bottom of. I just d1on't want to undo the potty training that has been done, but if I have to use pott pads then I will.

 

Any suggestions, ideas, etc will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,

LynnT

11 week Mini Australian shepherd.

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hello, and welcome to the forums!

Any chance to postpone the trip at least until those last vaccination series are done? In general, puppy vaccination boosters are given starting at 6-8 weeks and then are given every 3-4 weeks up to when the puppy is 16 weeks. After the last vaccine at 16 weeks, generally an extra 7-10 days give or take may be needed (ask your vet for specific timeframe recommendations as to when your puppy should be completely immune).

 

This could help considering that you may have to stop frequently to let the puppy go potty and some areas may not be safe with an unvaccinated puppy. Last time we traveled with our dogs across the country, we stopped at several "rest areas" on the highway that weren't as clean as we hoped as they were frequented by many dogs needing potty breaks. Even grassy areas near gasoline stations were unfortunately quite unsanitary.

[lynnt-wa]

Thanks for replying - sadly we cannot postpone she just had her second round at 10 weeks so would be 3 or 4 weeks before able to have next shot. :( She is 11 weeks now

 

I just will have to find areas and watch closely. Luckily she doesn't need grass to do her duty she does go in gravel so I can look for places and I do have the puppy pads.

Edited May 25, 2019 by lynnt-wa

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Unfortunately then there is no way to stop exposure. Limiting that exposure though to avoiding common areas where dogs aggregate and go potty is key to minimizing vulnerability to bacteria and viruses. Hopefully, your pup has had the bordetella (kennel cough vaccine) on top of the other core vaccinations. The only things that come to mind are to limit to a leash to potty, limit sniffing in areas where there are other dog feces and try to stay away as much as possible from the more commonly used areas. Wiping your puppy's paws before climbing back in would definitely be a good idea as a precaution, however consider that shoes may also carry bacteria and viruses.

 

Parvo is a main concern with young puppies especially considering that it can be life threatening. In order to get infected, the puppy must be exposed to the viral particles found in dog feces, infected soil and anything that can carry the virus around (fomites) such as shoes, car tires, the dog's paws, etc. The virus is transmitted through the fecal-oral route. This doesn't mean that a puppy necessarily has to eat the feces of an infected dog to get the disease, a puppy can get parvo by simply licking his paws after walking on contaminated soil (grass, gravel any surface virtually) or the sole of the owners' shoes. It is also possible for puppies to get it from eating food off the ground. Please ask your vet for specific tips/advice for this trip to play it safe.

 

In regards to maintaining your pup's progress in the potty training department, it's always best to stick to the same exact feeding and going potty schedule that was used at home. However, this might not be feasible on a trip. It's good that you have a plan in place for using the pee pads. Setbacks in potty training are not uncommon when pups are travelling and moving to new places, this happens as well to adult dogs.

 

I hope this help,

Have a safe trip,

Adrienne

[JMFS]

Not sure if these are viable with the travel, but it might be an option to let puppers outside instead of doing the potty thing inside. Since you're traveling I limited my searches to Petsmart and Petco since they're usually easily found.

 

https://www.petsmart.com/dog/training-and-behavior/potty-training/poochpadandtrade-indoor-turf-dog-potty-classic-premierandtrade-53213.html# (this one wasn't available in my area, but it may be in yours)

https://www.petsmart.com/dog/training-and-behavior/potty-training/top-paw-disposable-dog-litter-pan-36426.html (same with this one and I'm not sure if this is even a good alternative)

 

https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/dog/poochpads-indoor-turf-dog-potty-plus (this one is showing available in store, but that's for my area so no promises)

https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/dog/so-phresh-dog-litter-with-odor-control-paper (the litter that goes in it the litter pan)

https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/dog/so-phresh-dog-litter-box (the litter pan - these two paired items are showing as available in my store so perhaps they would be in yours, too)

https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/dog/poochpads-indoor-dog-potty-pro# (this one has 2 stars but I don't know why - I can't see reviews so don't know if it's a superficial complaint or something important)

 

And then I found a pad holder that could be put outside, but would keep pups off the ground. It appears available for pick up in my area: https://www.walmart.com/ip/OUT-Floor-Protection-Dog-Pad-Holder-Fits-21-x-21-pads-or-larger/24093554

 

I tried! I was thinking of astro turf that could be set down on the ground and then hosed off before putting it back in the motorhome. I did have a co-worker whose dog would Not go outside at night so he trained Oliver to go in the tub instead. Not sure how strong your aversion is to that idea and if you have an area that would be suitable for that (most motorhomes I've seen don't have a tub, but they're getting fancier every day), but I'm throwing it into the pile just in case. We do what we have to sometimes! Never in my life did I think I'd be squeezing anal glands, but there I am, every month, fixing up poor stinky Gerts.

[lynnt-wa]

Thanks, Adrienne and thank you Jennifer M for the good ideas. I have thought about a roll of astroturf just have to make sure I fold it so as not to contaminate the turf when putting it back into storage. I also have a roll of vinyl for under the exercise pen. I think I will make it even if we have accidents we will survive and get home safely.

 

 

Much appreciated

LynnT