Hi there!

If you had seen my last thread in the welcome area I'm sure you could have guessed that this thread was coming next. I am in the process of setting up my home and puppy proofing it as much as possible. I've got baby gates to keep the puppy contained to the living room so he doesn't get overwhelmed when he first gets home. I've got a large crate with divider and 'bedding' and paper towels setup in the corner of the living room. His food and what not are also in that corner (should I keep them seperate in the kitchen or can that come later?). I had intended to move his crate into the bedroom at night so he doesn't lose sight/scent of me in the evening and then move it permanently to the living room after a few days depending on how well he does. I think I have everything good to go.

My biggest concern at this time is the journey home. I am picking him up at minimum 8 hours away by car. I don't want to drag his rather large wire crate all the way for the trip, just to have to set it up when I get him home again. Is a smaller travel kennel/den/crate going to be okay for this trip? Any tips or tricks you can suggest for the long ride home. I'm going to have all his things from his home/litter with me as well, food and what not. Towels, bedding, newspapers, wipes, water... Anything I'm going to really wish I had?

Also! I've been devouring Cesar Milan books and I like his style. Somebody warn me if the guy is a hack now because if he is, well, I might be truly lost!

Thank you for your responses!


Ryan

A smaller travel kennel will be just fine. Make sure you're stopping every couple hours to potty. General rule of thumb is puppy can hold their bladder the amount of hours equal to months old (so 8 week old puppy = 2 months = can hold it roughly 2 hours).

There are mixed opinions of Cesar Milan here. Some of this opinions can actually be very damaging in certain situations (ie. alpha rolling). In general, the whole alpha theory is pretty much a crock. I know that some people will pick and choose which of his methods to follow.

Sara gave you the advice I would have. If there are two (or more) of you going to pick up the pup then you might find holding him in a towel in your lap more comforting for everyone concerned. Puppies can get really loud and distracting if they think they're being ignored / mistreated. Yep, plan on stopping every two hours or less, it's good to just let everyone stretch their legs and gives them time to water the grass rather than the back seat.

Cesar Milan - as Sara has said, there are a lot of opinions about him and I'm one of the "I don't like him!" The alpha roll is only a part of his package of training and I very seldom resort to force to get my dogs to do what I want them to. All to often, imho, he resorts to force and much too early. You'll get much better response by treating with love and caring than with a 2x4. Puppies, especially puppies, want to please you so try the "Praise the good stuff to an extreme and try to ignore the 'oops'" you'll all be happier in the long run.

Regarding the food in the crate / crate in the living/bedroom. Start now to raise the dog you want in a year! dogs and puppies and most people don't like the rules changing on them so do now what you want him to do later. If you're going to feed him in the kitchen, don't put his food in the crate, put it in the kitchen.

I'm really not a fan of Cesar Milan. If I had to summarize my dog training philosophy, it would be sort of like raising a a child. Benign. Show them what I want them to do, praise them when they comply, say no when they start to do something unacceptable. I give a warning uh uh uh. With a puppy, you have the added benefit of picking him up and removing him.

Enjoy your puppy