Should I bring puppy with us or cancel this vacation?

[Julie and Maggie]

Oh my, all the things I have to adjust now that we are getting a puppy. I need experienced Doodle owners to help me on this one. We have scheduled a week long vacation at a cabin/home in Arnold, CA in early August. For those who don't know it is in central eastern CA and there is a lake. Not Lake Tahoe, but you get the idea. 

 

My doodle will be approximately 10 weeks old at this time. The owners of the vacation house are ok with us bringing the puppy. But these are my concerns...

 

1) By changing our scene so early, will that be disruptive or stressful for our puppy's routine?

 

2) If there is a lake, and he hasn't had a lepto shot, I need to keep him away from the water right?

 

3) This is a vacation home so I don't think there are dogs here on a regular basis, but how dangerous will it be to have the puppy playing on the grounds?

 

4) Will none of this matter because he will be hanging out in the crate most of the time still?

 

5) Am I nuts? 

 

Obviously we got this vacation planned before the idea of a puppy came. I'm not sure how much of this is a judgement call or cut and dry I need to cancel. Doesn't really matter. Puppy is priority #1. Just need some backup either way.

 

 

[PoochieBells]

Hi Julie-

I was wondering how the vacation went. We suggest to our customers that they bring PoochieBells with them on vacations because it helps pooches know how to go outside - which can be very difficult in new surroundings. Did they work for you?

Thanks-

Jennifer -PoochieBells

[Jennifer,Chloe & Myla]

I think you should take the puppy, he will get better socialization this way, and if you crate him when you are not together everything would be ok. You wouldn't enjoy your vacation if you were worried about him and most people would not want to cancel their vacation for any reason especially a little puppy who will have the time of his life. Have fun!

[Leslie J]

I think that as long as your puppy is crate trained and is accustomed to being tethered he will be fine!  Cocoa was about 12 weeks old when she took her first vacation with us and she did fine... and it was a great socialization opportunity, as nobody could stop admiring a cute puppy.  There were total strangers snapping pictures of her because they had never seen a doodle before!  As far as being safe, ask your vet what she thinks.

And no, you are not nuts!  We have always found a way to take Cocoa on vacation with us, and other than her car sickness she has always been a total trooper :)

[Camilla and Darwin]

I say take your puppy, and enjoy your vacation. Make sure to take lots of pictures. :-)

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I would take the puppy.  We took Ned in our RV as soon as we got him. Bonding is the important thing and getting used to new sights and sounds for socialization.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I agree with everyone....I took Guinness when he was just a couple of weeks older, and he was fine.  It was actually pretty easy because as a puppy he tired quickly and slept A LOT.  As long as you have the crate, you should be fine.  I really think you'd miss your puppy, and it might end up putting a damper on your vacation.

[Julie and Maggie]

Thanks everyone for the vote of confidence! Just to clarify, I would not have gone on the trip without the puppy. We would have just put it off or cancelled or something. But if you guys say it can be done then that is good enough for me!

 

[Val MacQueen and Jasper]

We have always taken our Doodles away with us in our van and before we had that, to pet friendly cabins, they have loved it. I had to laugth one time when we were away and at a market one little boy couldn't get over the fact that we were leading a sheep around til he was told "It's a Dog" . That was our first Doodle Rusty, he had beautiful wave hair and at that time he did look a bit like a sheep but enjoyed canoeing with his dad but never enjoyed swimming not like Jasper, he was straight in the water on his first trip.

[Kyoko]

I would take the puppy and enjoy the vacation as a family! I would just consult with the vet to see what do I need to watch out for....

 

[Denise & Hunter!!!]

Hunter had been camping twice at 10 weeks old!  And at 12 weeks spent a weekend in a cabin at Hocking Hills.  Just be cautious but I would take him absolutely.  I would watch the water, Hunter got sick once from a high bacteria count in Lake Erie so I always make sure to check it now.  Odds are at 10 weeks he won't want to swim a ton but you never know, Hunter jumped in the first mud puddle she found and has been a fish ever since. HAVE FUN!!!