New to Midwest Doodle, advice on long car rides with a puppy!

[Mindy's fam]

Hi all, I moved to Missouri only 3 months ago and recently got an Aussiedoodle named Mindy. Mindy is now 14 weeks old and we would like to take her with us to VA for the Christmas holiday and we plan on driving.  Any suggestions for driving that far with a  puppy? She will be about 17 or 18 weeks old by that point.

Also, I would love to hear from Missouri folks who own Aussiedoodle pups. We live in Columbia.

[Amy and Annabelle]

Mine travels in her kennel so I can strap her in a seat belt. I throw a towel over it as she seems to travel better that way. When she was younger I used a calming spray, she no longer needs it now, but for a car ride that long she might. I also have water bottle especially for dogs that she will drink from so I don't have to mess with bowls. Luckily with mine what goes in, comes out pretty quick, so I can give her drink and she will pee right away. Then get back in the car and be on our way.

[Mindy's fam]

Thanks Amy and Annabelle, the water bottle sounds like a great suggestion. 

[Marlana & Amos]

Hi there! We live in Columbia with our Irishdoodle and Border Collie. Welcome to Missouri!

[Mindy's fam]

Hi Marlana! Maybe when Mindy is a little bigger, we can schedule a play date with our doodles. She is just starting her 16th week.

[Marlana & Amos]

That would be fun! Mindy is adorable, by the way! We are traveling to southeast Missouri for Christmas, which will be Amos's longest drive yet. I hope your trip goes well, and you have a great holiday!

[Mindy's fam]

Same to you Marlana! I love Amos, he is a beautiful pup! Hope to meet up soon when my little one matures a bit! Happy Holidays!

[Theresa and Doodle Dagny]

Hi!  We drove from Minnesota to pick up our Doodle in Colorado.  I posted my experience a couple of weeks ago, and thought I'd re-post for you here.  Hopefully some of this helps :)

"My name is Theresa and my Dood is an F1 Standard Goldendoodle named Dagny.  We live in Minnesota and drove to Colorado to pick her up last Friday; then we turned around and drove back to Minnesota on Monday!  11 hrs one way! Dagny did great on the drive home, but I do have some tips :)

1) The first mistake we made was [basically] ripping Dagny from her breeder's arms, throwing her in the back of a van in an unfamiliar kennel, shutting the door and then driving away.  NOT GOOD!!  Acquaint your new babe with the back of your vehicle and crate using treats, then put her in and close the crate door.  Start the car and let it sit while she's closed in the kennel...more treats. Make sure you get a blanket or toy with mom's scent for the ride. OH!  And buy puppy calming spray to spray the kennel bed down before you leave.  Lay a towel or blanket on the floor of the kennel.  Why, you might wonder?  Because, within 5 minutes Dagny had pooped and passed out in it, vomited all over and peed. We did everything wrong.  Our first stop on the way home was out to a good friend's house in Denver, only 20 minutes from the breeder.  That 20 minute ride was the hardest part of the entire experience.  Our friends in Denver have two Doods, and they were the ones that gave us those tips for the 11 hr drive home.  

2) Have lots of paper towels, baby wipes, plastic bags, and stain/odor remover :)

3) For a drive of your distance, be sure to stop at least twice for puppy romps at rest areas (probably not dog parks if she hasn't had all of her shots yet).  Chase/play tag with your Dood for a good 15 minutes to tire her out before you put her back in the crate.  Then, she will sleep hard between each stop.  Our Dagny is 11 weeks old, so she can hold it for at least 4 hrs (I've had to leave for work for about 4 hrs yesterday and today) and all night in her crate. If your Dood is younger, maybe stop every hour.

Having incorporated all these tips for the 11 hr ride home, Dagny experienced no accidents, vomiting or excessive drooling.  It was an absolutely perfect drive!"

Read more here: http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/midwestdoodles/forum/topics/new-t...

[Mindy's fam]

Thanks for those great tips! We just took Mindy on a 2 and a half hour trip for Thanksgiving and we noticed that she is resistant to getting into the car. Once in, she was quiet, and no accidents, but it's not easy getting her in there. I think using that calming spray and associating it with a treat is a great idea! Thanks again!!!