Hindsight is 20/20................

[Terri, Murfee & Emily]

Good Day Doodle Lovers, 

I am very excited to be traveling to Tennessee from Charlotte on Saturday, March 23 to bring home my little buddy Bentley. I don't recall being this excited about something since being a kid at Christmas time. Giddy on the inside, adult on the outside!  

So I believe that I am well prepared; his crates all made up for him, leash/collar with his name, heart beat puppy for his nighttime, bowls, food to transition after week 2, appointment with the vet on Monday the 25th, ready to place his insurance in force , bottled water (he's currently on well, I am a city girl), toys, etc. 

But I feel as ready as I am, I am sure I will look back in say 6 months to a year, and realize I could have done something differently to ease my transition into puppy Momma. After all, it has been 9 years since I have had a puppy! I will be traveling 4 hours with him and need some wisdom there. Do I let him only pee on a piddle pad while traveling? Do I feed him or just skip his lunch? Offer water freely?

Perhaps it was a "material" thing I should have purchased, or routine I should have changed up to help both of us out, introducing the pup to his 9 year old sister ,Golden Retriever , Emily. The 1st days to help him not be so scared, well you get where I am going.  So please,  help me out if you have some hindsight to share. I promise to "pay" it forward.

Terri 

[Carol and Banjo]

Terri,  Congratulations!!!   Your post brought a smile to my face....my husband and I still reminisce fondly about those days before bringing Banjo home....you described the excitement perfectly!    It's such fun to have all that pent up excitement!  It sounds as though you very well prepared so I can only echo what others have posted...."Get Your Rest"!      Also,  I think it's fair to say that about day 3 you may begin to wonder if you've made some horrible mistake by bringing a puppy willingly into your life....LOL.....after all....how many times can one human being be expected to run outside yet again with a puppy who seems to be a peeing/pooping machine?!     This time passes quickly, and if you put in the "extra effort" you'll be paid back triple!!!      P.S.    If it's any consolation....all that extra activity caused me to lose five pounds!   Woo Hoo!

[a.k.a. Rodney]

So far, carol yours is my fav response....and I'm including even mine!! You succinctly & accurately explained puppyhood away from the breeders.
I guess, a good phrase to take hold of is " this too shall pass"
The single most important piece of advise I got was from the breeder...about keeping pup on eye level with us at nite. So, I put her travel kennel on a chair near the head of our bed and each night have moved it a little farther away. As long as she stays quiet & sleeps thru the night..we have no issues with her in the same room . She really sleeps/stays quiet till i take her out of the kennel.
i have just started putting a tou in when she goes to bed & she will play with that till i take her from the kennel.
At 11 wks old she has surpassed my 3 yr old grandson who wakes up the whole Hse. at 6:15 a.m.
My little one can go till 8:45am.......it's all in the breeding i tell my daughter!!LOL

[Christine & Shelby]

If you have a friend or family member traveling with you, I'd suggest having them play with the puppy while you review all the documents and close business with the breeder... this way, you will have a tired pup.     I'd suggest sleeping in a t-shirt the next few nights and placing that shirt in the crate so pup can begin to get used to your scent.  My breeder provided me with a blanket that had the mom and litter mates scents on it to help ease my pups transition. 

I just brought paper towels and natures miracle to clean up any potty messes.... I didn't want to start the pee pad process.  My Shelby slept the entire way home (after about two minutes of whining - it was a 2 hour drive) - my friends did a great job exercising her while I was doing business.   The humans had to stop once for snack, beverages and restrooms :)

[Terri, Murfee & Emily]

Great idea Christine. My sister is going with me, and I will have her tire out Bentley. That should make for a smoother ride home. And.....to bring natures miracle with paper towels for the just in cases. Thanks for the ideas. 

[Star and Goldie]

This sounds very similar to my journey. I drove 3.5 hours to pick up Golide and I have a 10 year Golden Retriever! The car ride home was a breeze because she slept the ENTIRE way so I didn't have to worry about water or pottying. I did stop twice and took her out to potty those two times but other than that she was out like a light.

When I introduced her to my older Golden I had Riley in her kennel and I brought Goldie up to the fencing and let her sniff her and let them meet with a barrier in between them, just in case but they had no problems at all. After a quick introduction I opened Rileys kennel and let them play in the backyard for a few minutes. I never left them alone though until I was absolutely certain how they would do.

I was afraid since Riley is older that she would be territorial or react badly but she didn't. If anything Goldie is bringing out the puppy in Riley again and giving her new life :)  .... although Riley definitely has her 'Im old and grumpy don't touch me' moments but she just ignores Goldie when she's in those mood!

CONGRATS!!!

[Terri, Murfee & Emily]

Star, I am anxious for Emily to meet Bently. She is so laid back, that I really don't see any issues. She also is the submissive one in her pack of playmates, so I see gentleness with Bently. I too introduced my rescue pup to my 14 year old Golden Retriever, and I truly saw a huge quality of life issue, all for the better. Charlie would nudge her to go out, or to play and she loved it. Charlie then had to "train" my new golden, Emily and that was just perfect. Now that Charlie went to the rainbow bridge this past January, it has just been Emily and myself. Very quiet in the house. But not for long!! 

[Lynette Main]

The less in her belly the better,and I would stop for grass breaks instead of pads.Thats what we did when we brought our two home. We also had little harnesses fo them.  Have fun...

[Terri, Murfee & Emily]

Lynette, I too bought a little harness to put on while traveling. I had visions of Bentley slipping is regular color while at a pit stop. Then he would run due to being so scared and I wouldn't be able to find him. I am not sure if I had a dream of such mayhem  but I thought $8.00 was an excellent price to pay for piece of mind.