Meet Monty

[Landy andy]

Hi,

Am new to all this so would like to get any feed back on our plans.

But first, meet Monty



We collect him next weekend. We then have a four to five hour drive to bring him home. We plan to put cage/crate on back seat of car, so we can monitor him on the journey, and stop every hour so that he can stretch his legs, although cage is big. Although i understand we must be careful where he goes as has had no injections yet, and won't come back if he gets off the lead. Is it best to make cage all bed, or part bed, part play area/toilet/water supply? Or do we not use crate, and jus use open box with person sat beside? Any other first time travel tips?

When home we have a cage as his bedroom which we are thinking 50/50 split, into bed/feed area, with a play pen placed at front of cage, so Monty can choose which area he wishes to be in. Good so far?

At night do we keep this open method of playpen, and bedroom (cage), or restrict him to bedroom only, but that would make him toilet in his bedroom, although only half would be bed? We are planing on using pee pads in pen or other half of bedroom, but do these pads encourage toilet use, or just absorb it?

Thanks for any input you have, we are new to all this, and want it to be the nicest experience for Monty that we can provide. Although I do understand that all families and dogs are different, so will be a bit suck it and and see.

Thanks
Andy

[*Marie*]

Exciting! For the crate, we had a large one and put a devider in it so Bracken just had room to sleep in, helps with the house training as they don't like soiling their beds! Taking him out side as soon as he wakes, feeding and playing! Monty is cute and as for the journey ours was a2 hour journey and Bracken was fine in the crate all the way home without getting out as even though we stopped ourselves he was asleep! X

[Archie bean]

Hi and welcome. Monty is 
I've never used a crate so can't advise on your arangements at home although it pretty much sounds like you have it very well planned. There are quite a few threads on here and if you do a search for crate training you should find some good advice. Plus, I'm sure someone will be along in a minute to help you out. 
On the journey home I would just have him on your knee with the crate next to you on the back seat. He can go in there if he wants but as it will be new and confusing for him and I think the comfort of snuggling on a warm lap will help him settle. My boy Archie had a similarly long journey home (due to various accidents on the road - it was meant to be 2 1/2 hrs!) it started OK with him sleeping in a small pet carrier next to me but he got pretty wound up by the end of it. He did need a wee so have puppy pads ready - you can't put him down outside the car yet unless you know it is a safe area.
When we picked up my mums pup Jade in January she sat on mums lap the whole way home and slept. It was only an hours journey though!

[twiceover2]

I would also say try and have him on your lap on a towel for the journey home. As he won't have had his jabs you won't be able to let him out of the car at all even to toilet.  Hopefully, he will sleep and not need to go but he may well have an accident so I'd just take stuff to clean up.  If he's on a towel you can just bundle it into a bag and get a clean one out.  Remember to take him some water, especially if it's hot.

[helenb14]

We had a long journey home with Seve, the breeder had introduced the crate to him, as I said I was going to use one. We popped him in there with newspaper and his blanket that I had left with the breeder as well as a toy the breeder gave me so lots of familiar smells. We did stop on the way home but Seve wasn't interested in coming out. He didn't whimper or wee the whole journey, what a good boy! ( but flooded the kitchen floor as soon as we got in! Never mind)
I wanted him to get used to the crate in car straight away as we are travelling about daily, maybe start off in the crate see how he goes, we did have the middle seat down so we could see him, which is still down OH likes him to see us!!!
What a beautiful boy you have can't wait to see more photos!

[Landy andy]

Ok, so it's a big no, to letting him stretch his legs, keep him confined to the car, and just be ready with the absorbent equipment.

Think I will do the driving, and let the wife deal with puppy care

He is growing fast, earlier



Thanks for your welcomes and help so far.

Andy

[Helen]

re the toilet training - I wouldn't use any pads/newspapers but do it the old fashioned way and take him out.  I think using pads/newspapers just adds another step in the training. 

We slept downstairs with ours as we didn't want him upstairs and took him quietly outside a couple of times through the night which gradually, once his bladder got stronger, we phased out.

He's lovely - it's a very long time since mine looked like that and I'm very envious    I  also remember when Jarv finally grew into the last wrinkle on his nose   

[montydavies]

I invested in some puppy pads, just for the journey home though to avoid having a soggy lap ( or worse!).  I agree with Helen about the toilet training, you almost have to do it twice if you use pads or newspaper, although if you are using a crate overnight they can help with mess control. Monty looks lovely, have fun with him. My Monty sends you lots woofs!

[lynnruby]

Hi Andy    Monty looks absolutely gorgeous    I bet you can't wait to bring him home!

We brought Ruby home in a crate on the back seat.  We put a blanket and a puppy pad in, she didn't cry at all ......I think she was stunned into silence, but has made up for it ever since    We only had about 1 1/2 hour journey, so didn't stop.  She had a really big wee when we got home though!!

Looking forward to seeing more pics of Monty 

[BobnDot]

Hi Andy.

Monty is absolutely gorgeous and, from the plans you're making for his comfort and welfare on the journey home and afterwards, I get the feeling that he'll be going to a very caring family who'll always have his best interests at heart. 

I can't really add much to the good advice you've already been given except to agree that allowing him to use pads in his crate at first and then getting him to change to going outside may not be the best plan.
When we brought Chaz home just over six months ago, just an hour's journey thankfully, he was lifted out of the car, carried in and set down on the lawn just outside our kitchen door to choruses of "Pee, Pee" and lots of encouragement. A few seconds sniffing around and he did his first pee on his own property right there  and that's been his primary "spot" ever since  .
He was crated in the kitchen and the first few nights we took it in turns to be on Chaz listening watch but, after two or three nights of needing out after a few hours, he'd settled down to going from midnight till six in the morning quite happily and has steadily improved from there.
Bringing up a puppy can be both the most magical experience and the most frustrating time you'll ever have but I'm sure you're more than up to it and I wish you nothing but the best for Monty.............Don't forget, take LOTS of photos and videos NOW as their puppyhood soon passes.

Bob.

 

[lisamg]

Hi Andy

Monty is absolutely gorgeous 

We are collecting our puppy Charlie next weekend too so look forward to sharing stories and tips with you along the way.  We have an hour and half trip home and were planning on using a small pet carrier on the back seat beside me with pads in the bottom. I'm sure it won't be long before he's on my knee though!!  I had the same questions about the crate at home so the replies have been really useful. 

Good luck and have fun 

Lisa

[elaine.e]

Hi and welcome to COL

Monty looks gorgeous

I'm in the opposite camp to pretty much everyone else on here when it comes to puppy pads (sorry if this is going to confuse things). When William was a puppy he was already used to a crate when he came to me, having had a crate and playpen at his breeder's house. I had a big crate at home and used half of it as a bed and the other half with puppy pads in it. The crate was the only place where I used the pads and they were for my benefit really as William was a good sleeper at night so I preferred to let him use the pads as needed at night so that I could get a good night's rest too. He was very quick to learn about going outside for a pee/poo in the daytime and it wasn't long before he was able to go through the night as well, so I honestly don't think the pads confused him or slowed his housetraining down at all, plus I was getting a good night's sleep.

Louis was different, an anxious puppy. I tried the same with him but he was a night time howler, incredibly difficult to get settled at bedtime and then awake and crying several times a night. I had to get up to him and take him out in the garden 2 or 3 times every night then settle him again, but he still used his pads and his bed to pee and poo in every night. Eventually I gave up on the crate and used a pen with bed, space for playing and puppy pads and he started settling and sleeping a lot better immediately. He used the pads but didn't use his bed any more thank goodness. He was fine in the daytime but overall slower to train than William.

So they're all different and you may have to try different strategies with Monty until you find what suits you and him best.

[Lily Freya]

What a gorgeous pupster Monty is.

Looking forward to reading more, and seeing pics as he grows.

Good luck with all the training.  Nothing really to add to the great advice you've been given,

[Redked]

Beautiful little boy. I adore the chocs (its liver officially isn't it?).

Just to add our experience as we've only had ours 7 weeks, we put puppy pads in half the crate and bed in other-more for the ease of soaking up the mess rather than using them to teach her. We've never had any mess at all on the pad or the bed (so as not to tempt fate I'll add 'yet'). As others have said, we were told pads in the house teaches them to go indoors so we never put them anywhere except the crate. We only ever used about 8 pads and they were only changed because of food on them or muddy paws-we put her vet bed in after 3 weeks of dry nights. We got up to let her out a few times the first few nights but she hated getting up-we'd carry her outside and she would run back in whining so we stopped after a few days with the night time wake-ups and she's always been totally dry overnight (so far). Some pups just don't mess near their beds at all and you might find that works for yours too.

We made sure she went outside every 10-15 mins in the day. Its very tiring and cold and wet at times and you don't get to sit down for the first 3 weeks or more but the more times you take them out, the less chance they have to pee in the house and it then becomes natural for them outdoors. I have to add that toilet training is THE ONLY thing that Bonnie has learnt quickly. Everything else is just bloody hard work and I don't think she will ever learn  Good luck and enjoy your little man x

[Sharpie]

Monty is v cute!!!

WE had a 3.5 hours journey home from the breeders- I sat on the back seat with Daisy with her Pets at Home soft bed on my lap and a cardboard box with puppy pads in it next to me in case she was travel sick etc...we expected to have to stop, but she was as good as gold and we didn't ..

We bought a whole box of puppy pads, but only actually used them as expensive floor wipes (!!)...she didn't like her crate much, and we have dispensed with it now, but she is pretty much house trained...every puppy is different- my friend swears by her crate for her pup, but we have managed pretty well without one..like others have said- ever pup is different..enjoy Monty!!