# New Puppy - Going on Vacation



## Mistermcgoo (Dec 5, 2016)

Hi all, newbie to the forum here and future GSD owner .

After much research my fiance' have decided on getting a GSD from a reputable breeder here in Pennsylvania.

We do have a question on leaving the puppy while we go on vacation to the Outer Banks with my fiance's family next summer..

The breeder is planning the future litter to be available by the late spring (later April/May) of next year. Our vacation is scheduled for the last week in July.. so that would mean our puppy would be approximately 4 months old at that point.

My question is, how crucial is that age for bonding and training? We would most likely leave her home and have a good friend or relative come over the take care of her while we're gone for the week.

Me, being the worry wart that I am, am concerned about any disruption in the emotional bonding process. Will this cause any emotional damage at that young of an age? The breeder assured us that the puppy would be fine for the weeks time, but we just want to make sure that we do everything we can to do things right and develop a really strong bond with her.

If anyone has any suggestions, I'm all ears. Especially considering this will be oit first GSD. If it came down to it I had told my fiance that I would stay home from vacation and let her go ahead on vacation if it was best for our puppy.

Thanks in advance


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## Mary Beth (Apr 17, 2010)

I agree with your breeder that your pup will be fine for a week when you are gone. I would suggest that the puppy sitter spend some time with your puppy prior to your leaving, first with you there, and then for an hour or so, when you are gone. So the puppy knows you will go but come back. Also for the puppy sitter to keep to the potty training schedule you have set up.


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## cloudpump (Oct 20, 2015)

Bring the puppy with you. Then you can expose it to traveling, beaches, ocean, etc.


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## cdwoodcox (Jul 4, 2015)

We took out young pup with us on vacation last year. There was a lot she couldn't do but I was happy we did. If it is an option I agree take her with you. If not she should be fine. I know you thought maybe a family or friend would take care of her while you're gone. But have you gave any thought to a board and train facility for a week. Let them work with the dog while your on vacation.


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## Deb (Nov 20, 2010)

I'm going on vacation in a week. My four month old puppy is going with me. If it's possible, I'd look into taking him or her.


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

Deb said:


> I'm going on vacation in a week. My four month old puppy is going with me. If it's possible, I'd look into taking him or her.


That's what I would do or I won't go.


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## BigHemi45 (May 10, 2016)

Our pup will be 6 months when we have to travel to my brothers wedding. If I wasn't already bringing a 2 year old, I would bring the pup. Luckily my breeder also boards so I am going to leave him there for the week.


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## Mistermcgoo (Dec 5, 2016)

Thank you all for the responses!


We already looked into bringing the puppy with us to the beach, we thought it would be great for her to experience new sights, smells, sounds, people etc.. but unfortunately the rental house does not allow pets .


Our breeder said if she is available during that timeframe that she would watch her for us, but she could not guarantee that she would be. That would be our first choice since it may be somewhat hard to find someone to cover the whole week. 


Maybe I'm just worrying about it too much lol. I recall reading somewhere that up until about 6-8 months is a "critical" emotional bonding period and that leaving a puppy for an extended period of time could possibly cause a disruption. Simply stated, we just don't want to run the risk of interfering with the natural bonding/training process and want to have the best possible experience with the upbringing of our new pup.


I would normally say that I would stay home with the puppy and sacrifice a vacation if it was better in the long run for the puppy, but unfortunately I haven't taken a vacation in almost two years :/.. As I said, if any of you experienced GSD owners think that it could possibly cause any develople issues like seperation anxiety etc. I will make that sacrifice in a heartbeat. The consenus seems to be somewhat split here


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## SuperG (May 11, 2013)

I had a similar situation...4 month ( almost ) old pup...vacation already planned.....pup was the one I wanted. There was an upside and a potential downside. Downside is.........make certain your fiance's family is fully aware of what they are getting into.......that age can test many a " it's just a cute puppy" attitude. The lady I have trusted over the years with our dogs.....is dog/pup savvy and very honest.....she did remark that the experience reminded her of how willful and rambunctious a GSD pup can be at that age...imagine that. The upside was....besides my wife and me....she is one of two who can enter my house without being challenged. Also....whenever we require this lady's dog sitting services...our dog is jacked to see her and upon our return our dog is infinitely more "normal" than years ago when we left our previous dogs at the " Hound Dog **** Hole Hotel " type places.

If your fiance's family doesn't have much dog smarts....well...it gets riskier. I took the time and made an " operating manual " for my pup that first time....detailed as possible...do not assume anything...items such as down time after feeding, your training protocol, corrections, verbal markers, tendencies, play interaction etc.......no detail is too small.

FWIW.....see if you can get your fiance's family to bring your pup over to your house on occasion...to play with the pup in your yard....eat a meal...and smell the smells of you and your pup's home while you are away. I also would introduce the pup to your fiance's family a fair amount before you leave...both at your place and theirs.

I had absolutely no fallout from entrusting this particular lady with our pup at that age.....it is important that I mention...if our "dog lady" would not have been available to care for our new pup at that particular time....I would have canceled the vacation....as she is the only one I trusted at that significant moment in my pup's development.

Biggest factor IMO....make certain your fiance's family is up to the task and well informed on how to deal with the pup properly.


SuperG


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## Momto2GSDs (Mar 22, 2012)

Here is a good article by Whole Dog Journal about vacationing with your dog: Planning on Taking Your Dog on Your Next Vacation? Make it a Great Experience! | Whole Dog Journal

We took our 10 week old pup on vacation with us but I made sure that his immune system was boosted with supplements and we always used probiotics daily to insure a healthy gut! About 75% of the immune system lies in the gut so it is VERY important to keep it healthy with "good bacteria".
One Simple Step to Radically Boost Your Pets Immune System

Also another thing to consider is vaccinations.
Make sure that there are no vaccination' given at least 4 weeks prior to vacation. Vaccination's can pull down the immune system leaving it weak and vulnerable. Conventional Vets don't tell you these things! 
Multiple vaccinations should NOT be given at one time. Here is an appropriate schedule by Dr. Jean Dodds: Dr. Jean Dodds' Pet Health Resource Blog | Virus and Vaccine Related Articles 


Don't forget that the pup will be exposed to many sights, sounds, people and environments that he/she has not experienced. 
A vacation would give me a reason to pause and re-access if my pup was shy or hesitant about different situations/places.

Moms


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## Deb (Nov 20, 2010)

Mistermcgoo said:


> Thank you all for the responses!
> 
> 
> We already looked into bringing the puppy with us to the beach, we thought it would be great for her to experience new sights, smells, sounds, people etc.. but unfortunately the rental house does not allow pets .
> ...


 
I think you need to wait and see how your puppy is doing at that point in time. How your pup is doing will help you in what you may choose to do. As it gets closer you may find your breeder can take him or her. I wouldn't stress over it now. Wait and see when it gets closer to the time of your vacation. Now that you know you'll have a dog you can look into places in the future that allow pets.


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

How about finding another rental? I am not worried about the emotional bonding or not but more about what his experiences will be when you cannot supervise. They are at a critical age where bad experiences can last a life time. The only boarding place I trust with a new dog is Deja's breeder. Not just because he is a breeder but I know that he knows what he is doing, based on how his dogs turn out.


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## WateryTart (Sep 25, 2013)

Deb said:


> I think you need to wait and see how your puppy is doing at that point in time. How your pup is doing will help you in what you may choose to do. As it gets closer you may find your breeder can take him or her. I wouldn't stress over it now. Wait and see when it gets closer to the time of your vacation. Now that you know you'll have a dog you can look into places in the future that allow pets.


I agree with this. Wait and see.

I chose not to leave my puppy behind at that age; we didn't have anyone to watch her, and I was completely unwilling to board her at four months old. So she came with us to a family wedding, because us not going wasn't an option that my family was willing to entertain. Had she absolutely not been allowed, I would have sat out the wedding and let my family be mad. I had already waited a year for her, so I wasn't going to bump to a later litter to accommodate the trip. But we basically waited to see; in my head, I was reserving the right to skip the wedding if it truly wasn't going to be a good idea to take her. As it was, she went and behaved beautifully and the only people who likely objected to her presence were probably the parents who weren't allowed to bring their kids but then saw me with a puppy at the reception.


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## Nurse Bishop (Nov 20, 2016)

cloudpump said:


> Bring the puppy with you. Then you can expose it to traveling, beaches, ocean, etc.


Heres my Inga at 4 months. Swimming :wink2: Bring the puppy. It will be fun. Be sure to bring the crate to keep her in at night and other times.


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## Nurse Bishop (Nov 20, 2016)

Oh. I just saw the part about no dogs allowed at the vacation house. ... Can you keep the dog at the vacation house but outside and sleep in the crate in the car? Can you yourself stay at a nearby motel? Motel 6's allow pets, no charge. A puppy should be able to play on the beach!


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## Deb (Nov 20, 2010)

The OPs family has already rented where they will be and no pets are allowed.


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