In these days of mail order everything, some of you might choose to have your new puppy delivered from the breeder by plane. If you find the perfect pup but the breeder isn't in your neck of the woods, you will need to drive for hours and hours pick up the pup and then drive hours and hours back home, or have the pup shipped to you on a plane. While a long trip in the car may be an option for some, it is much easier to make a short trip to the airport and pick up your new bundle of joy.

An airplane ride is not a simple thing for your new pup. First, the pup has been wrenched away from it's litter mates, placed in a crate and taken to this busy, bustling place with all those people and things going on outside the door. Then it's placed in the cargo hold with all the noise of take off, the strange air and the shaking and rattling of take-off and landing. A pretty traumatic experience for a baby.

At then end of the trip, there you are, a strange family. So what should you do to make this a good experience for you new pup?

You need to make a few preparations for your trip to the airport. When you get there and pick up your pup it will have a few needs. Uppermost in your mind should be locating a nice quiet piece of lawn away from the hustle and bustle of the airport traffic. Your new pup will need to pee. If it was able to hold on to its bladder in all of the transfers, then you need to provide a place for it to get immediate relief. The trauma needs to be mediated as well, taking your pup to a safe place to relax for a bit and meet the new family is a good step to take.

So, get the pup through the baggage handling, Get it out of the crate as soon as possible and put on a leash or carry the pup to a safe place where you put on the leash. If the pup was transferred to you without a collar you will need to make sure you have one with you to connect to the leash. Your primary goal is to keep the pup safe. Don't put it down without having control of the other end of the leash, it may get spooked and run off. You wouldn't want to loose it into traffic before you even get to know it.

Once the pup has relieved itself, give it a bit of water. You should bring a bowl with you for this. You can pour a bit into your hand if you like but give it a good drink. When done, a small bit of food would be a good idea. Don't give it a full meal just a bit of something to settle the pup a bit. The digestive juices will kick in and the pup will sleep on the way home in the car.

Now that your new pup's immediate needs are care of, settle down on the grass, make a leg fence and let the pup explore your family for a bit. Give each one of you a bit of food or a piece of Kibble and give it to the pup when it comes to each of you. This will start to make you and your family a really good thing for your puppy. Just let it explore and get used to your smells in a nice relaxed place.

When it has snuggled a bit, you can start to move to your car. Try to keep your excitement level down until you get home. Let the pup feel secure and safe with its new people. Life can begin tomorrow, today is all about comfort and security.

Enjoy your new puppy and Congratulations!