Mandy1961 Posted December 13, 2018 Report Share Posted December 13, 2018 My 7 month old puppy is still very anxious about travelling in the car, we have only taken him on short journeys so far, a couple of times each week. He was travel sick at first but has not been actually sick for over 3 months. He just sits in the car looking out the window and dribbles and then settles down. I am using adaptil spray which we have seen a slight improvement. Unfortunately we only have a small car so no room for a crate. I have got some travel tablets for when we have to visit relatives over Christmas, but understand these will make him sleepy. Can I just ask if anyone has had experience of this and have your dogs eventually been ok with travelling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D'Elle Posted December 13, 2018 Report Share Posted December 13, 2018 Hi Mandy, I have had quite a bit of experience with this. You can get your dog over this, and I have taken a dog from terror of the car to loving the car, but it will take time and patience. Ideally, you go through a de-sentization protocol with the dog and do not make him ride in the car at all during this time. If you have to take him to visit relatives, that can't be helped, and perhaps the tablets are the best thing for that. However, once that trip is over, I suggest the following: don't take him in the car again until he has gotten over his anxiety, unless it is a serious emergency. Every day take him close to the car, and the moment he starts displaying anxiety, stop. This means that you stop just before the point at which he starts to display anxiety, whenever that is. And then you tell him how brave he is and give him treats. You do this for several days, then go a little tiny bit closer. And so on. If he starts to display anxiety, back up and do the previous stage for a few days again. Once you can get him into the car, with it not running, start giving him his meals in the car. Do this for a week or two, every meal. Then start the car. If he gets anxious, back up again. Once he can eat his meals in a running car without anxiety, roll the car down the driveway or street about 20 feet and stop. Praise, treat. And so on. In time he will get over his fear but you have to do it in tiny increments. If you rush it, you may cause a greater issue than you have now. Best of luck and tell us how it goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandy1961 Posted December 14, 2018 Author Report Share Posted December 14, 2018 Thank you for the advice, I have tried some of what you suggest. I think anxiety is a bit strong, he is just not happy with the movement in the car but tries his best. Will keep at it. Yesterday he sat up all the journey and did not dribble as much so hopefully progress is being made. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D'Elle Posted December 15, 2018 Report Share Posted December 15, 2018 It doesn't matter what you call it or how severe it is. the desensitization protocol is your best approach. That method also shows your dog that you are sensitive to him and will protect him. Just making him get used to it may or may not work, but doesn't give the same message to your dog, and to me that is something important in the building of the relationship with my dog. Kind of like talking to a kid about a fear he or she has rather than just saying "get over it". Just a gentler approach. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger.2016 Posted December 15, 2018 Report Share Posted December 15, 2018 He may still be getting car sick, just not to the point of throwing up. He is around the age where the ears develop and all the equilibrium changes kick in...unless I'm remembering incorrectly. Anyway, Ranger would get car sick up until almost 1 year old. I kept putting off trying him on sheep because the length of the car ride. I took Ranger on short car rides, to the local coffee shop, to my friend's house who had a puppy 1 month younger, local park to play, anything that was no more than 10 minutes max. Going to my inlaws in the summer was rough, 20 minutes but he loved seeing the dogs, nieces, and swimming in the river. On these 20 minute drives, I would offer him a marrow bone or something he could occupy himself with. If he wasn't looking out of the car and was focused on chewing something, he typically did not get sick. I did give him stomach soothing capsules with peppermint, ginger, turmeric, and fennel. Maybe they helped...I don't know for sure. Some days we sat in the driveway in the car and ate, some days I drove the car to the next road, we would get out and walk. I tried to produce fun events anytime we went somewhere in the car. The girls at the coffee shop spoiled him. He couldn't wait to see his puppy friend. The car was filled with toys all the time and food items to chew on. I noticed when I wouldn't take him in the car, basically daily, he would regress. He would start drooling more or throw up more. Finally around 9/10 months, I started seeing a change. He wasn't looking so wilted in the car. I went to a park only a half a mile away in the car, daily. He kept making new friends and was having so much fun. Around town drives were easier and he looked more alive in the car. Well, just shy of 1 year old I bit the bullet and scheduled an evaluation 45 minutes away. He didn't get sick and hasn't been sick since. To this day, he has been on long car rides, 4 plus hours to do multi day backpack trips. He will be 3 in February. I forget about how many times I had to change the blankets in the back of the car or wiped his face. He loves the car now. Still gets spoiled at the local coffee shops, the car takes him to sheep, the wilderness, all things fun. I hope your pup outgrows it! I know I was very unsure for a while but never gave up hope. I never made him take a long ride while young. ...with the exception of the 4 hour ride home from where he was born. Poor thing threw up 3 times. Once out of the car on the side of the road, 2nd time in a parking lot while I held him out of the car, and the third time into a bag while in the car. I posted a picture of baby Ranger...after 2nd puke looking at me. Poor thing, with new people, far from his parents, and awfully car sick. I'm happy he slept most of the way in my lap. He was such a sweet doughboy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandy1961 Posted December 16, 2018 Author Report Share Posted December 16, 2018 Many thanks for the tips, all of which we are trying at present and hopefully in time he will like travelling by car. A lot of people have of told me various things to try such as medication and to go on a long journey, both of which I am not going to do. His trust in us is unbelievable so I am sure we will get there, no hurry. Fortunately we have some lovely walks around us so happy days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger.2016 Posted December 16, 2018 Report Share Posted December 16, 2018 That's great! I spent Ranger's young days walking all over too. Right out the house door and off we went. It was great to be able to offer that. I'm sure with time, it will get better. Best of luck! I also would sprinkle a couple drops of quality lavendar oil in the car. I started doing that when he was 6 or 7 months. I used it until he was 1.5 years or so. I liked the smell of it too, so win win. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GentleLake Posted December 16, 2018 Report Share Posted December 16, 2018 19 hours ago, Ranger.2016 said: If he wasn't looking out of the car and was focused on chewing something, he typically did not get sick. This isn't unusual with motion sickness. I experience motion sickness and have noticed the same thing myself. It has a lot to do with visual stimuli for some of us. This phenomenon is behind the reason many people recommend putting the dog in a crate covered with a sheet or blanket during acclimation so the dog can't see out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger.2016 Posted December 16, 2018 Report Share Posted December 16, 2018 3 hours ago, GentleLake said: This isn't unusual with motion sickness. I experience motion sickness and have noticed the same thing myself. It has a lot to do with visual stimuli for some of us. This phenomenon is behind the reason many people recommend putting the dog in a crate covered with a sheet or blanket during acclimation so the dog can't see out. Yes! Very true, but Ranger wanted to look out so I let him and I dealed with the aftermath. I would offer chew items for the 20 minute ride to the in laws, still he would get sick sometimes on the way there. Always, driving home from the in laws or my friend's, he would be tired and sleep. I knew driving home, I was guaranteed no puking. Since we are on the topic of motion sickness, growing up, I would get sick sitting the in back of the car on windy roads even when I looked out. As an adult I can sit in the back, look out, and be fine. I cannot read in a car to this day, guaranteed queasy feeling...yet I can read on a plane and the queasiness is very minimal. Now, Ranger likes to sit facing the back window of the xterra. I say "He is watching TV" ...I wouldn't have dreamed that possible with how carsick he would get. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GentleLake Posted December 21, 2018 Report Share Posted December 21, 2018 Nothing ground shaking here, but this popped up today so I thought I'd share it: https://www.thehonestkitchen.com/blog/kick-dog-car-sickness-curb/?fbclid=IwAR1Ngblo8fFfVi-EmJYh4kVcCqlK4By00Ry-Wp5bQE9WrR5BpFsOy_x3RCM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanda & Nelson Posted January 1, 2019 Report Share Posted January 1, 2019 We just got over our pups anxiety. It took us 5 months. What worked for us is: not driving for 3 weeks. My dad took her with their 3 collies multiple times in his truck. She drooled a couple times but not buckets as before. After those 3 weeks we travelled again. We got rid of the crate she was travelling in as as soon as she saw that thing, she got anxious. We started with letting her choose her spot in the vehicle, she chooses to lay on the ground and not on a seat (she hates sitting on a seat for travelling). When she moved to her own spot she would be anxious for an hour, the next time half an hour en it got shorter and shorter. She is now 200% over it. It took us from June to November. And it was really, really bad. When my parents experienced how she behaved... they said we should leave her with them. We jokingly always say that she is now under a 'travel spell' when we drive. As soon as she hears the car keys, she has to jump in the vehicle and curls up on her blanket and falls asleep. I never ever thought we'd get there even a couple months ago (we are on the road for a year travelling). Best of luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandy1961 Posted January 1, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 1, 2019 Thank you Nanda and Nelson, good to hear a positive outcome. We gave Harry a bit of a break from the car but had to visit family over Christmas. The journey was 45 minutes, he was sick half way, then he seemed to relax and went to sleep. He was much better in the way home, it was dark, late and we told him we were going “home”, which he understood so maybe this helped. Mandy and Harry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GentleLake Posted January 1, 2019 Report Share Posted January 1, 2019 34 minutes ago, Mandy1961 said: ...he was sick half way... How long is it between the time you feed him and when he goes in the car? He's more likely to get sick if he's got a full stomach. Especially if the trip's that short, maybe not feeding him, feeding him earlier than usual and/or just a small portion and then feeding him when you get there could help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanda & Nelson Posted January 1, 2019 Report Share Posted January 1, 2019 Btw we also never let her travel with a full stomach. Before we did that, she puked. She had to have an empty stomach. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandy1961 Posted January 2, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2019 Thanks for your responses. He was fed half his normal sized meal about 4 hours before travelling. Once we arrived at our relatives he had a small bowl of plain chicken. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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