Puppy in transit
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Puppy in transit
Our pup who is now nearly 5 months old and thankful to say is nipping not SO much! But the car seems to be a bit of an issue with her, the first trip home was not too bad and was only sick at the end of a long journey, but now she very reluctantly gets in and is obviously very nervous of the car, so drools very badly, so much that everything around her is soaking wet, including me, we have now got her a crate for the car but this has not improved matters, I don't think it is soon much of a sickness thing but more of a fear thing and it does distress her to the extent that she will eventually be sick , at one point she was put back into the car after going around our local pet shop only to find on returning to the car to check on her that she was already drooling, our previous dog was sick in the car when a pup but within about 10 days was over it but this little one seems to have a different problem, bless her. Anyone have any ideas, I have tried the usual things like letting her just sit in the car, that seems fine when we are just on the driveway.
puupy in transit
why dont u try giving her treats when she good and maybe start with the cars engine on climb in the back with her and sit with her next to her crate if u can ! so she sees there nothing to worry about and that your right there and keep giving her treats so she might see the car as a good thing rather than a bad thing but i think your right it might be fear good luck! 
Excellent Loza!
Yes, you are going the right way, sit in the car, treat, get out again.
Sit in the car, start the engine, treat, get out again.....
Etc etc, in small stages until you can actually go somewhere.
I suspect she is frightened, possibly of being sick, possibly something happened, or appeared to her to happen, when she was in the car, and this is whats frightening her.
Some dogs find the mental stimulation of being in a moving metal and glass box just TOO much and for these often a crate in the back of the car, covered so tehy cant see out will help to calm them down. This might be worth a try.
Could she be better off sat on the back seat with a safety harness on?
I know from personal experience that sitting in the back makes me feel horribly sick, sitting in the boot is awful, its a horrid ride its very unbalancing and i can be sick within minutes sitting in the boot!
Have you tried any anti sickness tablets for her? These may help in conjunction with getting her to associate the car with nice things. It will still take some time as she may well remember feeling sick and not realise that with anti sickness tablets, she doesnt actually feel sick now.
Em
Yes, you are going the right way, sit in the car, treat, get out again.
Sit in the car, start the engine, treat, get out again.....
Etc etc, in small stages until you can actually go somewhere.
I suspect she is frightened, possibly of being sick, possibly something happened, or appeared to her to happen, when she was in the car, and this is whats frightening her.
Some dogs find the mental stimulation of being in a moving metal and glass box just TOO much and for these often a crate in the back of the car, covered so tehy cant see out will help to calm them down. This might be worth a try.
Could she be better off sat on the back seat with a safety harness on?
I know from personal experience that sitting in the back makes me feel horribly sick, sitting in the boot is awful, its a horrid ride its very unbalancing and i can be sick within minutes sitting in the boot!
Have you tried any anti sickness tablets for her? These may help in conjunction with getting her to associate the car with nice things. It will still take some time as she may well remember feeling sick and not realise that with anti sickness tablets, she doesnt actually feel sick now.
Em
puppy in transit
thanks i am getting better at giving people advice i feel
puppy in transit
Many thanks to both of you for your suggestions, I shall try the treat with the engine on, that could be a good start, we moved her to the back with a new crate because we felt she may feel more cosy as she was on the back seat with a harness and with one of us but this did not work, so i think we will try the treat and covering the crate as well and see if this helps, I have spoke to the vet but she said to persevere and she will get over it and she was really to young to give her any medication, but i shall try these ideas and let you know. Thanks.
If she's too young with medications (anti sickness pills) try her with some ginger nut biscuits.
The ginger is the part that helps with sickness. For some dogs it can prove really helpful.
You might find by attaching anti static strips to the car that these help too.
In the cage/crate what bedding do you have?
Is she better when travelling if she can see where she is going?
Or does she seems better enclosed in her crate?
Is she better with soothing music or the same music that you play in your home?
I'm lucky with all of my Boxers I've never had a problem with car sickness. But then they all go out from a young age in the car & regularly.
They see the car as leading to something pleasurable i.e. dog shows/training/walks etc.
I've found that when they are young pups they are better with company
than without....perhaps if you put a 'comfort' cuddly toy or a blanket they always sleep on - that smells of home and safety they might feel happier?
As has already been said build up the confidence slowly doing short trips in the car to the paper shops/garage 5-10 min journeys and build it up from there.
The ginger is the part that helps with sickness. For some dogs it can prove really helpful.
You might find by attaching anti static strips to the car that these help too.
In the cage/crate what bedding do you have?
Is she better when travelling if she can see where she is going?
Or does she seems better enclosed in her crate?
Is she better with soothing music or the same music that you play in your home?
I'm lucky with all of my Boxers I've never had a problem with car sickness. But then they all go out from a young age in the car & regularly.
They see the car as leading to something pleasurable i.e. dog shows/training/walks etc.
I've found that when they are young pups they are better with company
than without....perhaps if you put a 'comfort' cuddly toy or a blanket they always sleep on - that smells of home and safety they might feel happier?
As has already been said build up the confidence slowly doing short trips in the car to the paper shops/garage 5-10 min journeys and build it up from there.
I've got a leaflet about fear of the car I have for classes (it's really common and very easily overcome) I've copied and pasted it below.
By the way, one of my own dogs was petrified of the car at one point, he would shake, salivate through fear, refuse to get in and wouldn't even walk near it. He is now really happy to go in the car because he knows it takes him nice places, which is just as well as we've got a 5 hour car journey coming up later today!!
Leafelt is below:
FEAR OF THE CAR
For lots of dogs, the first experience of the car is being taken away from their mother and littermates to a scary, strange new place.
The next experience they have is being taken to the vets, another big scary place to have nasty injections! It’s no wonder that by the time they are fully vaccinated they are worried about car
travel. Luckily, for young dogs it’s easy to teach them how great the car really is! It’s the same process for older dogs but takes a little longer.
Cars can be very frightening, the noise of the engline, the smell, vibration and movement of the car can all be worrying for dogs, as well as the fact that it takes them to scary places.
VERY short journeys (e.g. just round the corner to the local park) ending in fun walks is often enough to cure the fear of the destination. It seems a hassle to drive a distance that could be easily walked, but the shorter it is the easier the dog will make the connection between getting in the car and ending up somewhere nice.
Making the car a more pleasant place to be is important. Make sure they are secure and can’t fall around or slip off seats. If they will be on the seat, a harness attached to the seatbelt is not only safe, but will also make the journey more pleasant for the dog. For dogs in the boot, a thick layer of newspaper (about 5-10cm thick) with a dog bed on top will reduce a lot of the vibration and noise, which makes the car less scary.
Driving carefully and slowly (especially around corners) will ensure that the journey is pleasant for the dog, as will things like keeping the radio down (dogs have more sensitive hearing than us, and if they are in the boot they are often surrounded by speakers) and not having windows fully open can help. Some dogs like to smell the world as they drive through it, so opening the windows a small amount can give them something nice to think about.
For some dogs, the fear is deeper and they will need to be desensitised. This basically means they will need to get used to being in the car.
First, go about the normal business of putting the dog in the car, and observe where he starts to worry. If he doesn’t want to go near the car, you may need to start outside it.
The first stage is to feed the dog his dinner just at the point he starts to worry, this can be outside the car door, or in the area he travels in. Put the food down (you can put something extra tasty in to help at this stage) allow him to eat his food and then when he’s finished go back indoors. If your dog wont eat (especially if he is normally greedy!) he is probably anxious, and you will need to go back a stage. This can be feeding outside the car, or moving further away from it if you’re already outside. Over a few days, gradually move the food closer and closer until you are feeding the dog in the part of the car he will normally travel.
Once your dog is happily munching his dinner on the seat or in the boot, you can move onto the next stage. Without him seeing, prepare his dinner, put it in the car and close the doors. Take your dog to the car, open the door and ask him to jump in where his dinner will be waiting for him. After a few days your dog should be keen to get into the car. If you have a playful dog, you can use toys at this stage, open the car door, throw a toy in and let your dog go in and get it (don’t do this on a road!) or even play a game of tug while in the car. All the things that your dog enjoys.
When your dog is totally happy in a stationary car, you can move on a stage. While he is in the car eating or playing, turn the engine on and leave it running. This might startle your dog, if he is so worried he wont eat, go back a stage as you did at the beginning, starting off eating his dinner near the car with the engine running, and build up to getting back in.
Run through as you did with the previous stage, until your dog is completely relaxed to be in the car with the engine running. Once you reach that point, you can add movement.
Movement should be very slow and very, very short. If you have a helper, you can start off driving literally a few feet down the road while your dog eats, and then one person take the dog for a walk while the other takes the car home. Then try it without the food. Over a period of a few days, you can increase the distance gradually until you can drive (slowly and carefully) to the local park, take your dog for a lovely walk and then preferably walk home. It’s really useful at this stage if every walk the dog goes on is proceeded by a car journey, no matter how short. This will really help cement in his mind that the car is the predictor of good times.
The whole process needn’t be too time consuming, it’s possible to go from start to finish in a few weeks, and it only takes a few minutes a day.
By the way, one of my own dogs was petrified of the car at one point, he would shake, salivate through fear, refuse to get in and wouldn't even walk near it. He is now really happy to go in the car because he knows it takes him nice places, which is just as well as we've got a 5 hour car journey coming up later today!!
Leafelt is below:
FEAR OF THE CAR
For lots of dogs, the first experience of the car is being taken away from their mother and littermates to a scary, strange new place.
The next experience they have is being taken to the vets, another big scary place to have nasty injections! It’s no wonder that by the time they are fully vaccinated they are worried about car
travel. Luckily, for young dogs it’s easy to teach them how great the car really is! It’s the same process for older dogs but takes a little longer.
Cars can be very frightening, the noise of the engline, the smell, vibration and movement of the car can all be worrying for dogs, as well as the fact that it takes them to scary places.
VERY short journeys (e.g. just round the corner to the local park) ending in fun walks is often enough to cure the fear of the destination. It seems a hassle to drive a distance that could be easily walked, but the shorter it is the easier the dog will make the connection between getting in the car and ending up somewhere nice.
Making the car a more pleasant place to be is important. Make sure they are secure and can’t fall around or slip off seats. If they will be on the seat, a harness attached to the seatbelt is not only safe, but will also make the journey more pleasant for the dog. For dogs in the boot, a thick layer of newspaper (about 5-10cm thick) with a dog bed on top will reduce a lot of the vibration and noise, which makes the car less scary.
Driving carefully and slowly (especially around corners) will ensure that the journey is pleasant for the dog, as will things like keeping the radio down (dogs have more sensitive hearing than us, and if they are in the boot they are often surrounded by speakers) and not having windows fully open can help. Some dogs like to smell the world as they drive through it, so opening the windows a small amount can give them something nice to think about.
For some dogs, the fear is deeper and they will need to be desensitised. This basically means they will need to get used to being in the car.
First, go about the normal business of putting the dog in the car, and observe where he starts to worry. If he doesn’t want to go near the car, you may need to start outside it.
The first stage is to feed the dog his dinner just at the point he starts to worry, this can be outside the car door, or in the area he travels in. Put the food down (you can put something extra tasty in to help at this stage) allow him to eat his food and then when he’s finished go back indoors. If your dog wont eat (especially if he is normally greedy!) he is probably anxious, and you will need to go back a stage. This can be feeding outside the car, or moving further away from it if you’re already outside. Over a few days, gradually move the food closer and closer until you are feeding the dog in the part of the car he will normally travel.
Once your dog is happily munching his dinner on the seat or in the boot, you can move onto the next stage. Without him seeing, prepare his dinner, put it in the car and close the doors. Take your dog to the car, open the door and ask him to jump in where his dinner will be waiting for him. After a few days your dog should be keen to get into the car. If you have a playful dog, you can use toys at this stage, open the car door, throw a toy in and let your dog go in and get it (don’t do this on a road!) or even play a game of tug while in the car. All the things that your dog enjoys.
When your dog is totally happy in a stationary car, you can move on a stage. While he is in the car eating or playing, turn the engine on and leave it running. This might startle your dog, if he is so worried he wont eat, go back a stage as you did at the beginning, starting off eating his dinner near the car with the engine running, and build up to getting back in.
Run through as you did with the previous stage, until your dog is completely relaxed to be in the car with the engine running. Once you reach that point, you can add movement.
Movement should be very slow and very, very short. If you have a helper, you can start off driving literally a few feet down the road while your dog eats, and then one person take the dog for a walk while the other takes the car home. Then try it without the food. Over a period of a few days, you can increase the distance gradually until you can drive (slowly and carefully) to the local park, take your dog for a lovely walk and then preferably walk home. It’s really useful at this stage if every walk the dog goes on is proceeded by a car journey, no matter how short. This will really help cement in his mind that the car is the predictor of good times.
The whole process needn’t be too time consuming, it’s possible to go from start to finish in a few weeks, and it only takes a few minutes a day.
my pup always hated the car, and would vomit every trip - even just around the block. After she was spayed at the vet, she was petrified of the car - she wouldn't get in on her own, and once she was in, she would sit there and shake and shake and shake, then vomit. I read about dogs and car sickness online, and discovered that most often, dogs don't vomit out of motion sickness, but out of fear.
Treats didn't work with her, because she was too scared and shaking to care about eating, so we tried short fun trips (like what Josie outlined), to make her less afraid of going in the car.
We took her on super short trips (literally less than one minute drive) to the park, where we would play ball, and have fun - then we'd drive home, and play ball back at home too, so that she realised going in the car meant fun both ways. Also, whenever I arrive home (from work, the gym etc), I pull into the driveway, and get out of the car to shut the gate. She comes running down to the car, and I would put her into the car with me for the last 10 metres that I would drive up to the house. The reward for getting in the car was to see her mom after I'd been out!
When we take her to my sister in laws, where there are 2 other dogs that she plays with, it can be overwhelming for her, being in a new environment with 2 big dogs (she's a tiny JRT x), so when we get there (or to any new place for that matter), I always take the first 10 minutes of arriving to sit outside with her while she orients herself, and play with her and make her feel comfortable, and "FUN"
She no longer shakes in the car, and I can't remember the last time she vomited (which is a good thing, coz I just got a new car last week and don't really want vomit on the new upholstery!) - and now, when I open the door she LEAPS in to the car!
Treats didn't work with her, because she was too scared and shaking to care about eating, so we tried short fun trips (like what Josie outlined), to make her less afraid of going in the car.
We took her on super short trips (literally less than one minute drive) to the park, where we would play ball, and have fun - then we'd drive home, and play ball back at home too, so that she realised going in the car meant fun both ways. Also, whenever I arrive home (from work, the gym etc), I pull into the driveway, and get out of the car to shut the gate. She comes running down to the car, and I would put her into the car with me for the last 10 metres that I would drive up to the house. The reward for getting in the car was to see her mom after I'd been out!
When we take her to my sister in laws, where there are 2 other dogs that she plays with, it can be overwhelming for her, being in a new environment with 2 big dogs (she's a tiny JRT x), so when we get there (or to any new place for that matter), I always take the first 10 minutes of arriving to sit outside with her while she orients herself, and play with her and make her feel comfortable, and "FUN"
She no longer shakes in the car, and I can't remember the last time she vomited (which is a good thing, coz I just got a new car last week and don't really want vomit on the new upholstery!) - and now, when I open the door she LEAPS in to the car!
Hi,
Just in case it does turn out to be carsickness, I thought I'd mention that instead of the usual carsickness tablets that can leave your dog drowsy for hours I got from my vet a homeopathic sugar pill that is infused with Cocculus.
My dog gets 2-3 of these 20mins before a trip and everything is fantastic. She doesn't get sleepy (remains her usual perky self) and now can't get in the car fast enough!!
If your vet doesn't have these a Homeopath should.
Goodluck with it, ct2
Just in case it does turn out to be carsickness, I thought I'd mention that instead of the usual carsickness tablets that can leave your dog drowsy for hours I got from my vet a homeopathic sugar pill that is infused with Cocculus.
My dog gets 2-3 of these 20mins before a trip and everything is fantastic. She doesn't get sleepy (remains her usual perky self) and now can't get in the car fast enough!!
If your vet doesn't have these a Homeopath should.
Goodluck with it, ct2
