Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 3: Travel successfully with a dog
• Method 2 of 3: Tackle motion sickness
• Method 3 of 3: Retraining a nervous dog
• Tips

It is important that you can take your dog in the car without many problems. However, this can be a bit problematic if your dog gets nervous from sitting in the car. Whether you need to take your dog in the car for a short ride to the vet, or for a long car journey, there are a number of steps you can take to make your dog travel easier and the journey more enjoyable for both of you .

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Method 1 of 3: Travel successfully with a dog

1. Make sure the dog is comfortable and safe. Always have your dog travel in an approved and safe means of transport for dogs, such as a carrier (small dogs), dog harness (medium dogs), or dog cage (large dogs). This ensures that the dog is safe and prevents it from distracting the driver by, for example, climbing on his lap.
2. Do not give the dog much to eat just before a ride. A good compromise is to feed the dog 3-4 hours before a ride. You can also wait to feed your dog until after you reach your destination if it is a short drive.
   • Remember that a dog can feel sick even if its stomach is completely empty.
3. Give the dog enough breaks. Your dog will need to take bathroom breaks if you are taking him on a long ride. It is also helpful if you bring water and a bowl so that the dog can drink during travel breaks.
   • Go outside and bring your dog so he can stretch his paws. This will help reduce his nausea or nervousness.
   • Before going on a long trip with your dog, it is a good idea to give the dog some exercise so that it can use up excess energy. In addition, it also ensures that the dog is calmer in the car en route.
4. Make sure your dog is as comfortable as possible. Make sure it is not too hot in the car and do not smoke during the trip as this can make even a seasoned traveler nauseous. Consider using pheromones in the car, such as an Adaptil collar for the dog. This collar releases hormones that reassure the dog and have a stress-reducing effect, and have a good chance of reducing his breathlessness in the car.
   • Bring something that makes the dog feel comfortable, such as a home-smelling blanket or a favorite toy.
5. Take someone else with you until the dog gets used to sitting in the car. Your dog can be easily distracted if he moves around in the back of the car a lot and if he is howling or barking. Logically, any distraction while driving can be dangerous.
   • If the dog is in a trunk, have someone (if possible) pet the dog every so often. Swap him if this place in the car causes him undue stress.
   • Talk to your dog to reassure him. Speak in a calm voice and don't panick or be annoyed if he does something you don't want him to do. Just keep talking calmly to the dog and keep telling him how good he is.
6. Bring a supply bag for the trip. It should also contain dog treats as a reward for the dog, a sturdy dog ​​leash, fresh cool water and a water bowl, one or two toys, and plenty of cleaning products, such as wipes, an aerosol cleaner, poop bags, etc. very likely that your dog will have an accident in your car in the beginning, just from nervousness. Having cleaning supplies on hand will minimize long-term damage to your vehicle and allow you to spend the remainder of the journey in comfort.

Method 2 of 3: Tackle motion sickness

1. See if your dog has motion sickness. Some dogs get nervous from traveling by car because they feel nauseous and associate traveling with feeling sick and with motion sickness. Recognize the symptoms of motion sickness, the most visible symptom of which is heavy drooling. If there are threads of saliva hanging from the dog's lips, this is a clear sign of motion sickness. In addition, all dogs react differently, but some will hang their heads and look worried, others may walk back and forth restlessly and some will howl.
   • The dogs that suffer from motion sickness will need medication to travel comfortably. You will need to talk to your vet about the safest medicine to administer to your dog to avoid nausea. There is a chance that the dog will always need medication for long trips, but there is a good chance that you can teach him not to get sick from short trips.
2. Be prepared for the dog to get sick. Do not yell or chastise the dog if it vomits. He cannot help the fact that he is sick, and if you chastise him you will only increase his anxiety and the trauma of the experience, making him even more anxious.
   • If you know that your dog is suffering from motion sickness, but need to make a trip to, say, the vet to get motion sickness medication, then you should let the dog sit on a mat so that the mess can be easily cleaned up.
3. Have the dog sit in the car where it can see out. It usually helps a dog to be able to see out of a window. If you have a small dog, consider purchasing a carrier that allows the dog to stand securely so he can see outside. For medium-sized dogs you can purchase an approved and safe dog harness. In addition, it is useful to let the dog sit in the back so that he can look outside. With a large dog, you may want to consider putting it in a dog cage. They are safe in it and can see outside.
   • You can also place a blanket where the dog will sit. It should be a blanket that the dog uses on a regular basis so that it will have a familiar scent to the dog.
4. Talk to your vet about whether your dog needs medication to prevent nausea. Do not give your dog anti-nausea drugs intended for humans if you have not consulted your vet first. These human medications are not intended for dogs, so the side effects have not been fully investigated and the possible reactions with other medications are unknown. On a practical level, dogs handle drugs differently than humans, so there's a real chance those human drugs won't work.
   • The best medicine for motion sickness is a prescription drug called Cerenia (maropitant). This drug can be injected by the vet, or it can be administered in the form of a tablet. Both forms of administration work for 24 hours. This drug is better than others because it acts on a part of the brain called the vomiting center and eliminates any feeling of nausea or illness.
5. Consider alternative means of treatment. Some owners have found that giving their dog a Bach flower treatment known as Rescue Remedy helps. However, this has not been proven. The remedy is a liquid of which you drip a little on the dog's tongue. The Bach flowers are dissolved in alcohol, and one possible explanation why some dogs seem to benefit is that those dogs are actually given the equivalent of a small glass of alcoholic drink.

Method 3 of 3: Retraining a nervous dog

1. Find out if your dog is just nervous or really nauseous. Some dogs do not like to travel by car because it makes them feel scared or tense because they have had a bad experience, such as a car accident, while in a car. In fact, a dog may hesitate to get into the car because he started acting too busy and the driver then yelled at him.
   • It helps a lot if you retrain the dog so that he starts associating travel with a pleasant experience and therefore something to look forward to.
2. Avoid long journeys while retraining your dog. If your dog doesn't like traveling in a car, try to avoid long journeys while retraining him. Your goal is to create new associations with the car so that the dog sees the car as a great thing to be in.This is a gradual process that cannot be rushed and on which haste will have a negative effect.
3. Start by exposing your dog to positive experiences in the car. Start with a parked car with the engine off. Open a door and put an extra tasty dog ​​treat in that spot in the car. Encourage your dog to jump into the stationary car and give him plenty of positive attention when he does this. After that, let the dog come out again and then do something fun together. For example, go for a walk with the puppy.
   • Then start feeding the dog in the stationary car. Protect the upholstery with a towel or mat, put the food bowl on top and let the dog get used to eating in the stationary car.
   • Consider bringing a Kong and then handing it to the dog in the stationary car. Think about what other activities your dog likes and let them be done in the car. It may take weeks or months for the dog to jump into the vehicle without hesitation in anticipation of "the fun," but eventually he will learn.
4. Switch to doing fun things with the car engine running and the car moving. Once the dog is comfortable in the stationary car, you can start taking ultra-short trips. In the beginning, stick to very small things, such as starting and running the car engine and then stopping it again. Then try to exit the exit and drive directly back onto the exit.
   • Slowly build it up to a short detour around the neighborhood, then a short drive through the neighborhood.
   • This is all about adapting to a new situation gradually, so don't go too fast. Make sure your dog is feeling good at some stage before continuing.
   • It is a good idea, if possible, to have someone ride with you to keep an eye on the dog and look for signs of agitation or nausea. If this happens you should stop the car and walk the dog and walk it around for a while to give it relief. Finish the trip and don't drive that far next time.
   • Try to go to nice places in these early days, so that there is a reward at the end of the ride, such as a park or forest.

Tips

• If you own two dogs who are used to each other's company, you can try getting them to travel together so they can take comfort in each other's company during the ride.
• If you are buying your dog as a puppy, it is a good idea to go to a nice place like a lawn or a park the first few times you drive him somewhere, rather than a 'bad' place like the vet.