How to calm a nervous dog in a car

Video: How to Calm a Nervous dog in the Car?

Content

Steps
Method 1 of 3: How to Travel Successfully with Your Dog
Method 2 of 3: Dealing with motion sickness
Method 3 of 3: How to Train a Nervous Dog to Car
Tips
Additional articles

If you have a dog, it is important to be able to take it with you on your car trips without too much hassle. However, this can be a problem if your dog is nervous in the car. Whether you are planning a short trip to the vet with your dog or going on a long journey, there are some things to consider that will make the trip easier for your dog and make the journey more enjoyable for both of you. If you love your dog and want him to travel with you, learn how to deal with his nervousness in the car.

Steps

Method 1 of 3: How to Travel Successfully with Your Dog

1 Make sure your dog is comfortable in the car, but don't forget about safety. When transporting your dog, always use crash-tested protective equipment such as a carrier (for small dogs), a harness (for medium dogs) or a cage (for large dogs). This will ensure the safety of the dog, and at the same time will not allow it to interfere with the driver while driving, for example, climb into his lap.
2 Do not feed your dog before riding. This can be done 3-4 hours before departure. Or you can postpone feeding until you get to the right place, if the road is not long.
- Remember that a dog, even with an empty stomach, can feel unwell during the trip.
3 Make stops. On a long trip, your dog needs stops to go to the bathroom. Bring water and a bowl with you on the road so your dog can drink water during stops.
- Get out yourself and let the dog warm up. This will help manage motion sickness and anxiety in your dog.
- If you have a long trip ahead, it is worth giving the dog a good run before leaving.Exercise will burn off excess energy and help the animal to move more calmly.
4 Try to make the dog feel as comfortable as possible on the road. Do not overheat the car or smoke on the road, this can cause nausea even in dogs who like to travel. Consider using pheromones, such as wearing an Adaptil collar. It releases hormones that calm the dog and reduce anxiety, and also help to cope with stress while in the car.
- Bring something to comfort your dog during the ride, such as a blanket that smells like home, or a favorite toy.
5 Bring someone else with you until your dog gets used to driving. Whining, barking and jumping in the back of the car can distract you from driving and put you in serious danger.
- If the dog is sitting in the hold, have someone pet him (if possible) as often as possible.
- Talk to your dog so that he does not worry. Your voice should be calm; Don't show annoyance or panic if your dog does not do something the way you would like. Just talk to her calmly and tell her that everything is fine.
6 Take your travel kit bag with you. It can hold goodies to reward, a nice sturdy leash, fresh cold water and a drinking bowl, a couple of toys, and lots of hygiene products like wet wipes, cleaning spray, trash bags, and so on. Your dog can get a natural nuisance in the car at first simply because he is nervous. If you have cleaning supplies, the damage to your car will be minimal, and you and your dog will spend the entire trip in a comfortable environment.

Method 2 of 3: Dealing with motion sickness

1 Find out if your dog is sick. Some dogs do not like car trips because they feel sick and associate the trip with feeling unwell and sick. Watch out for signs of motion sickness in your dog. As a rule, this is profuse salivation. Filaments of saliva hanging from a dog's mouth are a sure sign of motion sickness. Different dogs have other side effects of motion sickness. Someone is sitting with his head hanging, someone looks alarmed, someone is marking time or whining.
- If your dog is seasick in the car, it will have to be given medication before the ride. Check with your veterinarian about what you can give your dog to keep them from getting sick on the way. It is possible that you will always have to give your dog medication on long trips, but it may also be that you can train him to tolerate short trips without motion sickness.
2 Expect your dog to feel bad. Don't scream or punish your dog if it vomits. This will not relieve her of motion sickness, but will only exacerbate the traumatic experience and further alarm her.
- If you know your dog has motion sickness, but you need to take it on a trip, such as to the vet, give it an anti-nausea medication before the trip, and then put it on a puppy diaper to make it easier to clean up later.
3 Place your dog in the car so that it can look out the window. It can be easier for a dog to tolerate a ride if he can look out the window. If you have a dwarf or small dog, it is better to get a special carrying container. The carrier must be safely positioned on the seat so that the dog can look out and out of the window. For dogs of medium breeds, you need to get a special seat belt. Place your dog in the back seat so that he can look out the window. Large dogs should be placed in a special crate so that they can look out and be safe.
- On the seat where the dog will ride, you can put the blanket on which he usually sleeps at home so that he can smell the familiar smell.
4 Check with your veterinarian if your dog needs motion sickness medication. Do not use human remedies for motion sickness without first discussing it with your veterinarian. They were not developed for dogs, their side effects have not been sufficiently tested, and their interactions with other drugs are unknown. In practice, dogs and humans react differently to medication, so human medications may not be effective.
- The best remedy for motion sickness is the prescription drug Cerenia (Maropitant), which is available in injectable and pill form. In both forms, the drug is effective for 24 hours. This remedy is better than others, because it acts on the center of nausea in the brain and turns off any feeling of sickness and nausea.
5 Consider alternative therapy. Some dog owners give their pets herbal tinctures. It helps, but their effects have not been proven. A few drops of the tincture should be dripped onto the dog's tongue. Herbal tinctures are made with alcohol and it can be assumed that some dogs are helped not by grass, but by a small amount of alcohol.

Method 3 of 3: How to Train a Nervous Dog to Car

1 Find out if your dog is just nervous or motion sick. Some dogs do not like car rides because they are scared or have had unpleasant experiences in the car, or they may have had accidents. Perhaps the dog hesitates to get into the car, because she was too agitated, and the owner yelled at her.
- To train your dog to travel, you need to ensure that the journey is associated with something pleasant for him, which he wants to look forward to.
2 Until the dog is accustomed to travel, try not to go on a long journey with it. If your dog hates driving, try not to take him on long trips until you get used to the car. Your task is to evoke in the dog new associations with the car, so that he thinks that the car is just a wonderful place. This process takes time and cannot be forced. If you try to speed it up, you can mess things up.
3 Try to create a pleasant association with the car in your dog. Start with a parked, muffled car. Open the door and put something special in your car. Invite your dog to jump inside. If she obeys, actively show her your encouragement. After that, let your dog out and do something enjoyable with it, such as going for a walk with it.
- Then you can feed the dog in the parked car. Place a blanket or a special diaper for dogs on the seats, and put a bowl on top. Train your dog to eat in a stationary vehicle.
- Give the dog treats in the car. Think about the activities your dog enjoys and try offering them in the car. It can take weeks or even months for a dog to willingly jump into the car in anticipation of something pleasant. But in the end, she has to get used to it.
4 Then move on to the pleasant moments for the dog in the moving car. When your dog is comfortable in a stationary car, start taking short trips with it. At first, they can be quite short: start the car, move, turn off the car. Then try to drive into the garage and exit immediately.
- Then take a ride around the house, then around the neighborhood.
- Take your time, the addiction should be gradual. Before each next step, first make sure your dog is truly comfortable.
- If possible, take someone else with you to monitor how the dog is feeling, whether it is under stress or vomiting. In case of stress or motion sickness, stop the car, get the dog out and walk with him for a bit so that he can rest. Go back. Shorten your trip next time.
- For the first time, until the dog is used to it, try to ride only where it has fun, so that it gets a reward for every trip, for example, go with it to the park or to the forest.

Tips

If you have two dogs who are used to each other, take them in the car together so they can comfort each other during the ride.
If you took a dog as a puppy, then first go with it to the field, to the park, to where it is having fun. Don't start off by traveling to unpleasant places like the veterinary clinic.