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Dogs and Car Trips - Problems?
Many dogs love car rides, but if your dog is not one of them, what can you do? Whether you plan infrequent car rides with your dog or you plan to do extensive traveling on the road, you can help your dog acclimate and become comfortable in the car. Make sure your dog has a comfortable, familiar crate for car rides.
Start out using the same crate you use indoors or get a duplicate one you can leave in your car. If you go the duplicate route, grab your pet’s bedding from the indoor crate and put it in the car crate. This makes it familiar right away! Start by putting your dog into the car crate and latching the door. Go up front and sit in the driver’s seat (dog crates should never be in front seats due to the danger of airbags going off in a collision) and ignore the dog for a few moments until it settles down and relaxes. Once he’s calm, tell him “good dog” and give him a treat.
Drive the car calmly around a block or so and go back home. Continue taking your dog for frequent, short car trips to someplace enjoyable like a local park, or even to just a different area in your neighborhood. Don’t give your dog anything to eat for 2 hours before car trips, and use a crate in the back seat or in the back of the car. Make sure the crate is well anchored so it won’t move. Wire crates are best since your dog will be able to see out easily. If your dog gets restless or carsick, purchase a spray bottle of DAP (Dog Appeasing Hormone) and spray the crate lightly before putting your dog into it. Give a happy command like “Let’s go for a ride!” and drive there gently. No fast accelerations, no sudden braking, no sharp corners. Do not talk to the dog during car rides. Just ignore him/her. ½ to 3 miles is the best distance for these kind of ‘training’ trips. Get your dog out at the other end and take him for a brief walk, letting him sniff and explore and generally enjoy himself. Then repeat on the way home.
Do your best to have these ‘training’ car rides 2 to 3 times per week at first. If your dog is still not settling down in the car after 3 to 4 weeks, or he’s still getting carsick (vomiting and/or drooling) after the first 3 or 4 trips, call your vet for prescription anti-nausea medication. If you plan a long trip with your dog, with long day(s) of driving, make sure to make frequent stops for walks of at least 10-20 minutes, every few hours.