Help your dog ride in the car.
Everyone is happy when our doggie co-pilots are comfortable.
Is your pup anxious in the car? Is it becoming increasingly more difficult to get them into the car and when you do, they can’t settle or relax, continue to pant and/or salivate, tremble and shake and whine or bark? This is common for dogs of all ages, and especially prevalent for those under the age of one.
Why is my dog so upset about being in the car?
A few factors can contribute to a dog’s anxiety in the car: motion sickness, negative associations, fear of small and confined spaces, or in some cases underlying medical causes. Dogs under a year old are more prone to motion sickness due to the fact that their inner ears are not fully developed. Part of the inner ear, the vestibular system, controls a dog’s sense of balance and spatial orientation. Nausea can occur when the inner ear detects motion but the visual senses do not align. This ‘misalignment’ can also occur if the dog has a middle or inner ear infection. Nausea can also occur with dogs who do not have prior experience in a car. Their systems have not had opportunities to adjust to the spatial disorientation which can then cause disequilibrium. These uncomfortable physical sensations lead a dog to form the association that the car is a place that makes them feel sick.
Dogs can be very good at remembering negative experiences– often when we prefer they wouldn’t.
A negative association can form even if there was only one instance where the consequence from the ride was negative. This is called single-event learning. For many dogs, their first car rides may be to the veterinarian or to a new home where it is disorienting and can cause feelings of fear, nervousness, or feeling unsafe. This feeling can stick with them for a long time, even if the future places they are taken to are fun or pleasant.
Some dogs – due to underlying genetic reasons or prior experience – are also more averse to being confined in small spaces and have a more difficult time being separated from their people. This is exacerbated by the steps we often need to take to ensure their safety during the ride. Keeping a dog safe if a collision or a fast stop occurs often involves crating a dog, placing a barrier to decrease the space available to the dog, or attaching a seat belt connector to them. If the dog has not undergone desensitization to these changes, they can panic and develop anxiety.
How do we help new pups adjust to riding in a car? If my dog is already anxious in the car, what can I do to help?
Build your pup’s confidence with being separated from you.
Start the crate and/or barrier training in your home. The most important aspect with crate and barrier training is to not rush it. Begin by feeding, praising and treating your dog for being in the crate without closing the door or when they are behind a barrier. All positive things should happen for your dog when in the crate or behind the barrier. With the crate or barrier, start closing the door for one or two seconds. If you have a crate that has holes (like one that is made of wire) or a barrier like a baby gate, treat your dog while the door is closed, then open the door with a release word like ‘Free’. When they come out, don’t treat. You want your dog to have the association that the crate is the location where all yummy things happen.
Initially, start with staying next to the crate or barrier and only once your pup is not showing signs of distress with the door being closed, start to add small increments of duration. For some, this may be a few more seconds, for others, it could be a couple minutes. Depending on how they do, you incrementally increase the duration of them behind the barrier. If they are doing well, begin adding distance away from your pup. If at any point in the process, your dog or dog begins to whine or bark, wait until they have stopped for just a few seconds, and then quietly open the door to the crate or barrier.
Make the car into a fun and rewarding place!
Without going anywhere, treat, feed and play with your pup in the car. Once your dog is comfortable being in a stationary car for a few minutes, you’re ready to practice car trips. To begin helping your dog become comfortable with the motion of the car, take short and frequent trips. This can even just be driving around the block.
You will want the dog facing forward and it often helps to have the windows cracked for air flow. Make sure that most of the trips you take are to happy places and if the dog is eating, praise and treat your dog while on the trip.
If you find that even with the short trips, your dog is experiencing motion sickness, you may want to talk with your vet about possible help with alleviating the nausea.
How long will it take to get my dog comfortable in the car?
There are a few different factors that can contribute to the speed you can progress with your dog:
- Age. The younger a dog is, the more difficult it can be as they typically don’t develop self- soothing abilities until around 4-months of age.
- Secure attachment. Many dogs may have experienced some kind of trauma or fear in the past and may have less ability to emotionally regulate. When there is a history of prior neglect or abuse, dogs are more prone to become distressed when separated from their people.
- Individual personality. Even within the same litter, some puppies will be more innately confident and independent while others may be less so.
Every dog will be different in how quickly they can adjust to car rides. Taking the time to build good experiences and progressing at the individual’s pace will help for a lifetime of good adventures together.
We want your dog to be happy and safe in the car. If you need further help, reach out with questions or book a private session to get personalized recommendations.
About the Author:
Amber Hardin is a IAABC-ADT (International Association Animal Behavior Consultants- Accredited Dog Trainer) and a certified Canine Good Citizen evaluator. She has a master’s degree in conflict resolution and a graduate certificate in Animal Behavior. As a lead-trainer, Amber teaches many of our Ahimsa classes and has experience working with dogs of all ages and backgrounds. You can learn from Amber directly through our extensive Puppy Class Series, Canine Good Citizen, and through our Growly Dog Evaluations. Amber also offers private training and can work with you to develop a training protocol for car anxiety and many other topics.
In my first training class, with Spoon (that’s her, to the left) I was told to lure my dog into a sit and simultaneously say, “Sit.” Then I was to give her the treat and say, “Good sit!”