Traveling

[martyb]

Hi, i have had my 4 months old springer for 2 weeks, and the trouble i am having is that he hates the car and is also sick when he does go in it.

If he thinks we are going in the car he digs his paws in and puts his head down and pulls to go the other way.
If we just go out for a walk he shoots past the car as fast as he can.

I have tried giving him biscuits but he just ignores them as normaly he would gobble them up.

Any ideas what i could try so i can get him to enjoy the car?

What can i do or give him to help with his travel sickness?

Thanks

[Shell195]

Use the car as part of his daily routine by feeding him in it, open car doors and let him have a sniff round it. Do as much as you can to include the car(do not turn the engine on) until he is happy being in it then move on to the next stage which is doing the above but turn the engine on. Its his fear of the car which is causing his sickness. Take things slowly until he will happily sit in the car and let you go on very short journeys with him.
Make sure that all car journeys end in a run in the park or something else he enjoys then he will soon be bouncing about asking to go for a drive

[Frogmad]

you can also get DAP puppy collars which should help with stress levels!!

[Sam'n'Droo]

Just a thought.. How are you transporting him in the car? Is he in a crate or loose in a footwell? Go with Shells advice above. He'll get used to it. Be patient.

[martyb]

He's loose in the foot well. I am going to start doing whats been suggested tomorrow and i will make this a daily thing with him.

Poor lad shakes when hes in there, bless him.

[Sam'n'Droo]

It may help if you get him a dog crate for the boot of the car. Or a harness and seat belt clip so he can lie on the back seat. Its not a good idea popping him in the footwell. Follow the advice above but also think about restraining him somehow. He could get injured being loose in the car.

[cpiggott22]

I agree with the above- when I was growing up the family dog was absolutely petrified of car journeys. We found the best way to help him relax was to keep him extremely well boxed in in a space which I would have otherwise thought cruel. The first time we tried it he was quiet as a mouse and was really interested in looking out the window and watching the world go by! It may well be that your pup doesn't like the insecurity of bumping about, I agree that a nice cosy crate (possibly with a couple of the sides covered) will help a lot.

[fenwoman]

Originally Posted by Sam'n'Droo

It may help if you get him a dog crate for the boot of the car. Or a harness and seat belt clip so he can lie on the back seat. Its not a good idea popping him in the footwell. Follow the advice above but also think about restraining him somehow. He could get injured being loose in the car.

Actually the footwell is a good place for car sick dogs as it seems to help them feel less sick. Dog crates are OK if you have a large estate car but are useless in a saloon or little hatchback. I have a large 4X4 and my dogs are perfectly happy laying on the seats. They all start off car sick, but as Shell suggested, get him used to being in it without actually going anywhere. Sit in the car with him and offer treats, then after a week or so of this, sit in the car with treats and the negine running. Then short trips. Do not feed him before going on a journey though as it'll make him queasy.

[Shell195]

My Rottie was the worst traveller ever and threw up before we even reached the end of the road but after making the car a fun place for him he will travel for hours as he knows he will eventually go somewhere he can have a run

[martyb]

I have a 7 seater shogun so i would not be able to use a crate, as some times all 7 seats are in use.
Thats in for repair at the moment so i am having to use the bm so i will start today with this car, then hopefuly once the shogun is ready he might enjoy going in there.