Excessive Drooling While Riding in the Car

[Connie & Bocelli]

Bo is an absolutely AWESOME puppy in every way.  Everybody loves him and he loves them in return.  He's gentle, sweet, smart and such a good boy.  He has one problem though; he drools excessively in the car.  I'm talking BUCKETS of drool!!  He hasn't liked the car from day one and he often gets car sick if he's in the car over 30 minutes.  I bought him a Thundershirt for the anxiety and it has helped a little but it hasn't stopped the drooling.  I have helped his anxiety by putting him in the front seat attached to his seatbelt harness.  I can pet and sooth him while we are riding but oh my heavens, from the MOMENT I put him in the car, he begins to drool.  His whole muzzle and neck get drenched and his front paws do as well.  I am at a loss as to how to stop him from doing this.  I feel terrible for him.  I don't know if he's anxious because he knows he might throw up or if he just hates the car.  We go for rides everyday and mostly to fun places with positive outcomes but it doesn't seem to phase him.  Good places or bad places, he hates the car.  Any thoughts?

[Dos Doodles--Sam & Luke]

Wow...that sounds pretty intense.  I don't have any first hand experience with this, but others might.  I do know that I've read in Cesar Millan's books about this---he proposes a systematic desensitization approach. He's also very consistent about not giving comfort to a dog that is distressed because (while it is counter-intuitive for us not to comfort them when they are upset) it teaches them that they should be distressed about the situation. I might suggest getting some of his books---you can download them immediately from Amazon if you have a Kindle.

I'm so sorry your pooch (and you) are having such a hard time with car rides.  That's one of the most fun things for me about having a dog---getting to take him all sorts of places!  I hope you guys get it worked out.  And I'm sure lots of other members have wise and helpful ways to advise you!!  :-)  

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Start with short rides.  No more than a few blocks, slowly.   Keep it 3 to five minutes.  That is ALL!    Let the dog sit up front for now, riding face forward, eyes to the horizon.   Keep dog treats on the DASH.  Dogs will focus on the treats which keeps them from looking all around.  Sit in the car.  Give more treats.  Slowly introduce the car again in a positive experience.    With Starlit, we drove with cookies on the dash for at least 9 months. 

Having a stressed dog myself, I understand what Tamson is saying about not rewarding stressed behavior, but in this case I disagree.   Our trainer never allowed us to coax a stressed dog with treats but use commands such as sit, stay, heel!  Heel is our big one, to let the dog know that stressing isn't the answer--here is another solution.  Come to Heel and nothing will happen to you.  Hard to do with a car ride and with the physical symptoms ( not just stress here) the dog feels--such as nausea, vomiting, etc.

But in this case I think the stress is because the dog is sick~~ VERTIGO~~~ is stressful.  The brain is trying to achieve a balance and can not.  

Start again slow. 

[Lynn & Casey]

Casey does the same thing. She is saturated 5minutes into the ride. As soon as she gets in the car she starts drooling. We can just be sitting in the driveway and she's a mess so I don't think it is motion sickness. I think it is mostly anxiety.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

It can be both.  Having a dog with the same problems I've done a lot of reading and researching.  Who knows though?   I certainly don't.

This reminds me of the saying, " What came first, the chicken or the egg?"

I do know, that if I ever see the deck of a boat on the ocean again after have SEVERE Nausea, vomiting, dizziness, I WILL have an anxiety attack before I have motion sickness again just knowing how I felt the last time I took a boat out on the ocean.    It took me months to just drink a glass of water that summer.

[Leslie J]

Cocoa used to always drool a ton- her entire face, paws, and the towel under her would get soaked on car rides.  She also suffered terrible carsickness when she was younger- she couldn't be in the car for more then 10 minutes without throwing up.  She still gets carsick, but much less frequently and can last much longer.  I just always made sure to give her plenty of water after the ride because she drooled so much I was afraid she'd get dehydrated.  Hang in there- many dogs get better as they mature!

[Kaytlin and Cooper]

some good advice here! Cooper used to drool but more out of excitement than anxiety i think. 

 

I wouldnt bother getting Cesars books, most of the stuff he talks about (in general, not just the car issue) is useless, or only helpful for certain dogs. However, the details for getting a dog used to car rides already described are great! I second not giving comfort!

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

I agree with Joanne as well. I do have Bella sit or laydown when she looks unsettled and is drooling or yawning. It seems to break the cycle. For a few minutes anyway and then I direct her again if traffic allows. Again, as I mentioned in another post, our breeder suggested Rescue Remedy, there is a Pet formula, but I have known people who use it for stress and swear by it. As April, (breeder) has our Bella's mother and it works for her, I am willing to give it a try. Hope this helps/

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Here is an old post of mine about Anxiety in a Car and what worked.

Here are some good posts about Rescue Remedy, how it works, and warnings about the proper one to b...

[Tina, Clover, Plus 5 More]

I have tried Rescue Remedy with Clover for this same problem.  It was not that effective when using the dosage on the bottle.  My vet tech gave me a different dosage to use which helped a lot more.  1 drop for every 5 lbs up to 20 lbs, then 1 drop for every 10 lbs, so a 60 lb dog would receive 8 drops.  The vet tech uses Rescue Remedy in combination with the Thurdershirt for her dog that has anxiety.