Car Anxiety?

[Lauren and Kona]

Kona absolutely HATES to ride in the car. She cries, whines and barks constantly. She even tries to climb over my shoulder! It's getting to the point it's just not safe to drive with her anymore. I purchased a safety harness for the car but it didn't work out well at all. She doesn't sit still for one second!

I've been trying to bring Kona with me everywhere to socialize her but it's difficult since she hates the car so much.

Any advice on how to help calm her? Riding in the car is something we'll be doing a lot so I want to get her used to it.

Thanks, everyone!!

[Sherri Mazursky]

Minnie did that for about her first 5 car rides. Then she got used to them.

[Debb, Lucy & Oscar]

Same here with both Lucy and Oscar. They both outgrew their dislike for it. Maybe it had to do with all the fun places that were at the end of the car rides :)

[Gem's Jewel]

If she is already used to the crate, that would be my first suggestion since she will feel safe there. The second suggestion would be to get a friend (especially one with a dog who is friendly and loves to ride in the car!) to go with you and take a long drive stopping for walks every hour or so and then getting back in. This would help her get over the stress in one trip hopefully and you would get the enjoyment of having a friend along to drive or hold Kona.

[Rae]

When we first got Bella she did the same thing. When we had our other dog with us she would attack Rozee and make it impossible for everyone. So this is what worked for us. I started with Bella in the car with me just sitting in the garage twice a day for one week with a small treat every time she was put in the car. Then we moved to the driveway; then I'd start the car (treats), let it run for a couple of minutes (treats), the next week we actually moved the car (treats), and then it was a 3-5 minute drive. It really didn't take all that long before she was wanting to get in the car every time she went in the garage(no treats..just praise). We went from "monster puppy in car" to "perfect puppy in car" in about three weeks. So well worth the time and effort!

[Malenie Piscetelli]

Lucy hates to ride in the car too. She cry so bad. She gets car sick too. I took her 4 times so far. Everyone tell me she will grow out. I hope. She is 16 weeks. 2 more weeks she is going to puppy training in 2 weeks. I am worry about her in the car. I did tried her not to eat and still vomit.

[Brittney Dickson]

Our Lady is 11Months and still has horrible car anxiety, we've tried training, treats etc. We also think it may be because she gets car sick. We read up on it and it appears it's something Goldendoodles are known to have issues with. Most people say she will grow out of it but so far no luck :( A friend of mine suggested the Thunder shirt so we are going to try that. I've never had a dog that didn't absolutely love the car let alone felt miserable in it, I hope it gets better as she crosses the year mark.

[Kelly & Zoe]

I would highly recommend against seatbelt harnesses and opt for a crate you can put in the back seat.  Zoe not only was anxious about riding in the car but she also gets car sick.  Once we put a crate in the car, she feels much more secure and doesn't get car sick as much.  I think the crate provides her with a better sense of security than the harnesses did.

Read the center for pet safety's report on seatbelt harnesses: http://centerforpetsafety.org/research/

[Gem's Jewel]

Thank you for sharing those videos! It should be illegal for such products to be sold!

[Kelly & Zoe]

Agreed!

[Gem's Jewel]

You should post that as a topic so others see it!

[Sophie]

Oh my! Just saw this. Thanks for sharing. That's crazy.

[Sophie]

When we first got Charlie he was the same way. Plus he'd get car sick every single time, even if the drive was 5 minutes long. We just kept taking him anyway, and now he absolutely loves the car and going for rides. At first we didn't use a harness, so he could go from window to window and get distracted. Now we use a harness seatbelt for his safety but even without it, he doesn't try and come in the front. He keeps himself amused looking (or hanging out) the window.

Some things that might help. I sat in the back with Charlie the first couple times and he'd come to my lap when he was  scared. Also, go to super fun places like the dog park so she associates car rides with fun.