Does your puppy like to go for rides?

[Darcy & Millie]

I'm just wondering if it's common for puppies to be afraid when they go for rides, or if this is something I need to try to work her through?  We've taken Millie (9 weeks) on a few already, and each times she whines and you can tell very scared.  We've been going with someone holding her, but maybe I need to try putting her in a travel crate instead?  My plan is to get her a harness, but I thought someone holding her might be the best way to get her used to it.  Maybe not?!

Thank you again!

[Marcia & MoneyPenny]

We started taking Penny with us from the start. At first, she was a little nervous & hesitant but it did not take long for her to realize that she's rather be with us than in her crate. We take her everywhere, weather permitting. She has a fondness for a particular kind of chew stick so we make sure she has one in the car. Keep taking Millie with you & as long as she doesn't have motion issues then she will get used to rides. Sometimes the only times puppies get in the car is for trips to the vet or a bath, neither considered fun. I also have a cover for my back seat that keeps Penny in the back seat. Found it on Amazon, washable & not expensive. We live in an extremely dog friendly town so there is a chorus of barks in the grocery store parking lot. Penny joins in.

[Darcy & Millie]

Great to know! I also l

[Sue and Buddy]

Puppies have undeveloped inner ears that can cause the movement of the car to be uncomfortable and disorienting for them. There are different symptoms depending upon how it affects the puppy.  It makes some puppies get sick, others drool, some whine. I've had several dogs that got car sick as puppies, including Buddy. He out grew it by around 6 months.

I think the best thing to do is keep the experience as positive as possible. Start with short rides and go to places that are fun. I didn't want Buddy to associate the car with always being sick, so we would have lunch there several times a week and play in the back of the SUV while it sat still. I usually made him ride in his crate. I would cover the sides and allow the front to be open so he could only see forward and making sure air was flowing into the crate.

[Nelson, Jeanne and Annie Oakley]

For the first few months Annie would get on the back floor board and try to get under the seat.  She would periodically whine and I knew she was miserable and scared however we wanted to be able to take her with us.  I would take treats and lay them on the seat for her.  She wouldn't even touch them and if we stopped the car and opened the back door she would go to the opposite side of the car and crouch away from us.  We'd have  to drag her out of the car.  When we got home I would just leave the car door open and walk away. She'd eventually get out.    One day when she was about 6 months old I opened the door to load something in the car. When I turned around she was sitting in the back seat just as pretty as you please.  She'd gotten in by herself.  During that ride and from then on she sat on the seat and looked out the window.  When we are in our neighborhood I roll down the window and she puts her face out for the wind to blow through her hair.  When I get where we are going she waits patiently for me to put her leash on her and then she quickly jumps out.    It's just a matter of time and of Millie getting used to new things.     So much of what Annie was afraid of seemed to vanish once she hit the 6month mark! 

[Marnie, Stanlee's Mom]

Stanlee used to get the vomits and the squirts if he rode in the car for longer than 20 or 30 minutes.  He is NOT a fan of riding in the car and still (he's just over a year) huddles in the back trying to shrink himself int the smallest spot he can.  Most of his car rides end up at daycare or the beach but he still doesn't like the ride that gets him to his fun-filled destination.  Our last car ride was a 2½ hour ride to Jacksonville to meet up with some other doodles and Stan made the whole trip with no vomitting or loose stool.  He was nervous on the way there but so tuckered out afterwards tha he sprawled out and made himself at home the whole trip home.

I think he's just not a good traveler - like some people, he may never out grown it. 

[Marnie, Stanlee's Mom]

p.s.  He was always too big to hold in my lap so that was never an option.

[Linda And Loo]

I use a harness on my dogs. I tried the crates and they did not like traveling in the crates. I would put Millie in a harness as as you can because it takes awhile for them to get used to it. Remember every dog is different and it may take some trial and error before you find what is right for Millie. Take her for short rides and gradually increase the distance. Make them as stress free as you can. I would say that Millie is in good hands. Dogs adapt even when humans don't get it right the first time! This the beginning of a wonderful relationship, enjoy the ride!

[Diane, Baker & Oskar]

Oskar was afraid at first & would whine & shake a little.  I took him for a short ride every day...talked to him & petted him the whole time.  All of a sudden, he was Ok with it & now dances & jumps when I grab my purse.  It was the same thing with going down the stairs to the garage...he'd start incessantly barking when I opened the door, he'd back up & get really agitated.  Once I put him on a leash & took him down the stairs a few times, he got used to it & runs out there now because he knows he's going for a ride.  Who knows why puppies fear certain things...I'll bet it all works out for you :)

[Suzanne Newman]

Darcy, our Whidbey was hesitant at first to go in the car.  We just kept taking her, and now she LOVES to go!  One thing you will realize is that any new experience, you have to expect hesitancy.  Depending upon Millie's nature, she may be more cautious and not adventurous.  Just be patient with her.. but DO take her often.   Even the process of getting in and out of the car without going anywhere is a good thing. 

Whidbey also used to HAVE to jump in my lap while I am driving.  It was ok when she was a small puppy and I was only going a short distance down the road, but now that she is close to 30 lbs, that is not possible.  She now has to learn she has to stay in the back seat, and thus, we have set up the back with toys, treats, etc.  She also has a faux sheepskin throw on the back seat as well.  

In everything you do with Millie- just remember that she WILL grow out of it.. and just being consistent, patient, and gentle with her, she will get over her fears of almost everything.  It just takes time...

[Jennifer Szulinski]

Hi Darcy,

My F1 labradoodle Brandy has never liked the car since day one and after 10 years still shivers and shakes like she's in the middle of a thunderstorm.  So, hopefully, your pup will not have the same anxiety.  What has helped tremendously is the thundershirt.  We drive round trip 16 hours three times a year to Maine and since we got the thundershirt, she is much more calm and relaxed.  We also have to give her 1 acepromozine.  Sometimes, dogs just don't like the car. 

[Lori, Quincy & Frankie]

I sat in the backseat with Quincy for the first few months!  gradually, he started laying down on the back seat and getting used to the whole idea.

Now, at 11 months, he is a trooper.  On our last trip to our son's graduation, a 6 hour trip became an almost 8 hour with traffic.  Quincy was so good, sitting up high on his bed almost right between us near the center console.  The AC vent helped and of course we had a seatbelt strap.  He loves to go to the store with my husband and waits in the car, weather permitting.  

Hang in there! 

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

Finnegan has always liked riding in the car...except for the day I brought him home...a 2 hour trip that began with whining and progressed to an all out, mind numbing howl...and another...etc.  I put on a CD of very soothing classical music (Meditations by Bach) and it calmed him and he fell asleep for the entire ride (he was crated).  I've used the same method teaching rescue pups who are a little older and not so fond of the car to relax and enjoy the ride successfully.  It has taken several rides. This might not work for motion sickness, but for pups that are agitated or nervous it may help. Anecdotal but worth a try. Studies have shown its relaxing effects on humans...why not animals? BTW Rock music did not work!  LOL