Hi Lab lovers, my 9 month Lab, Lola, really hates the car. She always has, and I feel as though we've tried "everything". as a small pup she was sick on every journey - even 10 mins. So we took a "two-pronged" approach: feeding her meals and treats in the car to make it a happy place and then (when her stomach was empty, hours after the feeding) taking her for very short journeys for a lovely walk. she hasn't been sick for a while now, and she does journeys up to 25 mins, but the drooling is unreal. And she is very nervous of getting in the car. It often takes a few attempts before she is willing to not only go out the gate to the car but also jump into the car without running back into the house. But when we arrive at the forest she's recovered within seconds of jumping out of the car! And then when we've finished our walk she's reluctant again of the car. help! My family live a 3 hour drive away and I can't live like this forever. nb: she travels in a secure and roomy car boot with a non-slip floor and guard so she cannot get through to the back seats. She can see us from this safe space, and see out the windows if she's sitting/stood up.
You say that you took her for very short journeys for a lovely walk when she was a small pup. Do you still do this? I would ensure all of her walks are after a short journey to build up the positive association with the car.
I am having the exact same problem. I have only been taking my dog in the car and then back home (because he didn’t have all of his vaccines yet). He hates car rides. Next week he gets his last round of shots. After that I plan to start driving him a couple blocks only to a grassy area each day. I am hopeful that will help him realize that the car goes somewhere fun. Let me know if you have any success with your dog. I am open to ideas!!
Hi! Thanks for your advice. We do a car ride before a walk as much as we possibly can. It's not always something we can do, as a busy household, but it's great advice and we'll have to double-down our efforts on this. She is getting better, but so very slowly and I really feel for the poor pup.
Keep going Puppies are unbelievably time consuming, but it's definitely worth putting the time and effort in.
