Huckabee at 7 months hates the car. He has always hated it (not my husband's). He will only get in on the drivers side and will only ride in the front seat. The first time I put him in my car in the back seat was to go to the vet. He cried the entire way and threw up. Ever since then he hates to ride in my car. Any suggestions?
My girl hated the car too. I had to go back to basics with her. She won't go in the boot and personally I'm ok with that as long as she isn't moving around in the car. I started by just sitting in the car, then starting the engine, then just going up and down our cul-de-sac. I done this for a few days, then started driving to the garage (2-3 mins away) every night. Then we started going a bit further each day. It took months and I never thought the barking, howling, panting would stop, but it did. We can now drive for several hours with no problem, but it took time and patience.
Aw sorry Huckabee (love the name) and @capsmom! I am a Guide Dog Puppy Raiser (South Africa), and as our pups have to be okay with car travel in the front footwell as well as the back footwell and the back seat, we start their training from day one. We use "hup" as a cue to get in - whether we have to lift them in or they are able to climb in themselves. We feed at least one meal a day in the car (while the car is off), clicker work in the footwell or on the backseat, and lots of treats and praise. Once pup is comfy, doing it all with the car on and idling, and then adding a short, daily car trip. As they settle the trips get longer. If a pup is unhappy (panting, puking, drooling) we slow it down again, meals in the car, playing or eating whilst the car idles, but keeping it calm and quiet, not making a fuss. We also work around the car, hopping into and out of the car, climbing in one door and out of another - without going anywhere - sometimes with the car off and sometimes on and idling. Some of my pups have liked to have a damp towel to lie on in summer, and they all love the cold aircon. It can take a while, but making the car an extension of the home or his crate will help make him comfortable. Hang in there!
I agree with AngelConradie and Naya - my pup hated the car as well, which was such a bummer! SO many fun places to go! So, everytime we put him in I gave him a stuffed kong or good chew toy to keep him occupied, and I tried to take him to fun places - the lake, etc... If your pup gets carsick, maybe just have her enjoy the kong while idle and then get out, don't drive anywhere just to make positive associations. We use a soft sided kennel in the trunk are of our SUV to keep him (and the dog hair!) contained. I even just would walk him to the car every day and put a biscuit in his car kennel, and then we'd just get out again. It took awhile but no more panting and whining, and now he gets excited when he thinks we're going for a ride! I think if you start pairing the car with positive things consistently she'll get better about liking it. Keep up the good work!
I did the same as @Naya with my rescue dog Charlie who hated the car, I think due to the fact that he had been transported SO much from The Pound in Ireland, to the rescue in Wales, to his fosterer in Surrey, then to several new owner who sent him back, then to us and so it went on. The poor boy was a wreck so we went back to basics but it took us about 18 months for him to happily jump in the car himself. It was worth it as now he's not at all worried. You really just have to take it slowly. xx
My Snuffles has had a lot of severe car sickness/anxiety problems including tons of drooling and throwing up after only a few minutes. So we ended up going back to basics too. We started by giving her treats near the car, then near the door, then on the seat, then inside with me in it, etc. This all took a couple months, but eventually she would get in and be semi calm. She still had car sickness problems, but they are much reduced. After a lot of "car time" she was starting to plateau and we needed to take her on a 3 hour trip. Our vet proscribed her trazadone (spelling?) as and anxiety aid (it's super inexpensive too). It's worked wonders for longer trips and she can now travel comfortably long distances, although it gets her pretty groggy. We have used this as well as the reconditioning under vet supervision to help her get over her fear of cars and we are near finished. I wouldn't go the drugs route unless reconditioning fails, but it's an option if you get stuck or have to do a drive that is outside her range. I hope this helps, it was really hard on us for a while.
