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Stress in the car..

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tannerbimbo

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Would any one have any ideas how I can alleviate the stress my yorkie suffers when travelling in the car? We have tried the quietly get in and then out routine without success. I have sat on the back seat with him, have tried the get treats in the car routine, but no change. Poor little mite cannot lay down or relax but whines and pants all the while. We now keep our journeys to the maximum of thirty minutes. P.s I do not praise for this behaviour but we remain calm and quiet.
 
Perhaps go back a step and start again?

Approach the car and allow him to retreat if he wants to. If he approaches he can have wonderful treats but let him retreat again if he wants to. Once he can get right up to the stationary car then lift him, reward, and let him get out again. It is very tempting at his stage to hold them in there so "show him" that cars are nice.

Any increase in anxiety prevents learning so he is not learning that the car is nice if he is anxious. Keep repeating the in, reward, out procedure until you can feed him treats while her remains in the car voluntarily. Keep your voice and body language relaxed and positive no matter how frustrated you are feeling.

Once he will enter and remain reasonably relaxed then practise shutting the door. If you have a boot type car then do watch his demeanour as you close the boot. Some dogs hate the bang, others hate the pressure created inside the car as the boot closes. This can be addressed by opening another door/window to relieve the pressure as the boot is closed.

You may notice that this is the thing he hates most so you may have to work a long time on this.

Next, start the car and immediately switch it off and let him out. Repeat lots of times until he relaxes.

Put the car in gear, move an inch or two then switch off and let him out. Repeat etc.

Move a little further, stop and let him out. Repeat until he is relaxed.

Take tiny journeys up and down the drive and then progress to the corner and back.

If someone can observe him all through this you might get a clue to which part of cars he is worried about the most. With my dog it was the vacuum created by a boot being closed.

You could also try Adaptil sprayed into the car where he rests. Rescue remedy in his water bowl might help too?

It takes quite while for them to forget whatever is bothering them :(
 
Many thanks for your time and advice Gypsymum2. I have taken note of the names Adaptil and Rescue and will try these as soon as I can obtain them. In the meantime it would seem it is the actual act of movement in the car that causes stress. For instance if my husband or I wait in the car with Pepper for the other one of us he is fine. It is only once we begin the journey (however short) that the stress rears its head. He (Pepper) is otherwise a very friendly but well adjusted little chap and shows no sign of separation anxiety when left for short but necessary shopping trips. He will spend several hours a day on his stool sitting in the sunshine in living room bay window watching the world go by whether we are at home with him or not. He adores all the family and friends that visit including my sons dogs (large staffie, French bulldog, chowah and schnouzer) (no, I can't spell) and shows no fear, stress or aggression with any one. He does not like to be taken somewhere a little different though and will make little squeaky noises until he is back on known territory . We have always taken him on holiday with us in the boat or the caravan and he is fine once we are there. My husband and I are retired and so we spend all our time together and with Pepper. Again many thanks
 
My male dog has started barking in the car now, so much so I haven't taken him to work for ages (about a 30 minute trip each way). Previously he was OK-ish, but was always panting for the entire journey. I was unaware of Adaptil and might give that a try.
 
Just a thought as you say it seems to be when the car is moving that it upsets him - can your dog see out of the windows when the car is moving? My friend's dog used to get upset in the car and sometimes be car sick if it was a longer journey until they got him a booster seat and he could see out the windows. He wasn't always physically sick but often behaved as though he felt poorly after a journey. I'm assuming its similar to human motion sickness, caused when the information the brain is getting from the eyes doesn't match information from the balance sensors in the ears. Being able to see out the windows sorts that out. If the movement is making him feel ill sometimes he might have a negative association with the car moving.
 
Good idea from Hazybubbles.

Some dogs are fine in one car but not in another. Maybe they can hear a different engine or transmission noise? It is very difficult when they can't talk.

For travel sickness some peoples swear by ginger. You could try a ginger biscuit before a journey.

Does he go to nice places in the car? Or do you only use it to take him to the vet or groomer? In other words is he worried about the destination?

Another thought. Is your husband like mine and shouting at other drivers all the time? A sensitive dog would not enjoy this especially if it only happens in the car.
 
brilliant advice and suggestions from all. I intend to try them all. My dopey Mutt loves going to the vets as he always meets new people and animals, We also take him when we just purchase bits and bobs so that it is not a nasty place to go. Wherever else we take him is always a 'fun' place. i.e visiting the children or to the park. You are right about the hubby muttering at other drivers and that was something that I had ever thought of so thank you for that. Me, I don't drive. All grooming is done by me at home after the one try with a professional who made his tummy and neck raw! I now do all the trimming and the daily brushing and he is mostly brilliant and never cowers or shows reluctance. I have not attempted his claws as being black one cannot see the quick but he fine with the vets clipping them. Once again my thanks to all and I do realise that I do not have a problem dog. My dog just has a problem owner.
 
Adaptil has arrived, will try it at the weekend and report back.
 
OK, I tried a couple of techniques with our dog in the car this weekend, rightly or wrongly both at the same time. Here's what I did:

1. Our dog usually travels secured to the back seat. He's recently started barking at everything that moves - everything! - when travelling which means he hasn't been in the car for about a month (my heart can't take the stress!). So yesterday, I though I'd try him in the boot space. Not an actual boot, but the area behind the rear seats so he can stand, move, look around if he wants to.

2. I put his bed in the boot space for an extra bit of comfort and feeling of security for him. I sprayed his bed and his blanket with Adaptil I also sprayed the cover on the back seats too, in case he didn't get on in the boot space and we had to put him back on the back seat.

Result? On an outward journey to the beach yesterday (about 30 - 40 minutes) we put him in the boot with a couple of treats. He was fine! On the faster roads he curled up but when we slowed he would stand up looking over the back seats. He barked once at a bus when I had to pull into a layby as he was getting a bit fidgety. My wife sat in the back and could keep a soothing hand on him which may or may not have helped. He made a sicky-cough-bark noise a couple of times, so perhaps the curling up and not seeing where he was going upset him a bit, but he was't ill. On the return trip we put him on the back seat to see if there was a difference. He barked a bit more as we had to drive through a town and he could see other dogs and approaching vehicles. After that he was generally OK.

So, it would seem that the combination of Adaptil and travelling in his bed in the boot space worked, so I'm going to expand on this. Next time out I'll get a guard so he can't jump over the seats and ask my wife to sit in the front to see how he behaves then. Either way I'd call it progress ;)
 
Well done - sounds like you've done all the right things. Make sure you get the guard as soon as you can so he doesn't get used to her being there. Also, have you considered getting sun guards for your side windows at the back if there are Windows there? Good thing for dogs in cars anyway as the warm weather is here, he'd still be able to see through the guards, but his view will be slightly constricted. Hope things continue to go well
 
Some people find that their dogs travel better in a crate with a cover over. Others are happier when they can see everything! It is all a matter of trial and error really.
 
Thanks both the replies. Hadn't thought about sun guards (doh), will try that too!
 
I am going to try the Adaptil! My American Staffy is sooo stressed out in cars 80% of the time. But he comes to work with me (you can see him here, he's the black staffy) so he travels a short trip daily. He's fine for short trips, or if he's too tired to stay awake. I have tried so many different things and have just settled on him usually being annoying. He loves getting in the car, and has no problem hanging out in a parked car. But the anticipation of not knowing where he's going (or knowing he's going somewhere fun) drives him mad!
 
My dog struggled with anticipation in the car. I found for him, a covered crate so he couldn't see where he was going, helped a bit.
 
Took mine out last night in the car, didn't put his bed in the boot as we've done previously and he barked more as he spent more time stood up and looking around. I'm going to get some sticky backed plastic to block out the rear quaterlights which will reduce what he can see, and try him in his bed again which will hopefully calm him down a bit more. The Adaptil seems to help.
 
I tried crating my dog in the beginning, which only seemed to make him more frantic (though he is happy in his crate at home). But perhaps I should give it a try again, it has been at least 7 months since I tried! I hadn't really thought about limiting how much they can see where they are going.
 
I think it depends on what triggers the reaction. We have a motorhome and the dog is great in that. In the car, not so much so it was about replicating the conditions from the MH in the car as far as possible - and not being able to see out and anticipate where he was seemed to be a big thing.
 
I have tried Adaptil, sprayed his own blanket and the seats in the back of the car and put a pillow under the blanket so that he could see more. (he still strapped in)I took special note of how Pepper reacted on all parts of a 30 min. journey. Mostly he sounded like a miniature steam train except when we stopped at lights. that was when he became calm. My son has suggested getting a travel crate that he cannot see out of. I would appreciate thoughts on this.
 
If he is better when he is stopped could it be motion sickness? Even if he isn't actually sick he might feel nauseous. You could try a ginger biscuit before a trip to alleviate any nausea. Sorry, just re-read older posts and realised Gypsysmum already suggested that ...
 
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