Road tripping with a dog with car anxiety

If your dog is anxious while you travel, these tips, from Sarah Archer at Your Best Digs, may help…

Road tripping with a dog with car anxiety

Before they get a dog, everyone imagines a road trip with them to be like what they see on television. There are happy pooches having the best time in the world, sticking their heads out of car windows wearing a bandana and sunglasses. But the reality can be a good deal less pleasant. 

If your dog suffers from anxiety in the car it can be a truly upsetting experience ranging from vaguely annoying habits like panting and whining to all-out devastation including vomit and other functions all over the car. 

However, there are a number of ways you can prepare yourself, your car, and your dog, so that road trips can become more fun and less filled with terrible odors and stress. 

Prep the car

If your dog suffers from some car anxiety, there are aspects of the car you can change to help your dog feel more at home. 

• Use a crate: if you can fit an appropriately sized crate in the car this will often help your dog relax. Dogs usually want a private place to feel more secure. Make sure you can get the crate on solid ground (without a slant) and give it a solid place it so does not shift around. This is also the safest way to transport your dog as well as a great way to keep shed hair off the upholstery.  
• Include a favorite toy or treat when they get in to help them feel better about the car in general.
• Make the car smell less scary: There are specific calming pheromones for dogs that some people recommend as ways to keep your dog from suffering anxiety. 
• Dog music: Keep your playlist calming. You can even invest in music that is specifically designed to make your dog less anxious.
• Have clean-up materials on hand, just in case. You’ll be sorry if you don’t bring them.

Prep your dog to combat car anxiety

If your dog is anxious about the car, you might want to try to get them slowly acclimatized to it. For one method: 

• Start by offering the dog a favorite treat inside the car. Let them in and then let them out again relatively immediately. 
• After a few visits to the car, try keeping the dog in for longer and starting the engine (without going anywhere).
• When they are used to the engine running, try taking short trips. Until your dog gets more used to the idea of traveling. 
• Then try to take your dog in the car to create happy memories. If your dog suffers from car anxiety, it’s likely you’ve only taken them when you’ve HAD to do so. Usually to the vet or the groomer. If you take them on more short trips to places they will enjoy, like the park, they may be less afraid of going on a trip. 

All this being said, your dog may need clinical help if they are very anxious or get motion sickness in the car. Check with your vet and you may want to look into what pet insurance may cover anti-anxiety medications for just this kind of scenario.