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Originally Posted by yyzonian  11 mo. old Zoe now has had many car trips but the experience hasnt gotten much better. She gets very excited about car trips, seems to enjoy the idea in advance but once in the car, despite us being in plain view in the front seat, will only sit quietly for very short periods, intersperced with whining, panting (no its not too hot or cold), pacing, shaking. "SIT" & "Good Girl" will calm her maybe 2-15 minutes then it is back to more of the same agitated behaviour. And God help us if I stop and get out for gas, etc, she goes nuts crying a whining until I return, even if she can see me pump gas, etc.
Hmmm, hoped it would get better over time but many many trips and more of the same.
The first couple of trips we had her on the passenger's lap but it was worse behaviour and not safe to boot. |
First off – your dog should never ride in the front seat of your car. Just like you would never put an infant or a young child in the front seat. If an airbag deploys, your dog can be killed by it.
The safest way to transport a dog is in the back of your car in a crate (I actually found this forum looking for options for transporting my dogs!). Regardless of what kind of crate or restraint you use, it also needs to be strapped securely in or it can become a projectile in your vehicle.
Second, some dogs do get car sick and that can make their experience in any vehicle experience very hard for them. You should speak to your vet to rule out car sickness (even if she is not actually showing physical signs of it).
Third, think about what your dog’s experiences have been getting into your car. How often have trips been to the vet or dog groomer vs. more fun activities – like trips to the park? What were your dogs first trips in your car about? It could be that your dog has begun to associate scary experiences with car travel and you need to up the number of positive experiences so your dog doesn’t feel that every time she gets into a car with you, something scary is going to happen.
Next, it also sounds like your dog may have separation anxiety. Does she show this kind of behavior when you are in the house? What happens when you leave her to go to work?
My husband and I rescued and fostered a Scottie about six or seven years ago who couldn’t deal with car travel. We delt with the problem by driving together, one of us in the front, driving the car, and the other in the back with the dog. We don’t know what Tigger’s story was but it was obvious he couldn’t handle car travel. SO my husband sat in the back of the car next to Tiger with a clicker and marked with C&T for calm behavior. We started with very short car trips – five minutes around the block and worked our way up to half hour trips to fun destinations like the pet shop. He made so much progress he ultimately got adopted and his new owners don’t seem to even know that he had a problem with cars.