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yipyap · 11-26-2013, 06:24 PM

My first dog I owned in the 1980's (Miniature Schnauzer) loved to ride in the car. Just the uttering of the word "ride" would send him running to the door ecitedly.
My little Yorkie puppy, however, was only 3+ pounds, and riding in this "moving, strange, small Room on wheels" was frightening to him. I think his early rides were all to the vet's office, so I think he equated car rides worth getting shots, etc. Many of his early rides would result in him getting "car sick"..so I let him have drinks of water, but would hold off on morning meals if we had to goin the car..this helped. Also, I tried taking him to places he would enjoy, to the park and other places where he could walk about. But the only thing that would calm his whining and shaking in the early minutes of our ride was if I kept my right hand on his head & scratched him while he was in his car seat. I tried herbal "calming drops" from the pet store which helped a little bit, but didn't make him really relax & "like" riding. For the first 8 minutes of any rides, he would whine in his car seat , often he would get tired, get calmer and would sometimes curl-up in his seat on his blanket and try to rest. As he has gotten older, he has gotten better. Also, he calms down faster when we get into the car to "go home", he seems by that time to be relaxed by the time I tell him we are going "home". I don't have to try to reassure him on the trip back home. If I try to take Taffy in my car without putting the dog-car seat in the passenger's seat, he gets upset if I try to have him just lie on his blanket on the passenger's seat; he wants to come over and sit in my lap. This I found out was because my Husband would let Taff ride on His lap when he drove in his truck into the field or on short trips to the village 12 minutes south of us! So, of course, then Taff wanted to come over and ride in my lap, which I felt wasn't safe as I drove into the city with him, and we would stop for walks in the park. He finally has realized at age 3, that Mom & Dad just don't do things the same way in these moving "rooms". He has gotten better with having his own small raised dog-car seat and with getting older. The first five minutes are still when he seems nervous, but once he gets to get in and out of the car and "checks out new grassy areas", he gets much more receptive of the whole idea of "going riding"!! Especially, if I sound excited & mention the "park".

11-26-2013, 06:24 PM	#13
yipyap Donating Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Sep 2013 Location: Shenandoah Valley, VA., USA Posts: 173	The booster seat, herbal drops, scratching his heas... My first dog I owned in the 1980's (Miniature Schnauzer) loved to ride in the car. Just the uttering of the word "ride" would send him running to the door ecitedly. My little Yorkie puppy, however, was only 3+ pounds, and riding in this "moving, strange, small Room on wheels" was frightening to him. I think his early rides were all to the vet's office, so I think he equated car rides worth getting shots, etc. Many of his early rides would result in him getting "car sick"..so I let him have drinks of water, but would hold off on morning meals if we had to goin the car..this helped. Also, I tried taking him to places he would enjoy, to the park and other places where he could walk about. But the only thing that would calm his whining and shaking in the early minutes of our ride was if I kept my right hand on his head & scratched him while he was in his car seat. I tried herbal "calming drops" from the pet store which helped a little bit, but didn't make him really relax & "like" riding. For the first 8 minutes of any rides, he would whine in his car seat , often he would get tired, get calmer and would sometimes curl-up in his seat on his blanket and try to rest. As he has gotten older, he has gotten better. Also, he calms down faster when we get into the car to "go home", he seems by that time to be relaxed by the time I tell him we are going "home". I don't have to try to reassure him on the trip back home. If I try to take Taffy in my car without putting the dog-car seat in the passenger's seat, he gets upset if I try to have him just lie on his blanket on the passenger's seat; he wants to come over and sit in my lap. This I found out was because my Husband would let Taff ride on His lap when he drove in his truck into the field or on short trips to the village 12 minutes south of us! So, of course, then Taff wanted to come over and ride in my lap, which I felt wasn't safe as I drove into the city with him, and we would stop for walks in the park. He finally has realized at age 3, that Mom & Dad just don't do things the same way in these moving "rooms". He has gotten better with having his own small raised dog-car seat and with getting older. The first five minutes are still when he seems nervous, but once he gets to get in and out of the car and "checks out new grassy areas", he gets much more receptive of the whole idea of "going riding"!! Especially, if I sound excited & mention the "park".