Beth G Posted June 28, 2006 Report Share Posted June 28, 2006 How do you cure this? Is there a way? We just got a new minivan and would love to make Poppy more comfortable. I hate to have to leave him at home when we go to the parks that are too far to walk to. He just hates being left behind when Pepper goes!! And I feel so awful when I have to do that to him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kat's Dogs Posted June 28, 2006 Report Share Posted June 28, 2006 There are medical cute (pills, plants, things to feed them before a tip, and so on) but the best way is to get them used the car - only problem is, that can take awhile. Start one a week (or month) where you won't really be taking Poppy anywhere in the car. Get some really good treats (like cheese or hotdog) and open the car doors. Get Poppy to jump in and get a treat. Make the car are REALLY good thing to get into. One Poppy is jumping in the car happily, just get him to stay there. Make him sit, down do any tricks and things like that so he really start to like the car because you do fun stuff in it. Once he is ready, back the car (or forwards) down the drive way. Really short distance. Make it really fun - lots of treats. Slowly increase the distance you drive while keeping Poppies mind on other things (it works better if someone is in the back playing and doing stuff with Poppy while someone else is driving very slowly). Over time, just go longer and longer distances - and it takes awhile. Always keep the car fun. At some point - it will click, and Poppy will be comfortable and happy in the car, without getting car sick. This does tend to take awhile though, but it always seems to get them over the car sickness. Also opening a window during this training and letting them stick their heads out (only in the beginning) helps move the process along. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keegan's Mom Posted June 28, 2006 Report Share Posted June 28, 2006 How old is Poppy? Tess would get car sick when we first brought her home...then only while riding in a crate or my car (Corolla rather than the station wagon Mazda). I told Laura that she got sick while riding in crates and she didn't get sick the entire time she was with Laura (one week) riding in the crate in her SUV. So my point is that I think they can grow out of it and as Kat said "get used" to riding in a car and no longer will get sick. Also - Karen has suggested a ginger snap on these boards before...just before riding in the car will settle their stomachs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nancy Posted June 28, 2006 Report Share Posted June 28, 2006 A harness seatbelt cured Fergie. She needed the stability. Until we got it, she got sick leaving the driveway. With it, she's been to New England (11-hour drive) with no hint of a problem, among all her other rides. We say "ride", and she does her riding dance under the harness until we take it down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaisingRiver Posted June 28, 2006 Report Share Posted June 28, 2006 I've heard to feed them their dinners in the car - to desensitize the vehicle. Then take them on short trips making it much fun (ie. down the block and back) gradually extending the trips. After each trip do something really cool at the end of the trip (ie. stopped at the end of the block or w/e) to created the going to the park senario where the dog loves going to the park cuz it's so much fun. Also try wrapping pup in blanket to feel secure while in car. Or have someone hold him to feel secure - talking to him, reasurrance. I don't crate my dogs in my van and when River was 2-3 months old, she was scared of riding in car, so I wrapped her in a blanket on the passenger front seat and she soon learned to nap while driving. Which she still does to this day, insta nap! My other dog Jaida would vomit her breakfast in the car rides to take kids to school in am, so I stopped feeding her before I took her out and took her for short rides in the car in the am, then feed her when we got back. It cured her in a week or so. Both dogs LOVE going in the car with me - both because it's with ME and because we often go somewhere cool at the end of the trip (dogpark, agility, PetSmart). But I never have a problem getting the back in the car to go home either Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoku's mum Posted June 28, 2006 Report Share Posted June 28, 2006 Hoku got terribly car sick at first, throwing up, massive drooling etc. I have been using the desensitization (short rides to fun places) and giving Hoku a capsule of powdered ginger 30 minutes before we go. He does best the closer to the front he can be. If we have to put him in the way way back, he is pretty miserable. He will not take ANY treats in the car (even spits out chicken, tuna, the works), so the treat route did not work for us. He still isn't crazy about going, but he no longer even drools, and just goes to sleep, hea, works for me. So it seems that he's growing out of it (he's around 10 months now) Hopefully as time goes by, he'll even get to like the car. Good luck with Poppy! Kristin and Hoku Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nancy Posted June 28, 2006 Report Share Posted June 28, 2006 BTW, there are other reasons for my using the harness. I do not want ~50 lbs of dog flying around the car if some idiot hits us. I do not want Fergie loose on the highway if some idiot really slams us. I prefer to not use a crate because I drive a Civic and often have two grandgirls who have to share the back seat with Ferg. Fergie prefers to not use a crate because, in her harness, she can sleep, sit, stand, and bark like mad at every dog, horse, cow, and goat in sight. And I can just disconnect the harness from the seatbelt and use its strap as a leash. And sometimes get away with lots because people assume she's an assistence dog. She is wll behaved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tassie Posted June 28, 2006 Report Share Posted June 28, 2006 Agree with what the others have said - and especially Hoku's Mum - I was going to suggest ginger too. Luckily, I haven't had the problem, but friends have used ginger snap cookies with good effect. Don't feed the dog before the car trip, but give a couple of ginger snap cookies (or some other form of ginger) jsut before the trip - and maybe another one or two (or more if they're working) in the car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fooshuman Posted June 28, 2006 Report Share Posted June 28, 2006 Ginger snaps and short rides worked wonders on Sydney. She now loves car rides, although if i don't have some kind of cookie she looks at me all disappointed. (ginger snaps mmmm!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nancy Posted June 28, 2006 Report Share Posted June 28, 2006 In our case, ginger snaps made a smelly mess in the back of my Mazda. And I'm persistent. So there were just before ginger snaps one day. half hour ones the next. Hour ones the next. Then I got the harness. Well, at least the car was 10 years old. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth G Posted June 29, 2006 Author Report Share Posted June 29, 2006 I always used a harness with my last dog that I had for almost 11 yrs. I will try all that. Thanks guys. I will let you know how it goes. We will start tommorow.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.