Desensitisation Program for Pups and Dogs with Travel problems

Getting Puppy’s used to the car.

If your puppy is sick or a dribbler in the car, or shows anxiety when getting in then he/she is probable displaying stress signs associated with travelling.

Pups like people can suffer from travel sickness, but rather than this condition being caused by motion sickness it tends to be caused by the stress of being in the car.

To begin with it is necessary to lower the anxiety of the puppy so start off by placing the puppy in the car with you next to him/her, feed a couple of treats and then let the puppy come back out again. At this stage the doors must remain open so the puppy does not feel enclosed and as such the pup must remain on the lead to ensure control.

If the puppy does not eat or eats quickly this is a sign that the puppy is quite anxious, so may sure these sessions are short but frequent. Favourite toys and bedding familiar to the pup will help settle him/her in the car so set this up before you ask your pup to get in. The idea here is to only have the pup in the car long enough to eat two or three treats and then he/she is allowed out again. (If your pup is motivated more by toys/games then food, play with the pup instead of feeding treats).

Once the pup is relaxed then the next stage is to shut the door with you in there still with him/her. Again feed two or three treats and then let him/her out again. The next stage should only be moved onto once you are sure you puppy is relaxed in the car with the door shut. If this is the case you can now begin to feed the puppy his/her meals in the car, difference being this time he/she is shut in there while you watch from outside.

Again as soon as the puppy is comfortable with being in the car alone, now turn on the engine and allow it to run while the puppy is in the car eating. This needs a lot of practise and time to help your pup being to accept the car. Once you are sure your pup is comfortable you can now progress to popping your pup in the car with his/her bed, toys, Kong stuffed with food and driving just 100m’s down the road, returning back again. Once more keeping the distance short will help the pup to get used to the car quicker. As soon as the pup is no longer stressed while travelling short journeys ensure that most of the car journeys end somewhere nice for the pup. A lot of these problems are caused by the only trip in the car being to the VETS, therefore not a great association for the pup.