What To Do When Your Pup Hates The Car
So many dogs love to ride in the car. There’s so much to look at and to smell. However, there are also dogs who would rather do anything but ride in the car. There are many reasons why a dog might not like the car. They may get carsick or have had some other bad thing happen to them in the car. They may think that they have to go somewhere scary, such as the vet’s office, in the car. It could also be that all of the new sights, sounds, and smells are overwhelming for the dog, and this can create fear and confusion.
Carsickness in Dogs
It may be that your dog feels sick in the car and therefore tries to avoid getting into it. This is often the answer if your dog has no history of anything scary happening in the car. To find out if this is the reason, you can ask your veterinarian about a medication for nausea. If this relieves the dislike of the car, then this is evidence that carsickness was the problem. Be careful to only administer medication that is supplied by or recommended by your vet. If this doesn’t work, there are training methods that can help the dog to better tolerate the car.
Training for Car Rides
If the nausea medications didn’t prove helpful, there are a number of training techniques that you can use to help your dog get used to the car. First, you can try to make your dog more comfortable in the car by bringing some of their favorite things. You can also see whether your dog would prefer to ride in a crate in the car or whether that option makes your dog anxious. Experiment with various things that you can bring into the car to see whether they will calm them down.
If your dog doesn’t like to approach the car or to get into it, this is something that you need to address. If you have to force your dog into the car every time, this will just make them more nervous about the car. Try to get them used to the car before trying to get them to go in. A helpful practice is to walk around your car with your dog and give them treats the whole time. Then, if they try to move away from the car, stop feeding the treats. Try this every day until your dog is happy to be near the car. Then, give them a treat when they get into the car. After that, you can freely pass out treats during the journey. German Dog Training Center can help you with this training if you aren’t successful with it. Check out our testimonials and contact us today!