Dog Travel

[Picky]

I have a 15 month old collie cross dog and she is a very bad traveller. We went through months of being sick on any journey (be it 2 minutes or 2 hours) and now all she does is dribble. This is not a small amount of dribble, she looks like she has been in a bath each time she emerges from the car. Any suggestions gratefully received on how to stop this please!

[woofgang]

Its a long slow process, but desensetisation can work. First step, put dog in car, DO NOT GO ANYWHERE OR EVEN TURN ON ENGINE get dog out of car. praise and reward. Do this until dog gets into car happily and doesn't dribble. Then extend time sat in car with you there always extend time slowly don't push it till dog gets wound up and give loads of up beat but calm praise and reward. Once all okay , start engine, turn off praise dog. extend engine running time then when okay with engine running, drive car one foot, stop. praise dog, etcet very very gradually extending driving time. Your vet can help with mild sedatives but our dog who had firework phobia used to be knocked flat by these so I personally would not recommend them. I have found that bach flower rescue remedy helps generally for nervy situations. You will need to take it slowly and persevere. Your dog is lucky to have you an (ex) friend of mine used to throw the dog in the car onloads of old towels and said the poor thing would just have to get over it or suffer!!

[Picky]

Thanks for the advice woofgang, I'll try that! Someone also suggested to me 'Just chuck her in the boot on loads of black sacks to catch the dribble and let her get on with it' (same ex friend perhaps??!!), so I thought I would ask the question to people with some intelligence!!

[Ember]

Picky, you have described my dogs antics in a car to the "T". I have had him 5 years now and nothing has changed. I just have to travel with loads of newspaper, a wet rag to wipe his mouth and wear old shoes for when he silently vomits all over my feet and I don't know he's done it til my foot suddenly goes warm. Ugh. animals!

[Picky]

I've got my fingers crossed that woofgangs suggestion works then...don't think soggy dog will be the nicest thing to cope with on car journeys for the next however many years!! Glad to know we're not on our own!

[bizzylizzy]

Just wondered. Do you put your dog in the back of the car ie the hatch section? Because some dogs seem to travel better on the back seat of the car than in the boot area. Bizzylizzy

[Picky]

I do normally put here in the boot, she's not sat on the back seat since she was a pup. My husband doesn't now seem too keen on the idea of doggy slobber on the seat covers!! I'll try it when he's not there! Thanks for the suggestion