About this episode
Today we're talking about a different type of anxiety, but one that many separation anxiety dogs have: anxiety over car journeys. For the most part cars predict good things for dogs. So why do so many dogs seem to have issues with car rides? Why do some dogs find cars journeys so scary. And if your dog whines, cries or barks in the car what can you can do about it? Dogs can seem to have a love hate relationship with cars. Some dogs love the car for getting to the park or the beach, but find the car scary and intimidating on other occasions. Then there are the dogs who absolutely love cars, no matter what. So much so they whine, and howl the whole time they are in the car. You'll need different strategies for different behaviours. Dogs who are anxious in the car We'll start with dogs who don't love car journeys. These dogs show the same signs you may have seen in your home alone anxious dogs. Panting, salivating, crying, shaking, trembling, cowering, ears back, stiff bodies, whale eyes and so on. They might fear the car so much that they are even be like this when you take them somewhere fun. Love the destination, hate the journey. Often we assume that it's just because they have an aversion to the car. But if your dog does get upset I want you to check check that they aren't actually suffering from car sickness. Why? Well it's common for dogs who have motion sickness to start to dread the car. So much so that you don't see the signs of grogginess. Instead you see the anxiety and stress. Even if your dog doesn't get motion sickness now. Even if they only ever had one bad experience, that can be enough to make them hate car journeys. How can you tell? Sometimes the signs of motion sickness are obvious - limp, wobbly, drooling (but that can look like anxiety too) and of course vomting. Sometimes the signs that it's motion sickness aren't at all obvious. Your dog might just look upset But if you have any suspicions at all that it might be motion sickness then speak to your vet. Your vet will be able to prescribe a medication for the sickness. What if it's not motion sickness? What if your dog just fears car journeys? Well, you can teach your dog to be happier and more comfortable in the car. To do that you use the technique that we all know so well from separation anxiety training, desensitization. But with car anxiety we can add a process that trainers call counter-conditioning. Essentially this is changing how a dog feels about something he doesn't like, by making him associate the thing he doesn't like with food. It's powerful stuff. If you want an example of how to do this training, I've got a free training plan you can download here. Dogs who can't be left in the car Now some dogs might be fine when they ride in the car with you, but what about those who can't be left in the car when you pop to the shops, or drop the kids off at school? Well, we can help those dogs too. If you want your dog to be more comfortable with this scenario you can use good old desensitization again, just as you would be being left home alone. And it would make sense to add food to the equation, if you can. Dogs who aren't anxious but excited What can you do if your dog howls and whines in the car but isn't anxious? The excited dog. The dog who can't wait to get to the car. I'm not going to lie, this one is hard to tackle. That howl/bark is like the scream we let out when our team wins the cup, or we win the lottery. We would find it hard to stifle that excitement scream wouldn't we? And it can be really tough to get a dog to hold it in too. You can train them to be quieter in the car, but it's going to take a lot of patience, lots of training and possibly some fancy equipment like a remote feeder. My best advice to you? Try just to accept the racket. Celebrate it even - it's your dog way of telling you that his daily trip to the park is like winning the lottery. Oh, to be as excited as that even just once! Amazing how dogs can be that excited every single day of their life. Car safety One final word: about car safety. First, if your dog rides in the car make sure they are going to be okay in the event of a crash. Safety harnesses and crash tested crates are best for this. Second, if your dog is going to be seated near an airbag, make sure that the airbag can be disabled. Third, I'm sure I don't need to say this but don't leave your dog when it's even vaguely warm. 15c. I hope this has been helpful. Remember that, for the most part, we can always make dogs feel better about stuff they don't like. And car journeys don't have to be scary for dogs. [01:00] Dogs' love-hate relationship with cars [01:39] How some dogs love the car because of what the car predicts [02:05] Signs that a dog is anxious in the car [03:45] Could it be motion sickness? [05:08] How can you tell if they are suffering from car sickness? [07:22] How to use desensitization and counter-conditioning to get them to love the car [08:31] Why the #1 rule is to go slowly in changing a fearful emotion in a dog [09:40] What about dogs who can't be left in the car? [11:45] How to deal with dogs who get over-excited in the car [15:55] On car safety Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you're not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don't want you to miss an episode. I'm adding a bunch of new episodes to the mix and if you're not subscribed there's a good chance you'll miss out on those. Click here to subscribe in iTunes! 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