Hi everyone.

I just wonder if any one could offer any advice please?  Lillie is now 2 and a half, and she has always been such a good traveller, as good as gold laying down and going to sleep in both my car and my parents car.

Now I changed my car recently,well in January, and she started from the get go panting excessively in the back, so I thought ok its a new car, she needs to know its a fun thing, so every time we went out we ended up having a lovely walk, at the end of each ride.

So she calmed down, and has been fine ever since. Now my dad had to get a replacement car, and she has done exactly the same thing, she is panting so heavily it really cant be good for her. Im getting very worried as to what I can do.And she has also started to do it mine again.
In my parents car I sit in the back, and she is in the boot, but she still pants.

I thought at first there was something wrong with her, and she was ill,but as soon as she is back indoors, she calms down so it seems to me to be a psychological thing. I understand its a change of vehicle but she doesn't do it in my partners car, and I don't understand why she is doing it in mine again now.
Has anyone had any probs like this, and can anyone advice me how I should go about helping her to calm down.
I put her favourite toy, bed etc in the boot, but still to no avail, today she layed down, but just continued to pant the whole journey, which must be so so stressful for her.
Any help or advice would be most appreciated please
Thanks Marie

Hi marie
I have the problem with my 2 goldies.
They love my car and cant wait to get in it everyday,but sometimes my son takes them out in his car for walks and they both hate it in his car and also pant and shake and one of them drowls terrible.
My hubby has a truck and they both hate that as well.
Once your lillie gets used to her new car im sure she will be fine.

Hiya Goldie
Thanks for your reply, Im sorry you have the same problem too.
You would think with all the lovely beaches and moor walks we have here,
that they would just love going out in any car anytime! just knowing that they were going to
get a lovely walk! :-)

Marie

Your dog sounds nervous of the new car. There is another question on here about how to calm a dog who is scared of any car - maybe you could adapt that for your dog.
http://www.champdogsforum.co.uk/board/topic/115369.html

Hi RReeve.
Thanks for your reply, I will give it all a go, and get some DAP spray and try it. She has always been so so good in the car right from the get go, absolutely loving it, she would lay down go to sleep, it wouldn't bother her at all. My dads car is exactly the same type of car, so its so strange that she is getting so stressful. She gets in there fine no problem, its just when she is in there the panting starts and she doesn't stop until she is out again.
Marie

Could it just be that she is getting very hot in the car? Newer cars have heater outlets that warm the whole car unlike older models where it was just the front seat passengers who benefitted :-)

My GR has travelled well in the car since a pup but will still pant at times - opening a window, even in the depths of winter, seems to combat this.

I have also noticed that he pants more in my daughter's car which is black and thus retains more heat from the sunlight.

You might find Rescue Remedy helps - it did with mine.

Hi Harley
I did wonder if she was hot so I put the air con on, and opened the windows, even the back one opens but to no avail,:-( thou in my dads car i had the back window right down so as to get lots of air in but it just doesn't seem to work, and its a very stressful panting very much faster than when she is hot, it just seems to be as you get going and whilst the car is travelling.

I will admit my car is now dark, and was light before,whereas my dads is now light compared to being dark before, so I just don't understand why she was fine for over 2 years and now gets so stressed. maybe there is some kinda smell in there that we cant pick up but she can, I really don't know:-(

Thanks Stargazy,I will look that one up too :-)

> Now I changed my car recently,well in January

Once you've exhausted all other advice here's a few things to think about:

Is it a brand new car?  Many of these have strange smells that can trigger car sickness in people let alone dogs.  Showroom cars have also been cleaned inside with a bunch of cleaning agents that you wouldn't normally use around pets.  You could try getting it valeted (ooh that's a word I've not written often - is that spelt right? - should have said cleaned!:)

If it is an older car check the seals around the boot and maybe get an emissions test to ensure you don't have a leaking exhaust.  If you've ever had to drive with the boot open you'll know how bad it can be and even a small hole in the seal could adversely affect your dog.

The ride quality in a new/old/different car may just be enough to persuade your dog she doesn't like to travel anymore.  Not much you can really do about this one, except wait for her to get used to it.

Do check your air con and fan set up to make sure she is getting some new air in the back.  Recycled air isn't as good and can be too dry.  On hot (or just sunny) days put a damp towel in a bowl as it helps to maintain good humidity.

HTH :)

Cher had gotten really hot once in a car, and now she is scared of them.  She used to be a quiet traveller, just falling asleep in her crate when she got put in the car.  Now she whines the whole time, and pants.  I still havent figured out how to calm her a bit when in the car, but could Lillie have had something happen to her in the car (ie she was sick in the car, she got nervous in the car, she got overheated, etc) that she could be scared of happening again. 

We had a GSD who absolutely loved cars, but when we updated our car (same type) she started to pin herself as close to the back seat as possible, and was obviously quite stressed. We tried all sorts, including having the back seal checked, then as a last resort we made a dummy solid floor for the boot and covered it in rubber matting, topped with several pieces of vetbed. We popped her in and out a few times before taking her for a ride, and hey presto she was back to her usual happy self. We never understood why, as the floor was already of a solid type, but the spare tyre was under it, and we did wonder whether it somehow it was vibrating/rattling and that was what was upsetting her.

"Is it a brand new car?  Many of these have strange smells that can trigger car sickness in people let alone dogs.  Showroom cars have also been cleaned inside with a bunch of cleaning agents that you wouldn't normally use around pets.  You could try getting it valeted (ooh that's a word I've not written often - is that spelt right? - should have said cleaned!"  My idea too.  Ever notice that you have to clean the inside of the windshield of a brand new car a lot more often?   The dashboard "gasses off" and it clings to your window.  Might also disturb a sensitive dog.   Our happy car traveller was put off by the automatic seats in our new car.  Something about the sound I think but she was never as happy in it as in the old one.

Hi all.
Thanks for your replies. :-)Its not a brand new car no, but mine is different to the one I had before, which was an estate, and i now have a free lander, which is smaller in the boot, and she cant see out so much, so I bought her a bean bag bed to higher her up, that seemed to help, and she stopped panting in my car, my dads isn't a brand new car either, but is the same type of car that he had before.
She hasn't ever been car sick no , but my dads car does have a strange smell which I've noticed, and being they are more sensitive to smell ,maybe it does smell very strong to her. Its the strange thing that she had stopped panting in my car, and since being in my dads has started again in mine, today I took her out again in mine and she panted again so something is really upsetting her.
I will check the seals on the back just in case she is getting exhaust fumes in.
Marie