Hi, me again.  Another problem.  I'm planning on taking my dog Toby to Devon with us in April.  As a few of you will know he's already got separation anxiety, which is one of the reasons why we want to take him with us rather than put him in a kennel (and the fact that I know he'll love it down there!), but he is still a little bit of a pain in the car.  He jumps into the car on the back seat no problem, very enthusiastically in fact, but once in there he won't settle for long periods (ie, more than a few minutes at a time), and my hubby has to sit with him to stop him from jumping on the floor, scratching at my (leather - eek) seats and trying to chase his own hairs that are floating around him (rather funny when you're watching from the front seat, but hubby doesn't often have a smile on his face!).  I don't want to resort to any kind of 'sedation' medication, but would love any ideas on how I could settle him enough to be able to have my hubby with me in the front of the car for the journey!  He also barks a lot too (the dog, not the hubby!), but never messes or vomits in the car.

You could exercise him a great deal before your trip and you could also invest in a car harness for him and buckle him in. :)

Could you not invest in a crate for the car so he is secure or try a dap defuser spray  (available from vets I believe)

I could if I needed, but I guess I was hoping to not take it to that extreme.  I just want him to be happy and content when in the car, hoped there might have been some suggestions on calming him!  I'll certainly try taking him for a long walk beforehand, and I'm thinking of taking him on many shorter journeys in the near future, with my hubby in the front of the car, to see what Toby does!  Could be interesting!  Obviously my eyes will be firmly on the road ahead, if he starts acting mad then I'll have to pull over and shove hubby in the back again!

If you're not crazy about the seatbelt idea, you could keep him on lead and secure the end of the lead to a post in the car (usually under the front seat).  It would restrict his movement somewhat but not totally.  Whatever you decide to do, you don't want to endanger yourself with a mad dog in the car.  :)  Good luck...I'm well off with  mine as they all love the car and are content to sit and look out of the window.

Hi Keeley, although you're having a few problems with your boy, you have to put safety as a priority.  A loose dog in a car - even a small dog - is dangerous, can cause accidents by physically interfering with the driver or by distracting/blocking visibility.  In the event of a bump a loose dog becomes a *missile* and could easily cause the death of any occupants :( not to mention if escaping a RTA could cause accidents to other drivers   The safest way is undoubtedly a purpose made cage with escape doors to release the dog either from outside or inside the car in the event of a collision.  Alternatively, a *good quality* dog guard with the dog securely attached to an anchor point in the rear of the car (to prevent him escaping when opening the hatch).  If your current car only has a boot - obviously DON'T put the dog in that then get him a safety harness which clips onto the seat belt fastenings in the rear seat.  Any of the foregoing may take time for your dog to become accustomed to but are genuinely the best way forward and I'm a firm believer in "start as you mean to go on"!  If used to being cuddled by your OH on journeys, he'll be far less likely to accept any form of restraint and/or isolation in future.
Regards, Teri :)

Hi Keeley. I bought a crate for my new pup. She goes in it when in the car and I know she is safe. Nothing unusual in that, she has had to go in from day 1. On the other hand, I have a 6 1/2 year old bitch who has never been in a crate until I bought this one. When the 2 are in the car they both go in the crate. The older bitch is happy as she can still see, and I'm happy because she is not jumping about the car barking and whining like there is no tomorrow She has done this every time she has been in the car. I can't believe the difference ;) I really wish I'd bought one before. Believe me, it is well worth the money.

Good point Lindylou,

My first dog hated being behind a dog guard in the hatch of the car - would pace, dribble, arrive at a destination hours from home having not sat down once and refusing to drink except when we stopped for rest breaks.  Our second dog arrived and he was a great traveller but she kept standing on him in the back and wakening him up :( so we invested in a double car cage and BINGO!  An *immediate* change :)  He got peace to snooze on the journey and our first dog was much more secure and enjoyed being in the enclosed space of her own section - lay down, occasionally would even doze off to sleep and also take a drink from her water bowl clipped onto inner side of cage!  She was a changed dog :P  Wish we'd known this sooner - could have saved her almost a year of miserable car travel.

Forgot about that aspect in my earlier post Keeley :)
HTH,
Regards, Teri

Thanks for both those replies.  I guess I'm gonna have to invest in a crate, which is probably not a bad thing as people have advised me (although others have disagreed - conflicting advice!) to get a crate to help with his SA, so I guess I can use it for both purposes - can't I?!  Or does it make a difference if the crate is not strictly used for the car? 

Hi Keeley,

There's no reason why the same cage won't do for both providing you get your measurements right ;)  That said, I have several crates of varying sizes depending on their purpose.  It depends how and for what you use the indoor cage - they are a great invention but should never be used as a form of punishment or for leaving your dog for hours at a time.  Ideally they should be a safe haven for your dog to retire to for a nap during the day and perhaps to sleep overnight  - in both these instances I would have the door open.  I only use crates indoors when one of the girls is in season and there's a rota goes on when I'm going out of who gets closed in (different cages in different rooms for male and female anyway) so that none of them feel unduly penalised but I have peace of mind while going shopping etc.

Regards, Teri :)