My 14week old pup is sick every time we go out in the car is there a wa y  to get him used to the driving or will this be a long term thing?

Hi Happygirl

You can try and make it as plesant experience as possible, make sure that the pup has nothing in its stomach and associates traveling by car with good fun. However some dogs are just car sick and it may take more than that. I have a friend with similar problems who is using aromatherapy oild to reasonable effect - it has stopped most of the drooling! So Im afraid that there isnt a quick fix and it may take trial and error.

You can train your dog to accept the car as just another place to be in with you.

First how does your dog travel in the car ? is he in a crate, loose on the seats, in the luggage space etc ?

He is strapped in with a harness on the back seat

how long are you driving before he is sick?  You could try taking him on small journeys so he gets used to it, then building it up gradually.  My girl used to be like this - she could handle it for up to 15 minutes, after that she'd lose everything in her stomach; I built it up slowly, and just in november drove her for 10 hours to Scotland and back a week later with no problems at all! We did have breaks of course :)

Not far at all she sick and shakes as soon as we get in the car hope she grows out of it as we take car trips to the big parks

Hi... i too am having a similar problem with my almost 6mth old... he starts drooling as soon as he gets in my truck on the back seat. tried him in the crate in the back (its a pickup truck) and he drooled and howled all the way.( worse than on the back seat) i have been trying homeopathic remedies, ginger but nothings helped so far, cant even get out of the drive before he starts.he's never sick just drools and drenches everything. after 3 or 4 mths i thought he might have got better, but no change yet :-(
if anyone else has any ideas i too would love to hear them :-)

Libby also used to feel sickly and used to drool at the mouth but she has outgrown it with age

What I do with a new puppy is literally take him(all mine are males) everywhere with me but at the same time I train him in the car as follows

The day after he arrives take him after the am feed & toilet etc & sit in the car with him(hopefully he will sleep after being to the toilet, playing & being fed) I also crate puppies in the middle of the car for this so I can see them(I have a transit box which is solid so cannot see what he is doing in there)

I do this after every feed(LOL I used to take two weeks off work to do this)

If the puppy is ok I will also take him on little short trips, if he isn't then I start the engine & sit in the car for 5 mins so that he gets used to the smell & noise but no movement, as he gets used to the noise etc & starting whilst he is asleep I drive the car up & down the drive once. This process I extend so that the puppy learns the car means being with me & going to sleep

I do think crating is not only the safest way to travel dogs(I know of a dog wearing a harness that was crushed in an accident) but also helps them to settle in the car

I haven't had a dog that has been car sick for over 20 years using this method & the one who was car sick, was actually being jumped on by his sister & when separated from her in another cage was fine

There are various herbal & non herbal products that can help & one old wife's tale that I know has worked for some people is to line the flood of the carte or luggage bay of the car or car seat with brown wrapping paper-don't ask me why but it dd. Ginger also calms tummies & I know a few obedience people who give their dogs ginger biscuits & they appear to work