Hi guys, I have a newfie pub which came to us on tuesday.  If she is in the front she is fine but when we put her in th back she barks and howls!  there is no stopping her.  Whats the best way on working on getting her to relax and enjoy the journey.  So far we have tried giving her her fav toy, chews talking to her singing to her etc.  Thought I would aks you guys for advice?  Obviously with the size she will be she cant sit on anyones knee for long lol

It's absolutely essential that you get her used to the car at this early stage. Firstly, you must get her used to travelling confined in a cage, or behind a dog guard. She is going to get considerably larger and, in the event of an accident, a full grown Newfie flying through the car will not only damage the dog, but would more than likely kill a few passengers as well. I would consider either a made to measure cage specifically designed to fit your vehicle, or a very large cage. Dog Guards are all very well, but if you were hit from behind, it would provide no protection for the dog and if the car doors were to fly open your dog could easily run off in a panic. If you decide to have a cage, you will also need to keep a pair of mini bolt croppers in your door pocket in case of emergency. Having decided on your method of confinement, the next step is to get your dog used to travelling. Firstly, be prepared to put up with some noise to start with. You need to be strong on this. You have to look at it from her point of view. You put her in the back, she makes a fuss, you bring her into the front, she think's 'hey, that works, if they try to put me in the back again, I'll kick up a fuss again'. Start by taking her on very short journeys with something nice at the end. If you live in the town, drive to the park. If you live in the country, drive to the edge of the village and give her a little walk in a field or a sniff along the grass verges. Start right from the beginning making her wait until you say before she gets out of the car. Gradually increase the length of your journeys and when you take her to the vet, be sure to have something very nice like chicken with you. Give her some before she gets out of the car, get the vet to give her some during the consultation and give her some when you put her back in the car. Obviously, you won't be able to take her to the park until she has had her jabs but you could drive a very short distance to a friends house and let her have a play in their garden. Make sure the friend has a supply of treats to give her as soon as you walk into the house. Good Luck.

Great advice from Saxon about crates etc and another vote from me about safe containment in the car.  Interestingly our puppy stopped being sick as soon as I put him in a smaller crate - the first was too big for his puppy stage and the smaller one allowed him to brace against the sides whilst cornering (I should have bought this one sooner)!

Don't just take your pup to places, also consider short 'round the block' journeys too.  I know that petrol is an issue, and it's not very green going on unnecessary journeys but it is worth it in the long run.  If you can load up the puppy and take a 10 minute trip it all helps to build up to the regular journeys you might need to do.  I would take our puppy whenever I was collecting or dropping off the kids too and these 20 minute sessions did help.  Plus, it also taught him that he always comes home again.  You do just have to learn to shut your ears to the howling if your dog is that way inclined.  For a time, mine would 'sing' all the way to training and all the way back again - dreadful.  I'd just stick the radio on and sing too.  The other advantage of short trips is that you know the whinging isn't caused by a full bladder.  If you keep stopping 'cause you think she needs a wee you'll just teach her that all she has to do to make you stop and let her out is bark at you.

> Whats the best way on working on getting her to relax and enjoy the journey

I never found toys or chews were effective (at 12 months old he's still not interested in any in-crate entertainment I can provide)  time and patience is all that's needed.  From being a puking, howling, dribbling beastie he's now a great traveller.  He just sleeps.

In the early days take kitchen roll and plastic bags for sickness and consider a non-slip but easily cleaned surface.  Then just persevere, some dogs take to it faster than others. Good luck

thanks for the advice, so you would say just to ignore her completey until she leans to be quite and understand that the car journey is going to end with an enjoyable experience?

Yes. I know it's difficult, but you'll just have to grit your teeth. If she dribbles or is car sick, a ginger biscuit about half an hour before the journey sometimes helps. Ginger is very well known for its anti-nausea properties.

> thanks for the advice, so you would say just to ignore her completey until she leans to be quite and understand that the car journey is going to end with an enjoyable experience?

Yes.  I got quite used to the noise and it took me a few quiet journeys to realise that he had stopped 'shouting' !!  For what seemed like weeks he would bark at the beginning of the journey but was stopping after a shorter time each trip til eventually we had complete silence.  I can't remember exactly how long it took but I know that by 6 months old we started going to shows and he was an excellent traveller.

Another thing to bear in mind is that talking to them has little or no effect.  I would do a big praise and a small biscuit at every journeys end but no talking and no treats whilst we were moving.

short journeys, lots of them to boring places.......so it becomes the norm, but always in the cool remember! I wonder how many paddling pools you will go through with her LOL!!!