help! my Husky pup hates being in cars!

    • Silver

    help! my Husky pup hates being in cars!

    hi everyone. well here's the deal. my 3 month old Husky pup starts howling/crying after being in the car (while it's moving) for more than 10 minutes. it doesn't matter if she's sitting in the seat by herself or if my girlfriend is holding/carrying her she'll still freak out after a while. i don't drive like a maniac and it doesn't happen in just my car. she behaves the same way when travelling in my girlfriend's car.
     
    what can i do to help my pup enjoy car rides? i want to take her out to places, but the way she behaves in the car makes it really difficult for me to do that. any help/information would be greatly appreciated. thanks in advance!
    • Gold Top Dog
    Maybe you are over doing it, the drives are too long perhaps?
     
    Start out with short rides, make sure you make it special, heck take it to a burger joint, and get a small treat.
    Slowly increase the time in car......many people stick their pets in a car and expect the dog to like it instantly.....
     
    I have a Husky/Mal. mix, when I first rescued him he couldn't stand to be in a vehicle, now, he wants to come with me every time, and has turned into the best car rider.
    • Gold Top Dog
    Cut down the length of the journeys to keep them positive and make them really really fun.  End the journey before he gets upset and then take him for a walk or a jaunt round a pet shop or something.  Try also feeding some of his meals in the car and playing fetch in and out of it while stationary to help him build a positove asscociation with it.  Build up the length of the journeys really slowly.
     
    It could be that he gets car sick and it takes 10 mins or so for the nausea to kick in.....?  Treating him for car sickness might help.  Ginger is a good stomach remedy so a ginger biscuit shortly before travelling might help.... there are also tablets you can get from pet shops.  I think some people use "sea legs" for car sickness.  Just like with humans, car sickness can be affected depending whereabouts in the car he is and whether he can see where he is going - if this is his problem it might take a while to figure out how and where he is most comfortable.
     
    It could be that he is overstimulated visually and would travel better in a covered crate so he can't react to the world rushing by.... you can experiment with lifting the cover and replace it if he gets agitated again. 
     
    If he has someone sitting with him, smoothing the hair on the chest downwards is very soothing for dogs, and massaging the ears is relaxing and calming too, so these might help if he is simply stressed out.
     
    Having something yummy but quite hard to chew on will  help to alleviate any stress he is feeling, may also alleviate any nausea and will build a positive association with travelling in the car.  Do praise and reward him quietly for calm and happy behaviour and end the journey with something positive before he gets upset.
    • Silver
    wow thanks for the advice! i really didn't think about the length of the car rides...i'll try doing short trips to the park (about 2 minutes away) and try some of those techniques. when i look at the situation from my pup's point of view this makes total sense.
    • Gold Top Dog
    The reason he does not like it is because he does not understand why the world is moving around without him actually walk, the advice given here was a good one, make it a positive experience for him with some food, also check that he is not bervous or anxious before even get inside the car, be sure he is calm first and you will have half of the battle won [;)]
    • Puppy

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