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Hi everyone, today I want to talk about canine car travel! I love the car now but I didn’t at first because it was noisy, scary and I felt sick.
It’s best to introduce young puppies to short regular trips in the car from early on. Before you collect your puppy, purchase an Adaptil collar from your vet and put this on the puppy before he or she goes into the car. This collar is impregnated with a pheromone (a special substance similar to one that our mothers produce from glands near their nipples) that keeps us calm, happy and makes it easier for us to settle into our new homes). The pheromone helps with car travel because sometimes the reason we feel sick is that we are tense and apprehensive. Sometimes we need other medication to stop carsickness too, similar to the sea legs tablets humans take. Mostly though, if we have an Adaptil collar early on we will love the car and won’t get sick.
Older dogs also benefit from Adaptil collars while we get used to travel. If we cannot go out every day for a while, using the Adaptil in a spray form on a bandana that is then tied around our necks is a more cost effective way of helping us because you can use it only on the days that we must travel. You can spray the car 10 minutes before we get in too. If you use a bandana, spray it at least 10 minutes before putting it on us so that the alcohol fraction evaporates first. Otherwise it can be a bit unpleasant.
Start with short trips to somewhere really pleasant such as the beach or the park or to a relative’s place where there are treats waiting or other dogs to play with.
On days when you can’t take us out, give us a treat or a Kong to eat in the car while it is parked at home.
Most of us quite like looking out the window and watching the world go by. It’s nice to have a comfortable bed in the car so if we are tired on the homeward journey we can sleep.
To keep us safe it is best to have a car with a back part that can be partitioned off. That way if you have to stop suddenly we won’t go through the windscreen. Elsa put foam on the metal grid that separates the back of her wagon so that if we hit it during a sudden stop we won’t be hurt.
If you don’t have a car that is suitable for this, you can get harnesses for us that attach to the seat belts and keep us safely on the back seat. These can sometimes be uncomfortable so make sure they fit well.
Happy travels!
Lots of licks
B