When we got Pooh, he was a week away from being a year old. He had already had two homes. They told us he was a lap dog, (hes not) and they said he rode well in the car. He dont. We like to go on picinics and go to the lake and we like to take him with us. We did this with our beloved Spanky who is also a shih tzu.

When Pooh gets in the car he is ok for a few minutes. Then he starts to shake and then he hassles badly. We have tried talking to him, letting him roam in the back seat on is own. Holding him and let him see where he is going. Nothing works.

We went to Petco last weekend to pick up some things and we found a pet calming collar. It looks like the plastic flea collars but it smells good. It has lavander and fermones(not sure of the spelling). It said it puts out the scent that calms puppys cause it reminds them of their mother. So we thought why not. It smells great but tonight when we tried for a short ride Pooh didnt do well.

We have taking our pets on vacation in the past and we dont know if we could ever take Pooh because of the way he behaves in the car.

Could he be associating car rides with someting bad things that has happened to him. Going to the vet, going to a new home,AGAIN!

What can we do to help him?

One of our Tibbies isn't a big fan of the car, either. He gets very animated and whines. I suppose the majority of his car rides have ended at the vet or, worse, a shelter.

We've tried to take him in the car more often, especially to go fun places like a park or to a friend's house. He needs some 'good' associations with the car.

We took a longer, 2hr ride recently, and after about 1/2 hour he calmed down and slept for the rest of the ride. He just needed to get used to it.

I would say take yours on some "joyrides" so he doesn't associate the car with only bad stuff. If he's really freaking out, maybe he would enjoy the security of a crate or Sherpa bag for a while.

Good luck!

What is a Sherpa bag ? What about bringing his blanket that has his scent on it, whould that work? I thought last night about bringing along his favorite toy but thought against it bcuz the last 2 homes he took his toy with him. I dont want him to think hes leaving again.

Just to clear up why hes had two different homes in less than a year is the people who bought him realized they didnt have the time to spend with him like they thought they would so they gave him to their son who has a 2 yr old and with jobs and 2 kids they didnt have the time to spend with him either. The baby was playing rough with him and was starting to play rough with the other kids at daycare. Hes been a very sweet and loving dog. We have had a little trouble with him marking in certain places in the house but we think since he was fixed last week that has slowed down alot, so has the humping people.lol

[Kingsbridge Cav]

I have a Rat Terrier who loves a car ride, but doesn't ride well. He cries for the first 20 minutes and is constantly trying to sit in my lap, but won't settle. I also have a Cavalier King Charles who rides very well in the car. I got the CKCS when he was young and treat trained him while in the car. He loves the bank drive through because he gets a treat every time! The Rat came to us when he was older and didn't get the same training.
Some dogs get motion sick just like us people. Often a slightly open window or a fresh air vent will help. I'm not a fan of tranquilizing, but you vet may have some answers if positive training and fresh air don't help.
Good luck!

Thanks everyone for your responds! We have decided to take him to the lake next weekend if its nice and warm enough and have a picinic. Let Pooh have something good come from rides in the car instead of going to the vet or him thinking(or fearing) a new home. Hes not going anywhere if i can help it!!!!

The short little rides havent done much good with him. I think hes seeing were going somewhere but where? He doesnt seem to understand that we ARE coming back home. To HIS home.

Id appreciate anyone elses advise on your furkids and riding in the car. I dont want to drug him, not even with benadryl. Not for a special outing with the family.

My part shih tzu was like that, I got a puppy car seat that is box shaped and has a sheep skin lining, it attached to the seat either high so she can see or low. It also has a short leash attached to it so she can't jump out. At first she didn't like it, now she either sits up and looks out the window or lays down and sleeps. Haven't gone on any long rides yet, good luck!

[elliebilly]

lord , i thought it was just us, Billy creat somthing terrible and its so hard to concentrate, any other tips anyone+?

[Lara's mom]

What I do with mine to get them used to the car is to take them for a little drive every day. We go to the park or to the local pet store for a treat. Many dogs only ever go in the car when it is time to go to the vet so, they associate the car with the vet.

A couple of weeks of a drive ending up ant either the pet store (always buy a treat) or an off leash park where the dog can run around and play and you should have solved the problem.

[Todd]

Originally Posted by Lara's mom

What I do with mine to get them used to the car is to take them for a little drive every day. We go to the park or to the local pet store for a treat. Many dogs only ever go in the car when it is time to go to the vet so, they associate the car with the vet.

A couple of weeks of a drive ending up ant either the pet store (always buy a treat) or an off leash park where the dog can run around and play and you should have solved the problem.

I agree. Gave him plenty of positive attention and treats while he's in the car. Just make sure the only time he's in the car isn't to go to the vet