MODULE 2 - SECTION 11 Travel Problems

Canine Behaviour Foundation Course

Module 3 - Section - 11 - Travel Problems

What Causes Car Sickness
Signs of Motion Sickness
Prevention methods
Fear of the Car

4a. what causes fear of the car?

Modifications
Dogs going nuts in the car
Management
Modifications

1. What causes car sickness?

Car sickness is often called motion sickness, however the majority of car sickness in 90% of dogs is stress related, rather than being actual motion sickness.

The single most important thing that could stick in a dogs brain was the first, stress filled car trip when the pup was taken away from it’ s mother and littermates and this often seems to be a really traumatic experience for a dog, so it is not at all surprising that subsequent car trips can evoke strong reactions. This is where a really good breeder or the new owner can make a difference. The breeder can get the pup habituated to car travel as can the new owner (as discussed in the puppy section) by regular visits before the pup is taken home and gradually habituating the dog to the car – plus – make it an enjoyable experience for the pup.

If the dog has genuine motion sickness, it will probably have to stay on travel medication. Receptors in the ear which are called the ‘vestibular apparatus’ help a dog to process movement and position. A dog will experience car or motion sickness if the signals coming in are excessive. These signals are relayed by the 8th cranial nerve directly to the brain. One of the areas these messages are relayed to is called the CRYZ (chemoreceptor trigger zone) and this is one of the zones in that brain that controls the vomiting reflex. A puppy is more likely to develop car sickness as the ear structures used for balance are not fully developed yet.

In the case of a pup that is car sick, as the pup’s development takes place it does not mean that the car sickness will necessarily stop, although in some puppies it does. The dog may be more prone to it than others (as in people) and stress and/or learned behaviour may be a contributing factor – the puppy had a first bad experience of car sickness and the stress of going to a new home, and these experiences may be remembered and the behaviour occur again. Remembering that every time the behaviour occurs, it is reinforced!

In some dogs the car sickness continues to adulthood and very often dogs like this also develop a fear of travelling in the car – who can blame them!

2. Signs of Car Sickness

* Dog becomes uneasy and unsettled
* A bouncy dog becomes very listless and may have that ‘hang dog’ look
* Yawning
* Whining
* Excessive Drooling, some dogs a lot of panting
* Vomiting

3. Prevention methods

In addition to using the Avalon Pure Travel Spray which we find is an excellent aid here are some more ideas:-

TTouch is great tool to have to help a dog overcome this problem, especially by applying a wrap after some body work has been done. The wrap helps the dog to feel more secure, thus lowering the stress levels which will be associated with the car

Lack of ventilation can contribute to the condition, so lower all the windows to about 3 inches. This will equalize the pressure and allow fresh air to come in. We had client’s that found that it was helpful to direct the air vents directly at the dog and this stopped the problem.

Don’t smoke in the car. We once had a client who had a dog that was only sick when the husband was in the car – that had us scratching my head! The hubby was present at the consult and the dog was sitting next to him. He happened to light a cigarette and we noticed that the dog first turned its head away, then got up and moved away. We asked if the hubby smoked in the car, to which he replied in the affirmative. We suggested that next car ride that he refrains from smoking in the car and see what happened, yes; the dog was not car sick again!

Don’t feed a dog for at least an hour before it goes into the car and don’t eat in the car yourself. Some dogs seem to cope with the car better if they have not had a meal close to the departure time. There again, there are some dogs that travel better if they have had a small meal before going - it is often the case of trying various things to see what works best for that particular dog. In humans many people who tolerate travelling in a car feel that they cannot cope if they smell anything strong, such as food or gasoline etc.

Some people have dogs that only get into the car if they are being taken to the vet or grooming parlour, so the dogs association of the car is unpleasant and stress related. If you pick this up on a questionnaire, even before you see the client and do behaviour modification for other behavioural concerns, suggest that they start to take their dog in the car for a very short distance (to the park for example or just down the road to a piece of open ground) and have a game of ball or a walk and do this every day possible. This very often changes the dog’s perception of the travelling and no further modification is necessary for the car sickness. The use of the spray can be used in these circumstances as well.

Have the dog travel in a crate but dog must be habituated to the crate or else it could stress the dog more. Make this as comfortable as possible. Putting down a thick wad of newspapers under the pup/dog seems to help in some cases. It is believed that the newspaper helps to absorb some of the motion.

An old wives tale (that is said to help and that some people swear by) is to give the dog about a ¼ of a ginger biscuit about a half hour before leaving. One of the properties of ginger is that it helps to prevent car sickness.

When people suffer from sea sickness, it is believed that it is the movement of the horizon going up and down that causes the ailment. With many dogs, just having the dog lie down prevents the motion sickness. If a pup you could place the pup in its box on the floor, which will be more stable and where it can’t see out with some newspaper under it. Alternatively, with a larger dog, you can put the new ‘window socks’ on the windows which may help and use a crate with a blanket over it – here ensure that there is plenty of air flow.

Laugh, sing and joke when in the car with your dog and even play music. As music helps a stressed dog with storm phobia, it also helps in car sickness

* Practice short trips, even just around the block and build up the distance as the dog begins to tolerate the car more – use the spray. Look for roads that are straight rather than curvy and hilly and if possible the road is in good repair, otherwise the trip may contribute to car sickness.

* Be calm yourself. The more stressed you are the more the dog is going to pick up on it and be affected accordingly. If you are worried about having vomit all over your car, invest in one of the washable dog hammocks. These are placed over the front head rests and on the back headrests and almost form a sling type affair in the middle. They are made from a water proof material, so any spills can be easily cleaned up and you can put them in the washing machine. Also, don’t label your dog by saying ‘my dog is always sick in the car’ – it will be!

* Although we said previously that on average food should be avoided, with some dogs to provide entertainment in the car by way of a nice big chewy bone to get its teeth stuck into. Ensure that it is the type where it can’t pull pieces off that can be swallowed and is of a large size to prevent swallowing. We suggest to clients that this bone only be given when the dog is going in the car. This makes the bone a much more desirable object and the trip in the car something to be enjoyed. Each and every dog is different and sometimes it is only a matter of trial and error to find out what works for that particular dog. An alternative and safer is a Kong or Busy Buddy.
In some people motion sickness only occurs when they face backwards in the car, plane or train. Try to have the dog facing forward and see if that helps.

Another method told to us but which we have never tried, is to attach a rubber strip to the bottom of the car. This needs to be long enough to hang on the ground and the theory is that this will eliminate any static electricity (it has not been proven that it is static electricity that causes the problem).

Older Dogs
Another instance that does occur is when an older dog suddenly develops car sickness. This is normally when the dog is suffering from age related pain such as hip or back problems. Here you need to make your dog as comfortable as possible and if he objects to being picked up due to pain, make a step or use a ramp, so that the older dog can enter the car by himself. We find that with older dogs placing a rubber type material where it sits will make the dog feel more secure.

4. Dogs fearful of the car

In addition to the stress that results with a dog being car sick and being hesitant of getting into a car, other dogs that may never have been car sick can have a fear of the car which can range from mild to really extreme.

4a what causes fear of a car?

There could be several different reasons why a dog is fearful of a car and the following are the most common we have come across are:-

Dog only gets put in the car to go to the vet, kennel or grooming parlour – this often results in a bad association being made.

The dog has an initial fear and instead of people taking it slowly and building the dog’s confidence the dog is forced into the car.

On occasion we have come across dogs that previously were tied in the back of an open Buckie and many dogs such as this seem to have a fear of a car which is understandable.
Pain – a dog that has any pain that causes jumping up, balancing etc may develop a fear of the car. This can also be age related where the dog was once fine in the car but as old age and age related physical problems started, the fear began.

A dog that comes from a rescue/abuse situation – the dog has never been exposed to being in a car before.

5. Modifications for Fear of the Car

The single most important thing is not to rush, push or force the dog – this must be done at a pace the dog can cope with and each and every dog will be different.

Below you will find the basic modifications to follow and if you have a dog that will not even go into the driveway where the car is kept, then you have to go back a few steps here:-

* Owner starts to just walk into the driveway and calls the dog and offers a treat and then goes back to the house. The dog’s daily allowance of food can be used for this exercise.

This is done repeatedly until the dog is happy with going out onto the driveway.

The owner then just gradually walks a bit further into the driveway towards the car.

If the fear is very extreme and the dog runs back inside each and every time, then something to try is the owner sits in a chair outside on the driveway, close to the house and calls the dog repeatedly – each and every time the dog is rewarded with food treats and lots of praise. If the dog will stop long enough next to the owner, owner can do some Ear work, praise the dog etc.

From here owner can toss a few treats away from where they are sitting towards the car. This is gradually built up – the chair can be slowly moved closer to the car as well

Some dogs will start to stress when the garage door is opened if car is kept inside. This can be dealt with in two ways – one, use management and start the modifications with the car out of the garage. Here put the car outside a good while before doing the exercises so that there is no association. Next the dog can be desensitized to the garage door being opened. On occasion both the above need to be done however owner may find that once the dog has overcome the fear of the car, the fear of the garage door may disappear – not with all dogs however.

You have to go in stages with this exercise and each and every stage should be enjoyable for the dog and it should have mastered it fully. Depending on how stressed the dog gets in the car, you could be dealing with a dog that goes into panic when it is even near the car, or one that only gets fearful when the car starts moving. Whatever the situation start right at the beginning and get the dog to associate being in the car with wonderful things such as the bone or chew toy mentioned and eventually a short trip around the block.

Management. If you always use your own car to take the dog out in, do the behaviour modification in the hubby’s car instead. Owners do not realize how much a change of circumstances can help. Once the dog has been desensitized in the hubby’s car, start the procedure all over again in owner’s car. You can even try and park the car the dog normally travels in, in a different location -3 this alone can help with the association.
Each dog will be at a different level of fear, so just start at where the dog is comfortable with and if necessary go back a step or two – this is always a good idea.
If a dog is fearful of getting into a car you will start as follows:-

Owner puts the dog’s daily food down next to the car and then climbs inside and leaves the door open. If the dog can’t cope with this, owner just stands close to where the dog is eating – you can use the whole day’s food allowance for this

Once dog is happily eating in this manner, put the food in the car where the dog is going to sit when travelling, and let the dog eat there. Do this at all mealtimes. The owner again sits in the front or stands outside –you are aiming for the owner eventually sitting in the car while the dog is eating.

Now take the work a step further and start tossing in treats for the dog to jump in and get and then the dog jumps out – make this a lot of fun and great excitement and use very high value treats with a strong smell to stimulate.

When the dog is doing this with no stress, pop in a large sized raw femur bone – the dog will only get the bone in the car. If the dog shows no interest, for a few days keep on doing the work above and in the interim give the dog the raw femur a few times a day and take the bone away when it is really enjoying it (do make sure that the bone can be taken away from the dog before doing this and give for only a few minutes at a time). This will ensure that the bone takes on great importance to the dog. Do this several times until the dog is contentedly chewing each and every time, remembering to take the bone away when the exercise is over. Next step is to award the bone inside the car. Not all owners are in favour of a bone, so you may have to suggest a Kong or Busy Buddy instead – however the raw bone is normally much higher value to the dog. What is very important is that this object is taken away the second the dog is out of the car and not given at any other time.

All this time, the owner is sitting in the front driver’s seat. If the dog is not food driven, this whole exercise can be done with a ball or squeaky toy instead, with the owner throwing the object in and out the car, having a game of pullies in the back seat and letting the dog keep the object in its mouth.

We find that when a toy is used, it is advisable to use the dog’s most favourite toy, but it is only gets to play with it when this work is being undertaken.

Next step is to repeat as above and when the dog is happily chewing, owner starts the engine, but just sits with the car idling. If the dog accepts this, the back door is closed and the dog is left to chew for a few minutes. Repeat this step over and over, taking it slightly further with the owner shutting the back door as soon as the dog has settled with the chewy. Owner continually rewarding the dog with praise.

Now repeat the above but this time the owner will move the car up and down the driveway a few times. Don’t go too quickly; let the dog get used to this before taking it further. If at any time the dog starts to stress, go back to the sequence it was comfortable with and build up slowly from there.

The owner to locate a park/open ground etc a few minutes away from the home and this time the owner drives directly there, gets out, walks the dog, plays ball and both have a good time. Owner puts dog back in the car with the chewy and they return home.

The last point is done over and over again until the dog is happy and then the owner slowly builds up the distance. For the time being, the owner avoids trips to the vet or places the dog does not like. It may be a good idea to bring in desensitizing for fear of the vet if this is a huge issue for the dog to ensure that the fear of the car does not develop again – plus it would be far better for the dog to be comfortable at the vet – refer to your puppy notes on Prevention (Module 1 Section 13) if you don’t remember how to do this.

If the dog does not cope with the above, have somebody in the car with the dog and repeat all the points. When the dog gets to the stage that it is happy going out, then the owner goes all the way back to the beginning of the moving the car stage, but without anybody else in the car.

This does sound like a lot of work, but with a bit of commitment a pup/dog can get used to the car in a few days, some even quicker and in one session.

6. Dogs Going Nuts in the Car

Some dogs will go nuts barking, others will bark, spin and jump around, some will try and get their heads out of the window and then we have the dogs that are so over the top they start to bite and destroy the seats themselves and finally we have the dogs that do a combination of all of the above!

What you need to determine is why the dog is engaging in this behaviour and you can do this most of the time by observing the body language and see if the behaviour is occurring due to fear or to over excitement. It could also have become a learned behaviour, be the result of owner screaming at dog and reinforcing the behaviour, or even associated with a past car accident or incident in the car.

Dogs that are left free to roam around in the car are a danger to themselves, the driver, passengers and other road users – all dogs should be transported by being contained in some manner. The other aspect is that (heaven forbid) there is a car accident, the dog could get out, get knocked down or lost – remember that in the event of an accident the dog will likely be panicked and run blindly.

While some dogs can sit quietly and watch the comings and goings around them and bark occasionally when somebody gets too close to their car or they see a dog walking by, for other dogs it can be totally different – they can become totally agitated by the movement and get more and more excited.
What is also a common occurrence is that the dog will go nuts on the way to the destination and be an absolute angel on the way back – definitely over excitement and impulse control is required.

7. Management

The ideal situation is to have the dog secured in the car either by a car hammock, doggy seat belts, a crate or even a solid divider between dog and driver. Unfortunately not all of these work when first tried and you find dogs that will become more frantic if put in a crate or restrained in any way. With dogs like this it is very much like changing pulling on lead – you need to go back to the very beginning and bring in calm and controlled behaviour before you have the dog restrained in any way.

Additionally, the dog must be completely desensitised to whatever restraint is used in the normal manner.

Another tool that can be used is Window Socks – those of netting that fit over the window which make it harder for the dog to see out.

8. Modifications

Your first step is to establish when the excitement starts and normally it is like lead walking as mentioned above. If not then you will start the calming/controlled exercises from just before the excitement normally happens.

We have given you the modifications in points below presuming that the excited behaviour starts from when the lead is brought out. As with all modifications the owner has to be totally consistent and practice as much as possible, remembering that the dog does not always get the car ride, as in stop pulling exercises – all below is to reduce the excitement and calm the dog so that when the dog is in the car it is quiet and controlled. Some dogs react well to calming music being played while the below is being done.

Owner changes the place where the lead was kept continually
When lead was produced and the dog started getting over excited – owner just drops the lead on the floor and walks away. This is done repeatedly.
When the dog is quiet it is requested to Sit and the lead was put on. If the dog reacts again, then lead is just dropped on the floor and owner walks away. Owner only resumes the exercise when the dog is quiet.
When lead is attached and dog sitting quietly at the owners side, the owner gradually makes the way outside. As in the pulling exercises, any pulling results in owner stopping dead until the dog is quiet. Remember here that dog to be at the owner’s side and not in front to avoid pulling. This is repeated until the dog would walk calmly and quietly to the car.
At the same time the owner to practice the Down and Wait exercises.
Owners aim is for the dog to jump in the car quietly and lying down. Often a good idea initially for owner to sit in the car with the dog – quiet praise all the time. The time period is built up accordingly. To make this easier for both the dog and the owner we suggest the use of the Avalon Pure Travel Spray. This spray helps with carsickness, fear of the car, and also the stress associated with travel –– just a case of bringing in an additional tool to help the owner and dog be successful.
Next step is that owner goes and sits in the front seat while the dog was in a Down/Wait in the back seat. The car is stationary the whole time. It is simply impossible (and dangerous) to train a dog in a moving car. The dog is rewarded with quiet praise “good settle” on a regular basis and owner was encouraged to keep up this work inside the home.
What occurs next is that dog is supplied with a Kong, which had been stuffed with delicious smelling goodies to chew on in the back seat or a large raw femur bone can be used. If the dog is really battling with the Down/Wait then the use of the bone or Kong can be brought in earlier, but do try for a good amount of time before giving up as the owner may not always have a bone or Kong available.
Next step was owner went up and down the driveway and if the dog reacted, the car was stopped – dog told to Down.
The owner now starts making short trips around the block and each time they came back home, the delicious Kong or bone is taken away – the dog was taken out the car and back into the home. The Kong was only used for car trips.
Gradually the owner extends the distance and normally the problem was a thing of the past and the dog starts to Sit up and look out of the window in addition to chewing on the Kong. Owner repeatedly gave the cue ‘good settle’ to the dog – remembering to reward with praise the behaviour the owner did like.
As the dog is more settled the bone/Kong can be gradually faded.

We find that the above is better done alone with no additional equipment– you never know when the dog may have to travel without the aid of a restraint, so prevention is better than cure. The dog must be desensitized to the equipment to be used for restraining.
It is recommended to owner that the ‘Good Settle’ was practiced on a regular basis in the home and that the dog was never allowed to enter the car when excited.

Time period this will take - how long is a piece of string! It depends totally on the work the owner puts in and how consistent they are. Under no circumstances is the dog allowed to perform the previous behaviour in the car, so daily walks are not an option while the above exercise is taking place. The owner needs to find other ways of working off excess energy.

Assignment

1..A friend tells you that she is going to be adopting a puppy. Currently it is at the breeder and she will be bringing it home at 8 weeks of age. What tips would you give her to avoid travel sickness and fear of the car?

2. Give 3 signs that a dog may be feeling ill in the car.
3. What is the most common reasons that fear of a car may develop?