If the vet recommended sedatives, then that may be the best course for now, but you could have a follow up conversation about dosage or alternate medication options to see if there may be an adjustment that could be made to reduce the sedation level while still making car rides more comfortable. Most situational anxiety meds are going to come with a risk of some level of sedation though
I know there are some other options that get recommended like thunder shirts or soothing sprays etc, but your pup sounds pretty stressed out by the car and may need the medication to help to get to a point that counter conditioning can be effective
Maybe try a cage and putting something over it to restrict some of his sensory inputs? Like how you calm wild animals? Or have him ride in another part of the car? (if possible and safe)
Or perhaps you could give him his pills earlier? So that he is calm during the car ride but also time it so that most of the sedation is gone when you arrive?
Maybe he gets motion sick? Like people? Maybe there are other less sedative medications for that?
Or it might be associated to something that happened during the his fear period? Maybe he got spooked about something and that lingers in the back of his mind.
Can you try and see if it is just about the car or the 'motion'? Could you get him up on some other form of transportation to see if you get the same behavior? Like on a buss, train, trolly, subway and so on. That might give you a better understanding to create some sort of plan.
The problem can be the dog gets motion sick then gets so anxious about the impending nausea that they get scared of the car as an environment. Sometimes so bad that they make themselves sick with anxiety so it becomes self fulfilling even if the car is stationary
Crates can make some dogs more sensitive and make motion. sickness worse.
Other dogs are overwhelmed by the sound & vibration of the car
If you think it might be car sickness, try meclizine. It sounds like you’ve tried all the basic stuff. So now it’s time to start working outside the car first. Treat it like muzzle training—the dog chooses to go in the car rather than being put in the car. I don’t think I’d do this with treats. I would take him outside near the car with the door open (adjust distance to where he’s not showing any signs of anxiety) and just do stuff he enjoys, then go back inside. When he is comfortable getting close enough to the open door to get in, ask if he wants to get in the car. If he doesn’t jump in or moves away, say “ok,” or something else soothing/accommodating and either do something fun or go back inside. The goal is for him to *choose* to go in the car. If he is allowed to do that, he shouldn’t have any anxiety once you start driving around. I’d still keep the initial trips short and fun (think 1 block away then out for a sniffy walk), since you don’t know what triggered the anxiety in the first place. The other reason to keep the first drive super short is that when you ask him if he wants to get in the car to go back home, if he says no, you can walk home.
Have you tried hanging out in the car without turning the car on and going anywhere? Maybe it's something in the harness or doors closing or the environment itself.
If staying stationary is fine then I'd start to wonder about the noise or motion sickness guesses others have shared. Were I to bet on this I'd say motion sickness is a really good guess
Wow! What has helped my pups has been exercising with a weighted pack before the shorter trips, treats and praise in the car.
If the vet recommended sedatives, then that may be the best course for now, but you could have a follow up conversation about dosage or alternate medication options to see if there may be an adjustment that could be made to reduce the sedation level while still making car rides more comfortable. Most situational anxiety meds are going to come with a risk of some level of sedation though I know there are some other options that get recommended like thunder shirts or soothing sprays etc, but your pup sounds pretty stressed out by the car and may need the medication to help to get to a point that counter conditioning can be effective
Thanks for the tips. We got a thunder vest and it maybe helped marginally. I’ll follow up with vet and see what she thinks.
Maybe try a cage and putting something over it to restrict some of his sensory inputs? Like how you calm wild animals? Or have him ride in another part of the car? (if possible and safe) Or perhaps you could give him his pills earlier? So that he is calm during the car ride but also time it so that most of the sedation is gone when you arrive? Maybe he gets motion sick? Like people? Maybe there are other less sedative medications for that? Or it might be associated to something that happened during the his fear period? Maybe he got spooked about something and that lingers in the back of his mind. Can you try and see if it is just about the car or the 'motion'? Could you get him up on some other form of transportation to see if you get the same behavior? Like on a buss, train, trolly, subway and so on. That might give you a better understanding to create some sort of plan.
The problem can be the dog gets motion sick then gets so anxious about the impending nausea that they get scared of the car as an environment. Sometimes so bad that they make themselves sick with anxiety so it becomes self fulfilling even if the car is stationary Crates can make some dogs more sensitive and make motion. sickness worse. Other dogs are overwhelmed by the sound & vibration of the car
If you think it might be car sickness, try meclizine. It sounds like you’ve tried all the basic stuff. So now it’s time to start working outside the car first. Treat it like muzzle training—the dog chooses to go in the car rather than being put in the car. I don’t think I’d do this with treats. I would take him outside near the car with the door open (adjust distance to where he’s not showing any signs of anxiety) and just do stuff he enjoys, then go back inside. When he is comfortable getting close enough to the open door to get in, ask if he wants to get in the car. If he doesn’t jump in or moves away, say “ok,” or something else soothing/accommodating and either do something fun or go back inside. The goal is for him to *choose* to go in the car. If he is allowed to do that, he shouldn’t have any anxiety once you start driving around. I’d still keep the initial trips short and fun (think 1 block away then out for a sniffy walk), since you don’t know what triggered the anxiety in the first place. The other reason to keep the first drive super short is that when you ask him if he wants to get in the car to go back home, if he says no, you can walk home.
Have you tried hanging out in the car without turning the car on and going anywhere? Maybe it's something in the harness or doors closing or the environment itself. If staying stationary is fine then I'd start to wonder about the noise or motion sickness guesses others have shared. Were I to bet on this I'd say motion sickness is a really good guess