Problem with screaming dog in car - ouch

HI all I'm new to the forum - I have a 2 year old black lab cross, who is horrendous in the car. She gets herself into a right old state screaming and whimpering. DOnt think its car sickness as she's never sick and when I can get her to look out of the window she stops screaming for a bit but starts again very quickly. Had to give her some herbal calming tablets when we went up to Scotland last year dont really want to have to do that again if possible. We also had one of those dog cars from Argos but she bent it immediately trying to get through to the front with us. I've tried her in the boot with the guard on and on the back seat even at the front with my husband and she still screams. Got a month till my holiday in Scotland can anybody help as its a long journey and I dont want to arrive with a migraine again.

Hi

We have the same problem with one of our dogs, two will settle nicely the other will have a twisty fit all the way to the destination. What works for us is dance music, its a drastic option I know, neither me or other half can stand it but Casey will be quiet if theres fast trancy beats playing in the car.
Before that for very long journeys the vet prescribed a mild sedative, a whole tablet was too much but half just resulted in a calm dog, (lasts about 4hrs but can't remember the name of it) I used to think it cruel at the time doping the dog but all car journeys he went on were necessary and he was so agitated it distracted you from driving so it really was for the best.
Also something to try is car retraining, our dogs associated cars with vets and vets with injections, we had far less trouble when we travelled by car a few miles to a field everyday as then they associated the trip with playtime, it semi works!
Good luck with your holiday trip.

Hello Ice the problem could be caused by excitement /fear/anticipation of a walk or all of these things.One answer is to put your dog in a crate and cover it so she can't see out of the windows .
The other thing is desensitisation ..to gradually get your dog used to going in the car and to teach her the car is a good place to be and an extension of her bed.
To do this you start by putting your dog in the car preferably after she has been for a walk..put her bed in or a familiar blanket, windows down if it is hot. You can sit in the car and read or listen to the radio. Stay in there for just a few moments at a time to begin with ignoring any sound and praising your dog if she is quiet. Gradually extend the time as she gets used to it. You can feed her in there too if you wish. As she gets used to it progress to going for a five minute drives...all this may take a time and more than a little patience .

I agree with Mini-you need to teach her little and often that the car poses no threat.

My old Rottie was terribly car sick from the day i got him at 9 weeks old and i couldnt drive more than 3 minutes without him emptying his stomach.What i did was sit him in car without going anywhere for perhaps 5 minutes at a time,but ignoring any signs of distress.Eventually i was taking him for short drives of no more than 5 minutes to places which would intrest him like woods etc.

It wasnt an easy or quick remedy,but we got there in the end and he would willingly jump into car for a drive!

Aww Poor You and Poor dog!
I was watching the programme it's me or the dog and a dog had car problems.. agressive barking and they blacked out the windows near the dog and draped a blanket over the dog guard/ divider between boot and rear seat, basically the dog could see nothing, the dog remained calm so they Opened the "curtain" a tiny bit .. when it made a noise they closed it again .. it was quiet they reopend and so on...when the dog was quiet and content with a forward view they removed all the black outs and the dog was OK.. I think being in a car is a hugely stimulating experience for a dog, every where they look is something new and different and it changes by the second! Maybe thats why your dog cries .. it's all just too much!
After typing all that I have to say that the suggestion you crate her and cover the crate for the journey is probably your best option!
Rachel
PS Welcome to DogWeb

Yep totally agree with this - I've got a friend who has to do this with her spaniel otherwise there are ear splitting screams.

The other thing you could try is to put her in a harness on the back seat, make sure she's got comfy bedding and you sit in the back with her (if you are not driving of course). That way she'll feel less frightened.

We took our pup on a 400 mile trip back to Scotland and OH sat with her in the back - not a peep out of her the whole way! Good luck