The first thing to realize when dealing with car
sickness is that in 95 percent of cases it is stress related and not
motion related. The most powerful memory imprint of any dog's brain is
probably the car ride when it was taken away from all it ever new to be
safe and secure, its litter mates and its mother. The most traumatic
memory a young dog has is in relation to a ride in a car. So it's not
surprising that subsequent rides in a car should evoke very strong mental
and subsequent physical trauma.
The solution is very simple. If the dog has been sick in a car then
estimate how long it was in the car before it was sick, say 20 minutes?
Find a park about 5-10 minutes from home, preferably one just around the
corner, even one within walking distance that the dog has been to
before.... but this time drive there. Ideally have someone else in the car
too, to soothe the dog and distract him from the ride. Keep him happy all
the way to the park. When at the park do all the enjoyable things that the
dog loves, fetch the ball, chase the Frisbee, frolic with dad, etc. The
stay at the park doesn't need to be that long.... just as enjoyable as
possible. Then drive the dog home soothing him all the way again and when
home make just as much fuss of the dog as you did at the park. Finish the
session with his meal or a treat if time and conditions permit.
This exercise is repeated several times a day or daily if time is limited.
Once the dog is enthusiastic to go in the car then the length of the trip
is lengthened slightly to 10-15 minutes etc. Once you can drive with the
dog for 30 minutes with no signs of stress or anxiety then you have the
problem pretty much licked. Some dogs may take a little longer than
others. The idea is for as many happy repetitions as possible to overwrite
the initial mental imprint the dog has from its youth (or whatever other
event caused the initial trauma).
I have had a (client's) dog that suffered from chronic carsickness totally
'cured' (if that is the right term) in 3 days. That was with five car
trips per day over the three-day period. The owners were impressed (even
if I say so myself) and I am still getting referrals from them as a
result.
This method has always worked, but I have heard of one dog that was sick
due to some kind of balance problems and this method didn't work for it. A
trip to the vet after the method failed brought the problem to the
surface. But if it only works for 95 percent of the dogs it's used on then
I think it's quite successful!
Article By David The Dogman
http://www.thedogman.net
