Is your dog anxious in the car? Learn about the causes and symptoms of car anxiety in dogs - and the simple steps you can take to prevent and treat it.
Dog car anxiety is a common problem that’s distressing for both you and your dog. It occurs in dogs of all ages but develops particularly rapidly in younger dogs, especially if their only journeys are stressful trips to and from the vets. The good news is that simple interventions can make travelling with an anxious dog a much calmer experience for all involved.
It’s often difficult to pinpoint the specific cause of a dog’s car anxiety, but identifying the most likely contributing factors can help you to manage your dog’s stress.
Causes of car anxiety include:
Another common cause of travel anxiety in dogs is motion sickness. This can affect all breeds and ages but is particularly common in puppies, whose balance systems in the inner ear aren’t yet fully developed. Dogs usually grow out of motion sickness after a year, but not always.
In some cases, a vicious cycle can develop where a dog’s car sickness leads to anxiety, which leads to persistent car sickness. By recognising and treating their anxiety and motion sickness, you can help to break this cycle.
It’s important to keep a close eye on your dog in the car, as dogs with car anxiety can show a wide range of signs. Remember, individual dogs may only show one or two of these signs, especially if their anxiety is mild. However, it’s worth intervening early on as anxiety often becomes worse over time if left untreated.
Signs of dog car anxiety include:
The signs of canine motion sickness and car anxiety can be very similar, as not all dogs with motion sickness will vomit. Lip smacking and drooling are common signs of nausea, for example. If you’re struggling to make progress with your dog’s car anxiety it’s worth discussing car sickness treatments with your vet.
Prevention is better than cure, so if possible we recommend starting some of the techniques below before your dog shows signs of a problem.
However, even severe car anxiety can be significantly reduced with the right treatment. Whatever stage your dog’s at, it’s worth working to minimise their stress and make travel a calmer experience for you both.
Desensitisation is a key part of treating and preventing any kind of anxiety in dogs. It requires very slow, graded exposure to the cause of their stress, at a level that doesn’t cause any signs of anxiety.
You should only step up their level of exposure very gradually, and if they begin to show signs of anxiety you should return to the previous level a little longer. Keeping training sessions short will also help to minimise any anxiety.
For car anxiety, desensitisation could look like:
There should always be breaks between your training sessions - it’s vital not to push your dog too quickly. You will often have to break these stages into weeks, and use treats, familiar blankets or toys to help them relax during the process.
Counterconditioning is recommended alongside desensitisation to reduce your dog’s car anxiety. It involves getting your dog to associate the car with positive experiences, including treats, praise and enjoyable trips to places like the park.
Counterconditioning alone isn’t enough to address significant anxiety, but combined with desensitisation it’s a powerful tool for reducing fear and making car travel a positive experience.
Ways to incorporate counterconditioning include:
Every dog is different, so remember to focus on what your dog enjoys most - whether that’s ear scratches or their favourite chew toy.
Addressing travel sickness in dogs is also important to alleviate their anxiety.
Simple steps to reduce canine motion sickness include:
For dogs with significant motion sickness, medication can help to control nausea and allow you to break the cycle of sickness and anxiety. If you’re still struggling after taking the steps above, it’s worth speaking to your vet.
It may be simple advice, but if you’re travelling with an anxious dog it’s worth remembering to keep things as calm as possible both before and during the journey.
If you’re heading off on holiday or trying to juggle the school run with a vet visit, it’s easy for things to become a little chaotic. Things like packing bags into the car or raised voices can raise your dog’s stress levels before the journey itself even begins. If possible, try to get things ready the day before to minimise stress at the time.
Other simple tips to reduce your dog’s car anxiety include:
It can be tempting to allow your dog to sit on or next to you for reassurance, but to keep both your dog and everyone in the car safe, it’s important your dog is always secured either with a suitable harness or within a crate.
Various calming supplements are available and can work well for some dogs. The response to these products can vary so it may be worth trying a few different products to see which one works best for your dog.
These include pheromone-based sprays and collars, as well as oral supplements containing herbs, specific amino acids and other ingredients that may reduce anxiety. Some supplements take time to be effective, so may need to be given for several days before a planned journey.
Some dogs also respond well to specially designed calming wraps which help to alleviate anxiety by providing gentle, constant pressure over their torso.
If your dog is badly affected by car anxiety, especially over longer journeys, you should speak to your vet about medication.
If your dog has severe car anxiety, medications can help to reduce this to a level that allows you to work on desensitisation with them. They can also help to prevent anxiety becoming worse if your dog has to go on a long journey.
However, medication alone cannot fix your dog’s anxiety, so it’s usually recommended alongside a programme of desensitisation and counterconditioning. The goal is for the training to reduce their anxiety long-term, or in severe cases at least to prevent it worsening over time.
Overcoming travel anxiety in dogs using these steps can significantly improve your dog’s quality of life, both by minimising their day-to-day stress and allowing them to enjoy trips to new and exciting places.
Planning a long journey? It’s always worth seeing a vet for a general health check before travelling long distances, especially if your dog has any pre-existing health problems which may be exacerbated by stress.
