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Writer's pictureJanis Kenderdine
Jun 15, 20194 min read

Let's Go for a Ride!

One of a dog's favorite phrases, "Let's Go for a Ride!" promises excitement, adventure, exploration, and a break from the mundane. But it's also important for your pup to be properly introduced to car-travel. Many people would love for their buddy to be a traveling companion with them, or to bring them places, but feel they can't, because their dog becomes anxious or stressed in the car. So the dog stays at home and doesn't get socialized, doesn't go to training classes, doesn't see the world, and is very limited in what it can do, how it behaves, and becomes closed off and may develop behavioral issues due to their entire world being too small. The wonderful thing about shepherd breeds is their happiness to just be wherever you are and doing whatever you're doing. They don't necessarily have to be herding sheep or running agility, as long as they get to spend time with their owners and participate fully in their lives. These breeds are not family "pets" like a hamster, but family "members." Don't lock grandma in the basement and leave her a bowl of water while you go and live your life! She'll chew up your shoes and pee on your computer!


So, #1 - is your dog secured? Yeah, yeah, you never wore a seatbelt and flew through a windshield and "your jus fyne"[sic]. But seatbelts and crates are more than just keeping you and your dog from meeting an end via death-by-fido-to-the-back-of-the-skull in a collision.


Seatbelts and Crates:

  1. Keep your velcro dog who wants to be in your lap and under your feet from being a distraction to the driver

  2. Keep your dog from jumping out a window (they sometimes have amazing aim and will manage to hit the window button themselves)

  3. Keep your dog from leaving the scene of an accident (many accidents have resulted in double heart-ache when a dog left the car in the frightening aftermath of an accident and got lost or hit by a car)

  4. Keep your dogs in their own separate spaces within the cabin so they're not annoying each other like two kids in the back seat

  5. Keep your dogs from stealing your groceries or your drive-thru lunch out of your hands from over your shoulder

  6. Help keep your dog from getting car-sick/anxious

I've emphasized this last one, because even if you're one of those wonderful-horrible dog owners who loves their dog so much they want to bring it everywhere but not take the time to make sure it's safe or being a good citizen to other people, dogs need to be secured in a moving vehicle to feel calm and safe.


Almost every behavioral issue is because a dog does not feel like it is in a safe or predictable environment.


A dog that is sliding around and banging from side to side during the starts and stops of driving does not feel safe or secure, and nothing about riding is predictable to it. A seatbelt or crate can limit this jostling around and make a dog feel secure that he's not going to go flying about the cabin every time you put on the brakes or turn a corner.


Many dogs also get motion-sickness - especially as pups and inexperienced riders. This may not manifest itself as vomiting - a dog may simply whine or drool or pace around or be generally annoying - which is distracting and not safe to the driver. The dog is trying to let you know he's uncomfortable and does not feel good about this situation.


Dealing with Motion-Sickness:

  1. So back to #1 from above - secure your dog.

  2. Crack a window, or turn the vents on full-blast - some sort of air-flow that will let his brain make sense of the motion.

  3. Keep to smooth driving (i.e. highways) at first without a lot of twists and turns, ups or downs, starts and stops until the dog has gotten more used to riding.

  4. As with any new experience that needs "desensitizing" - keep it short and sweet. Work up to longer rides.

  5. End on a high-note, such as the park, a friend's house - someplace fun (i.e. not the sharp-pokey vet!) Certainly several vet appointments will be in your new pup's future, but make sure they are the exception and not the rule - make most of the rides in the car fun destinations.

Hopefully by now your dog isn't a basket-case when he gets in the car, and is excited to go someplace new. You may have gone through a harness or two if you have a puppy - if you can, have a friend ride shot-gun to watch the pup and stop him from chewing on his seatbelt, and offer treats for being quiet, calm, and laying down.


Remember to "out" your dog before you go for rides so your dog isn't uncomfortable and you don't have any accidents! For long trips with a puppy, try to break every hour or so (crates are the best way for long-distance travel bringing a puppy home for the first time) and walk him to give him the opportunity to "get busy" outside where it's appropriate, vs. in his crate (where you do NOT want to start a bad precedent). For an adult dog, stop every 2 hours max for a stretch and pee break. And while it may seem counter-productive, in both cases, offer your dog more water.


For an experienced traveler-dog, keep a travel-bowl of water with him so he can self-water whenever he wants while you're on the road. Since he's calm and secure in the situation (because he now knows what to expect), he knows you'll stop for potty-breaks, so will take water when he's thirsty, but not if it'll make him have to pee then and there.


A nervous dog who is not secure/desensitized to travel yet may drink too much water, or drink to have something to do, and then with nerves on top of it... you get the point. So for a nervous dog, I would stick to the rest-stop schedule for water-breaks. But hopefully, if you follow the above and stay consistent, your dog will buddy up and learn to love going for rides with you.

 

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