Andra Posted April 21, 2015 Report Share Posted April 21, 2015 Looking for some advice folks.... Have a nearly 3 year old working cocker he has always been an easy traveller so no probs there. However I have recently took on a young springer just over 10 months old and she does not travel well and shies away from the car when she thinks she is going in the back inside a 2 dog crate. A couple of times now she has been sick and jobbied in the crate and on another good few times she has been sick. She has not been sick or anything like that other than in the car. It is quite frustrating and not sure what to do any suggestions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul taylor Posted April 21, 2015 Report Share Posted April 21, 2015 My Springer hates travelling too unfortunately. Slavers all over and craps sometimes too so I'd like some help as well pls! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortune Posted April 21, 2015 Report Share Posted April 21, 2015 It can be just fear of the noise the smell and the movement. It can help to feed the dog near the car and slowly get the dog to be near the car when good things happen. Dont take advice of thrash it out of the dog or the like. Some dogs like it in the car like the ones that ride along with their heads out of windows or the ones up in the back of pickups and some tremble and shake all of the time in a car. my springer isnt at all at home in the car and either sits in the back footwell or gets up on the back seat. I mostly put her on her lead in the back footwell and bring the lead around the side of the drivers seat and hook it onto the seat adjuster handle. this alows a bit of movement in the back but stops her from jumping around in the car. I've never put a dog in a crate so can't say about this bit. If the wife is in the car the dog sits in between her legs but mostly shakes a bit but never been sick or the other. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul223 Posted April 21, 2015 Report Share Posted April 21, 2015 One of mine doesn't like to travel in the car, however like most dogs he does like his walks and we have s short 3or4 minute journey each night before they get walks, so he readily jumps in the landy in anticipation of walks. May be there's something in that which could help you help your dog Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loriusgarrulus Posted April 22, 2015 Report Share Posted April 22, 2015 (edited) You could try taking them for a short drive to somewhere for a walk and gradually extend the car journey. Gradually over time they associate going in the car with a good arrival somewhere especially if the destination varies as dogs like new places to explore. This won't work with all dogs as some never get over car fobia. When I got Logun, he hated the car and was usually sick as Dad had stopped driving by the time he got him so when I inherited him he had not been in a car. He has come to associate the car now with interesting places to visit and the most we get now is dribbling. He does that when he is excited anyway so I just carry an old towel to wipe him down. You can get car travel sick pills for dogs, and not all make them sleepy although one with a very mild sedating effect might make them less anxious in the car till they get used to it. You can also get car seat belts for dogs around £15-£20 to keep them safe if you want to travel them on the car back seat and have someone sit with them. Ezi-dog do them up to red setter size with a padded chest front. This one on eBay is even in camo, but they come in lots of different colours. Some ezi-dog harnesses don't have the chest plate which is the one you really need for the car. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/EZY-DOG-HIGH-QUALITY-CHESTPLATE-HARNESS-WITH-FREE-SEATBELT-ATTACHMENT-CAMO-/281369510631?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&var=&hash=item4182ee02e7 The clip that comes with them for the car is a bit short for large dogs, but you can get longer clips that fasten into the car seat belt fitting from Wilkinsons. http://www.wilko.com/dog-accessories/wilko-dog-seat-belt-12-24in/invt/0303608 Edited April 22, 2015 by loriusgarrulus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy135 Posted April 22, 2015 Report Share Posted April 22, 2015 My springer did this when she was 3-4 months old. She's 6 months now. I fed her in the crate in the back of the car a few times and occasionally drove her around the village before getting her out for a walk. I also bought some new treats that she'd never had before and only used them when she was in the car, so that she now associates being in the car crate with a treat. The chewing/eating seems to help with the slavering as well as providing a positive association with being in the car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rimfire4969 Posted April 22, 2015 Report Share Posted April 22, 2015 My older springer has aways loved my Landy from day one. My younger one was very nervous around it and was a pain to get in it and once in would be sick, shaking and extremely sad. I started feeding her,in there, I would leave the door open and talk to her so she was confident enough to eat. We would also take a short drive to the beach or somewhere where she loved to go. I am lucky that my vet is only about 2 miles away so if she had an appointment I would walk there so there was no negative with car travel. She is now at the point that if I open the back of the Landy she is in before the door is fully open and is not sick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortune Posted April 22, 2015 Report Share Posted April 22, 2015 Looking for some advice folks.... Have a nearly 3 year old working cocker he has always been an easy traveller so no probs there. However I have recently took on a young springer just over 10 months old and she does not travel well and shies away from the car when she thinks she is going in the back inside a 2 dog crate. A couple of times now she has been sick and jobbied in the crate and on another good few times she has been sick. She has not been sick or anything like that other than in the car. It is quite frustrating and not sure what to do any suggestions. 2 dog crate. >> Is the dog in the crate on it's own or with the other dog when it is sick Ect? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davyo Posted April 22, 2015 Report Share Posted April 22, 2015 Long time since I've had a dog,but I had a spaniel who used to vomit when traveling when he was just a pup.I was advised to let him sit in the rear of the car when I'm washing it or generally mucking about with it.I would take him for short drives everyday,starting of by just driving up the street and then gradually putting a few miles in.Within a few months he was traveling all over the country,just need patience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andra Posted April 22, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 22, 2015 (edited) Thanks for the feeback folks appreciate the various apporaches etc.... Today I started just walking round the car gently opening doors and getting her to hup then giving a treat. I'll pull out the gems from the feedback and gradually move to popping her in to the crate for a feed in the back of the jeep. Fortune.... Yes she is usually in the crate with the cocker it is roomy enough for two but have never had her out alone in the car only alone from the house, you think it might be worth trying her on her own? When we got her 3 weeks ago her owners said she did not travel well but I did not think anything of it. They both had sporty cars and did not really know much about workingdogs and their requirements. Cheers Andra Edited April 22, 2015 by Andra Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDog Posted April 22, 2015 Report Share Posted April 22, 2015 This is a pity. I have never had it myself but a friend has a springer which is now eight years old and it still hates getting into the car. When we pack up after a day's pigeon shooting the dog sits in the middle of a field and refuses to respond to either a whistle or urgings. I don't believe that the dog has been sick in the car but it sure doesn't like it. There has already been some good advice offered on this thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carman06 Posted April 22, 2015 Report Share Posted April 22, 2015 We had similar with our German shepherd. We made sure he wasn't fed within 2 hours of travelling any distance but actually got him round it by taking him into car just to listen to music for a few minutes making it longer and longer time. Then we started with treats in car if he was calm for 5 min or more. And finally moved onto small journeys nice and steady and increased distance bit by bit with rewards for good behaviour. After about 3 min months he was excited to get in car and trouble free for journeys upto about 4 hours. Then he would get bored. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcs1972 Posted April 22, 2015 Report Share Posted April 22, 2015 Looking for some advice folks.... Have a nearly 3 year old working cocker he has always been an easy traveller so no probs there. However I have recently took on a young springer just over 10 months old and she does not travel well and shies away from the car when she thinks she is going in the back inside a 2 dog crate. A couple of times now she has been sick and jobbied in the crate and on another good few times she has been sick. She has not been sick or anything like that other than in the car. It is quite frustrating and not sure what to do any suggestions. ask your vet to check the dogs ears.....ours was like this and found she had had some issues with her ears.....all sorted now and now loves the car Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlistairB Posted April 23, 2015 Report Share Posted April 23, 2015 Both my labs are wary of the car, having said that they jump in quite happily because they know they'll end up somewhere they are going to enjoy. They were regularly sick in their younger days, but more exposure to the car slowly and surely has stopped that. Also, they can associate the car with being sick and you get into a vicious circle which can be stopped! I struggled with it for a long time and tried all sorts of herbal and vet recipes until my new vet recommended Cerenia tablets. I used them to get the dogs to have a number of car journeys where they weren't sick and therefore break that association. I only use them now as a precaution if they are going on a 3 hour plus journey. Cerenia is not a sedative, it's a drug that 'switches off' the part of the dogs brain that makes it want to be sick. If they need to be sick, they still will be, but it breaks the association of car=sick. It was originally designed to reduce the nausea feelings in Chemo patients. AB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lee-kinsman Posted April 25, 2015 Report Share Posted April 25, 2015 Looking for some advice folks.... Have a nearly 3 year old working cocker he has always been an easy traveller so no probs there. However I have recently took on a young springer just over 10 months old and she does not travel well and shies away from the car when she thinks she is going in the back inside a 2 dog crate. A couple of times now she has been sick and jobbied in the crate and on another good few times she has been sick. She has not been sick or anything like that other than in the car. It is quite frustrating and not sure what to do any suggestions. If you walk her on a lead around the block then stop doing that. Put her in the car drive 200yds, then park, then walk and play, do that for a week, then try drive half a mile building on it over a month. I've had a few get sick with travelling and starting with really short trips in the car to take them out has sorted it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortune Posted April 26, 2015 Report Share Posted April 26, 2015 When I took the dog out yesterday in the car I watched her more than I would normally do and she was shaking like a leaf nearly all the way to the farm where we were shooting. The only way to stop the shaking was to keep saying >> Pheasant. Rabbit, pigeon, duck, fox in a repetitive way. When we arrived at the farm we got half way down the bumpy access track and suddenly it was a case of “I know where I am now and it means SHOOTING FUN. When we came home she was so tired that she was leaning against the centre consul nearly fast asleep out on her feet and no shaking at all. So it all boils down to mind over matter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mick.j Posted April 26, 2015 Report Share Posted April 26, 2015 Do you use a crate at any other time for your dogs? If not, could you remove them from your car/van as a trial. It may be the crate thats the problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saltings Posted April 29, 2015 Report Share Posted April 29, 2015 short journeys and everything at the end of the journey to be good, be it food, shooting ,a load of fuss from you , talking to it in transit ,something positive even it main meal after the journey, even sat in the car with the dog for a few minutes every evening on the drive and get the dog to do a retrieve from the car and deliver it back to hand in the car with loads of praise ,anything to get it excited to get in the car and not stress Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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