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Dog w/Anxiety
Gunner is absolutely terrified of cars. He has been since we picked him up, and we aren't really sure why. Every time we put him in the car he drools uncontrollably and throws up if he's eaten. We've tried putting windows down, treating him when we put him in the car, talking to him when we drive, putting him in the car then taking him out 2 minutes later... Pretty much anything I can think of. He will freak out if we walk him by the car to go outside, too. He pulls away like his life depends on it.
tl;dr: Are there anti-anxiety medications I can get OTC or, if not, do you think this is a problem I will need to get anti-anxiety medications from the vet for? I welcome additional suggestions on how to work with him to overcome his fear of cars. He goes in to the vet to be neutered in two weeks, but wanted some opinions before I go in with him.
Here is our scaredy-dog!
Re: Dog w/Anxiety
He's adorable!!!!! I don't have much experience with car anxiety in terms of riding in the car, but I've heard people recommend Rescue Remedy, a natural stress-reliever that you can order online (no Rx required). Maybe it's worth a try? I've also heard of DAP diffusers that you plug in. They release calming pheremones. That might help with overall stress/anxiety.
For actually riding in the car, is he crate-trained? If so, can you fit his crate in the car so he is in a familiar, safe space? I would also withhold food for some time before the car ride and make sure he gets plenty of exercise before he gets in the car to help release some of his nervousness and energy.
You could also try teaching him a super-strong look/watch/focus command, and once he knows that command really well in the house and other low-stress environments, try using it when you are near the car. Start really far from the car, at a distance that he doesn't usually react. Praise and reward for calm behavior. Then slowly move closer to the car, praising and rewarding for all calm behavior. If you get to a point where he reacts, take a step back and try from the previous distance.
One other thought - how does he get in/out of the car? Is it possible he doesn't like to jump in/out of the car? If that's a possibility, maybe a ramp or steps would help. Since he looks like he'll be a bit heavy to lift into the car, I'm guessing you don't want to go that route, and it's probably best for him to enter the car on his own. HTH!
Welcome to my world
My wee pit mix did the uncontrollable drooling and eventual puking for a while...now, the drooling has lessened but he still sometimes throws up on the way home from the vet (mind you, its 5 mins from our house). He's on Prozac (fluoxetine) for his general anxiety but we're going to start trialing some different OTC stuff like RR to give him before car rides. Since he's on allergy meds our vet suggested an antihistamine that acts as a motion sickness aid but I can't remember the name :$ We're going to work on desensitizing him some more also as it gets a little warmer outside-increasing the amt of time spent in the car, etc.
I would start by trying to getting him use to the car without going anywhere. Baby steps. Just a thought of how I might try:
1. Open all car doors and walk far away from it with him on a leash. Get him to "watch me" and treat. Rinse, repeat.
2. Slowly decrease the distance to the scary car. I'd use high value treats and would NOT push him too fast.
3. Eventually, I'd get him to jump in and right back out, TREAT, PRAISE (unless he gets fearful of that).
4. Slowly increase the amount of time before you have him jump back out.
5. Then you could try closing the doors with you and he both in the back.
I would also ditto the Rescue Remedy. It might me enough to take the edge off to work with him.
Also if he's anxious and drooling in the car, as hard as it is ignore him. If you try to comfort him, you actually can make it worse.
You should try getting him a Thunder Shirt. Its a shirt that wraps around the dog to help with anxiety. They are supposed to feel secure and calm. Worth a shot! Good Luck!
http://www.thundershirt.com/lpm/
This is so true. Trying to comfort and sooth them is the worst thing you can do. Trust me. I did this with Max as a puppy and it made him 1000x worse. He is now on chlomicalm.
I used to have this problem with a dog I rescued from a shelter. He was a big boy, ninety-pounder so it wasn't fun shoving him into the back of my car. Eventually he got over it. We took frequent rides to the dog park. He LOVED the dog park, so it was kind of a built in reward and the car started to be synonomous with the park and he was fine. I had another dog at the time, my carefree lab pup, so he always had his trusty PIC with him too. Maybe a riding buddy would help a little?
My dog now was very anxious when I brought her home too. I think some of PPs comments about not babying him has some validity. I learned from working with horses, that when you pay attention to something that is a stressor to them, they do too. Same thing applied with my dog when we used to go on walks. She was just scared sh*tless of every little thing at first. I just kept my eyes straight ahead to where we were walking and slowly she started taking my lead, instead of stopping and shaking every 3 steps. Not sure how it applies to getting in the car exactly, but maybe if you don't approach being frustrated and annoyed, he won't either.
Thanks so much for all of the responses! Sorry I had to post and run yesterday.
@Caz: Yes, he is crate trained. He loves his crate. We have tried this, but he still drools and throws up when in it. As for getting in/out, sometimes he jumps, sometimes we pick him up. Lately we really have to pick him up since he refuses to get in. He's a solid dog (Beagle/Shep mix), but the vet doesn't expect him to get too heavy. My back begs to differ though, haha! I'll look into that Rescue Remedy you mentioned - Thanks!
@straymo: I'm going to try the step-by-step you suggested to see if that gets any positive results. Thank you! & thanks for the advice on not babying him. I didn't realize this made the behavior worse. Thanks tons for that information.
@cj: Our other dog, Milo, loves car rides. He jumps in and out of the car, gets excited about the car, and has a great time. Gunner sees this (I secretly hope he understands that if Milo isn't scared, maybe it's not so bad...?). They rude in the car together, but it doesn't seem to help too much. I always feel bad for poor Milo though... Gunner always tends to get barf on him, haha. Poor guy.
Thanks again everyone.
Poor guy! That's more bathing for you afterwards too. Scratch that.