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  1. #1
    House Broken ls2erin's Avatar
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    What on earth happened?

    Hey all, I need some friendly advice. I am sure I mentioned in past posts that Roxy has car anxiety. I don't know why or where it stems from, because I have had her since she was 8 weeks old, and she's always been like this. As far as I know, she's had no bad experiences in the car to cause this. I've worked with her on this issue since I got her from the breeder. I've tried everything I could think of, as well as what others have suggested (including 2 trainers), such as feeding her in the car, short rides to fun places, special treats she only gets while in the car, etc etc. She started out screaming bloody murder in the backseat, as well as obsessively trying to jump into the front seat, drooling, shaking, pacing, and whining. She has never thrown up in the car though, so I am unsure if this is related to motion sickness.

    After much work, I got her to a point where she could ride in the car, using a harness and simple doggy seat belt. She would still whine and drool sometimes, but the rides with her were much more pleasant, and I really felt like we were overcoming this. Then all of a sudden, out of nowhere, she reverted right back to where she was months before... crying, shaking, drooling, obsessively trying to jump into the front seat, and so on. I don't know what happened to cause this regression. I can't help but feel discourage by this, after so many months of hard work and patience. It really saddens me that she feels such anxiety about something I love so much, which is cruising in my cars. I feel like we are missing out on a lot because of this, like weekend cruises in the GTO, or a drive to the nicer parks that are too far to walk to so we can enjoy the nice weather out there. Driving to the vet has become scary, but I try my best to remain cool, calm, and collected, because I don't want to make it worse.

    Anyway, I tried to figure out a way to keep her in the back seat, so she doesn't kill us both! She somehow turns into Houdini and gets out of her harness, no matter which one she has on, then jumps into the front. I have a small 2 door coupe, so my options are very limited in restraining her. I took the divider from her crate that she doesn't need anymore, and put it in the car, to separate the front from the back. It worked, except now that she knows it's there to prevent her from jumping into the front, she refuses to even get in the car now. Two of us tried to get her in the car over the weekend and we couldn't do it. Once I took out the divider, she now willingly gets into the car.... but she goes straight for the front seat.

    Other than buying a SUV that will hold a gigantic crate and that I cannot afford, does anyone have any advice? For now, I've started all over again with the car training without moving the car, because it's quite dangerous to drive when she's behaving in such a manner.
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  2. #2
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    Poor Roxy, so sorry to hear she's having problems dealing with the car. Jake was never comfortable, which I don't blame him as he was thrown from a car at 45 miles an hour due to the cops chasing the drug dealers and Jake unfortunately was in a bag (with his sister) and the drugs.

    Is this recent episodes after the attack and hospitalization? Roxy could be having memories of being taken for her injuries and this is still kind of fresh in her mind. Though her body is healing, there still could be stress over that attack?

    Going back to the beginning with introducing the car is the only thing I would think of doing. Hoping Roxy can get to relax again (even a little) as going for rides in the car.

    KAZ

  3. #3
    Senior Dog smartrock's Avatar
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    My daughter's dog has car anxiety as well. (Also thunder, fireworks, gun fire, any loud noise of that sort). She'd do an entire 5 hour ride from their home to ours, standing up in the back seat, braced for impact, panting, whining and drooling. We got her a Thundershirt to wear, which helped but did not make her entirely calm. She'd lie down and be hyper vigilant rather than standing up the whole way. I think for a short while they tried a sedative as well for long trips (acepromazine). They did the Thundershirt, did lots of short trips (not all to the vet), and over time she became somewhat desensitized to the experience.

    She's 7 years old now and can ride reasonably calmly without the shirt and without sedatives. If they're packing the car for a trip and leave the door open, you'll find her sitting in the driver's seat, ready to go. She's not the type to sit in the car, smiling happily with her head out the window and the wind blowing through her fur, but she's not the basket case she used to be.

    I don't remember if you asked for advice on even getting into the car in a prior thread but clearly that's an issue now, huh? What kind of harnesses are you using that she can get out of? Does she ever wear the harness around without getting into the car? If she associates a harness with a car ride, maybe you'll have to desensitize her to the harness itself, wear it for meals, wear it for walks, wear it while you play getting into and out of the car like it's part of an agility course- both doors open, in one side and out the other, lots of high value treats- almost like getting accustomed to a crate. Break it down into its most elemental steps- harness alone, harness plus getting into and out of the car, harness plus getting attached to the seatbelt then getting back out, harness plus seatbelt plus close the car doors and get out, etc. Feed meals in the stationary car while wearing the harness. It seems like it could be a very long process though.

    I'm sorry it sounds like you're back to square (minus)-one. Some people have tried Rescue Remedy to help calm their dogs, the Thundershirt, prescription sedatives. Maybe the vet would prescribe a mild sedative you could use as you begin the desensitization process again. As things improve, hopefully you'd be able to cut back on, then stop the sedative. I only suggest them to maybe make the desensitization process go a little faster, hopefully not as a long-term fix.
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  4. #4
    House Broken ls2erin's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ZRabbits View Post
    Poor Roxy, so sorry to hear she's having problems dealing with the car. Jake was never comfortable, which I don't blame him as he was thrown from a car at 45 miles an hour due to the cops chasing the drug dealers and Jake unfortunately was in a bag (with his sister) and the drugs.

    Is this recent episodes after the attack and hospitalization? Roxy could be having memories of being taken for her injuries and this is still kind of fresh in her mind. Though her body is healing, there still could be stress over that attack?

    Going back to the beginning with introducing the car is the only thing I would think of doing. Hoping Roxy can get to relax again (even a little) as going for rides in the car.

    KAZ
    Oh my gosh, poor Jake. His anxiety totally makes sense, but Roxy's doesn't. This started before the pit bull attacked her, so I don't think it's related.

    Quote Originally Posted by smartrock View Post
    My daughter's dog has car anxiety as well. (Also thunder, fireworks, gun fire, any loud noise of that sort). She'd do an entire 5 hour ride from their home to ours, standing up in the back seat, braced for impact, panting, whining and drooling. We got her a Thundershirt to wear, which helped but did not make her entirely calm. She'd lie down and be hyper vigilant rather than standing up the whole way. I think for a short while they tried a sedative as well for long trips (acepromazine). They did the Thundershirt, did lots of short trips (not all to the vet), and over time she became somewhat desensitized to the experience.

    She's 7 years old now and can ride reasonably calmly without the shirt and without sedatives. If they're packing the car for a trip and leave the door open, you'll find her sitting in the driver's seat, ready to go. She's not the type to sit in the car, smiling happily with her head out the window and the wind blowing through her fur, but she's not the basket case she used to be.

    I don't remember if you asked for advice on even getting into the car in a prior thread but clearly that's an issue now, huh? What kind of harnesses are you using that she can get out of? Does she ever wear the harness around without getting into the car? If she associates a harness with a car ride, maybe you'll have to desensitize her to the harness itself, wear it for meals, wear it for walks, wear it while you play getting into and out of the car like it's part of an agility course- both doors open, in one side and out the other, lots of high value treats- almost like getting accustomed to a crate. Break it down into its most elemental steps- harness alone, harness plus getting into and out of the car, harness plus getting attached to the seatbelt then getting back out, harness plus seatbelt plus close the car doors and get out, etc. Feed meals in the stationary car while wearing the harness. It seems like it could be a very long process though.

    I'm sorry it sounds like you're back to square (minus)-one. Some people have tried Rescue Remedy to help calm their dogs, the Thundershirt, prescription sedatives. Maybe the vet would prescribe a mild sedative you could use as you begin the desensitization process again. As things improve, hopefully you'd be able to cut back on, then stop the sedative. I only suggest them to maybe make the desensitization process go a little faster, hopefully not as a long-term fix.
    Your daughter's dog gives me hope that maybe Roxy can eventually overcome this. Roxy is also scared of fireworks, loud thunder, etc. I have tried the Thundershirt over the past few weeks and it hasn't helped in the slightest. If anything, it made it worse, because she immediately thinks something bad is going to happen as soon as I put it on her. Getting into the car is not an issue since I took out the divider. She will get in the car just fine, but will not stay in the back seat. When she car starts moving, that's when she gets really upset, but she's ok when it's not moving. If I give her treats or meals in the car, she's ok until the car moves. If we start moving, she refuses to eat her treats or food. I basically have to drive with her in the front passenger seat, with my left hand on the wheel, and my right hand held up blocking her from obstructing my vision. It's not safe and I would prefer she stay in the back seat, but she won't. She has a few different harnesses. One is specifically a car harness, one can be used in or out of the car, and one is the freedom no-pull harness. She doesn't like harnesses, but I put harnesses on her whether we go in the car or not. I don't know how she's getting out of them in the car. I have talked to the vet about it, and she said to sedate her, but I hate to do that. She said I could try giving her a Benadryl to take the edge off, but it didn't help. I had to give her 3 per dose when she had an allergic reaction and even that dose didn't make her any sleepier. I will look into Rescue Remedy.
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  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by ls2erin View Post
    Oh my gosh, poor Jake. His anxiety totally makes sense, but Roxy's doesn't. This started before the pit bull attacked her, so I don't think it's related.
    Glad to hear that the pit bull attack is not the culprit of this. Fingers crossed the Rescue Remedy works for her. Please keep us posted.

    KAZ

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  7. #6
    Senior Dog ckfalz's Avatar
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    Have you tried riding in the back with her? Maybe she would be calmer with you there and then maybe learn it's not so bad?
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    Best Friend Retriever Sue's Avatar
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    I do want to mention that just because she doesn't throw up, doesn't mean she's not suffering from motion sickness. Has she recently had an ear infection, or is she prone to them? Drooling, licking the lips, and panting can all be signs of nausea.

    Signs of motion sickness (from PetMD):

    Dogs show their uneasiness in various ways. The first signs of motion sickness may be a constant licking of the lips, followed by excessive drooling; yawning; whining or crying out in distress; immobility or acting afraid to move; and finally, vomiting or regurgitation. An extremely emotional dog may even urinate or defecate in the car.
    It's an equilibrium issue, most of the time, and the seat of our equilibrium is in the ears.


    There are holistic and homeopathic remedies, if you don't want to do the dramamine, or an antihistamine like Benadryl.

    Motion Sickness Remedies for Dogs | Dogs Naturally Magazine

    Edited to add that a simple remedy is often ginger, particularly a ginger snap cookie. Ginger has a calming effect on tummies, and the sugar in a cookie is also helpful. I've seen recommendations that a candy like a jelly bean is helpful, due to the sugar content. Go figure. Besides, it seems to me it might also work as a counter conditioner.

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  10. #8
    House Broken ls2erin's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ckfalz View Post
    Have you tried riding in the back with her? Maybe she would be calmer with you there and then maybe learn it's not so bad?
    Yes, I have tried this when visiting my family and I had my mom drive. She still doesn't like it, but she doesn't seem as tense when I am back there with her. We aren't with other people enough to practice this very often though.

    Quote Originally Posted by Sue View Post
    I do want to mention that just because she doesn't throw up, doesn't mean she's not suffering from motion sickness. Has she recently had an ear infection, or is she prone to them? Drooling, licking the lips, and panting can all be signs of nausea.

    Signs of motion sickness (from PetMD):



    It's an equilibrium issue, most of the time, and the seat of our equilibrium is in the ears.


    There are holistic and homeopathic remedies, if you don't want to do the dramamine, or an antihistamine like Benadryl.

    Motion Sickness Remedies for Dogs | Dogs Naturally Magazine

    Edited to add that a simple remedy is often ginger, particularly a ginger snap cookie. Ginger has a calming effect on tummies, and the sugar in a cookie is also helpful. I've seen recommendations that a candy like a jelly bean is helpful, due to the sugar content. Go figure. Besides, it seems to me it might also work as a counter conditioner.
    I never ruled out motion sickness, I was just saying that I wasn't sure how much I can actually attribute to motion sickness versus anxiety, since she hasn't actually vomited, and many of the symptoms of motion sickness are also the same symptoms of moderate to severe anxiety. I know that many times they go hand in hand though. I have tried many times taking her for rides on an empty stomach, which is supposed to make them less nauseous than taking them after a meal, but it doesn't make a difference in her behavior. She has not had any ear infections lately and doesn't seem to have issues with her ears very often. Thanks for the link, I would rather try something holistic or homeopathic before using medication from the vet.
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  11. #9
    Senior Dog Maxx&Emma's Avatar
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    I don't have any new advice or remedies you haven't already tried but wanted to send good thoughts to Roxy. She and you, have been through too much recently. I have a dog with anxiety issues, thunder, fireworks, etc, so I know some of the how hard they can be. The thunder shirt does help my Emma but she wore it often when I first got it so she didn't associate it with her fears. Now she seems to ask to have it on prior to storms or when she is feeling anxious. I am guessing she feels better having it on. It just sucks because they can't tell you what is wrong and sometimes it feels like you are grasping at straws to try and figure out what is going on. A very frustrating thing to deal with, for sure.
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  12. #10
    House Broken ls2erin's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Maxx&Emma View Post
    I don't have any new advice or remedies you haven't already tried but wanted to send good thoughts to Roxy. She and you, have been through too much recently. I have a dog with anxiety issues, thunder, fireworks, etc, so I know some of the how hard they can be. The thunder shirt does help my Emma but she wore it often when I first got it so she didn't associate it with her fears. Now she seems to ask to have it on prior to storms or when she is feeling anxious. I am guessing she feels better having it on. It just sucks because they can't tell you what is wrong and sometimes it feels like you are grasping at straws to try and figure out what is going on. A very frustrating thing to deal with, for sure.
    Thank you. Yeah, we have had a rough time lately and I hate to see her so upset every time we need to drive somewhere. I'm not sure where we went wrong with the Thundershirt. I had her wear it when nothing stressful was happening too, so not sure how the negative association started. I guess it works for some and not for others.
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