# Noisy pup in the car



## Percy (Dec 5, 2011)

Hi there, our 12 week old puppy Percy is now going to bed happily and sleeping around 8 hours thanks for all the comments and advice! 

Next little hurdle with our lively pup is going out in the car. We only have a short car ride to a lovely big wooded area however percy doesn't like this short car trip and yaps (in an anxious way) all the way there and back. He is in a soft canvas crate in the back with bedding and can see us through the crate but hates it! Turning the radio up helped for a bit but perhaps he wasn't that keen on Xmas songs . any ideas for keeping him calm in the car as have some great places to take him to but don't want to have to wear earplugs in the car? 

Also he is very hesitant around other dogs at the moment and sticks to our side like glue whilst out on walks. Has anyone else had this problem with a baby V? Will he grow out of this?

Any advice very welcome, thank you!!!


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## redrover (Mar 17, 2011)

When Jasper was young, he hated the car. He got carsick a lot. It's apparently pretty common in young pups, since they're too small to see out the windows, and get carsick for the same reason humans do. When he got bigger he grew out of it. In the meantime, he would whine, shake, drool, and occasionally vomit. He also hated not being next to me the entire time.

Now the only time he whines in the car is when he knows we're going to the park. We go a very specific route, due to a lot of one-way streets, so about one block into the drive he picks up on where we're going, and acts pretty nuts the entire 5-minute-ride. Otherwise he's pretty calm in the car.

If you think his hatred of the car is due to carsickness, he may very well grow out of it. Letting him look out a window on the ride may help. If you think it's just because he's very excited, well...you may just have to put up with it. You only mention this behavior in regards to your trip to the wooded area--does this happen on all car rides? That may clue you in to what's causing it, or at least rule out excitement about the end location.

Jasper has a car harness, mostly because I was getting tired of setting up and tearing down his crate all the time. I found that he grew to like the car faster in that then being in his crate (even though he has no problem with the crate itself). 

Otherwise you may have to slowly desensitize him to the car. Have someone in the back with him, next to his crate. Put him in his crate. Give him a treat. Keep doing this, until he associates car + crate with treats. Then move up to starting the car. Don't drive anywhere, just start the car, treat, turn off the car. Then move up to driving very short distances--literally, just a few feet at the beginning. It'll be slow going, but hopefully this will cause your pup to associate the car with lovely things.

As for the hesitance around other dogs--as long as he keeps having positive experiences with other dogs, he will very likely grow out of this. Just gently remove him from any situation that looks like it could become bad, such as a dog that doesn't like puppies--don't coddle him (ie: pet him, pick him up, etc.), as that will teach him other dogs are something to be afraid of. Just leave. But the more positive interactions he has, the less hesitant he'll be around other dogs.

Good luck! Also, I love the name Percy!


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## harrigab (Aug 21, 2011)

we've got Ruby a travel harness so that she can travel in the yoot cab with us, rather than crated in the back of the pick up, she just settles down next to the boys and goes to sleep. I think the close proximity to her human family settles her down.


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## Kobi (Oct 26, 2010)

Ever since I put Kobi in a canvas crate (as opposed to crazy free roaming), he's been a whiner in the car.

He hasn't even been to the vet since we got the canvas crate, but no matter what, it's whining. About 3-4 times a week we go to the park, my girlfriend's house, my parent's house, all FUN places that he LOVES to go to, but he'll whine within a minute of us rolling.

Cracking the windows does help some, but I've learned to live with it. You may have to do the same (unless you want a puppy going wild in your car like I used to have)

He's never even got carsick before. He's just a baby (wimp)


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## Ozkar (Jul 4, 2011)

Every dog is different, as is every Vizsla. With my three, two are quite relaxed in the car, the other is just chomping at the bit to get out for a run. Ozkar does laps of the allowed area, often pissing off the other two dogs by stepping on them.  He also likes to be touching you when in the car. A paw, his head, whatever, as long as he has contact he is happy. Make him sit in the back seat and not allow him to be near you and he will also whinge about it. He's the older of my two boys. The younger one is a perfect little car buddy. Sits or lays down on the floor and chills out. Gets up for a little look every now and then, but is really relaxed. Zsa Zsa my pointer is somewhere in the middle. Not as excited as Ozkar, but, not as relaxed as Astro. She will sit and chill out, but only when asked. Otherwise, she is all over the place like Ozkar. 

I also found that as they get older, they settle more and more in the car.


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## Suliko (Sep 17, 2011)

I agree with those who say it gets better with time. Sophie had the worst anxieties in the car, especially while in the crate when she was a little pup. No treats, no happy destinations could help her. I just kept taking her for short trips and she eventually calmed down. She still does a little whining, especially when full of energy. However, she is never afraid to get in or out the car.


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