Raising a puppy is challenging, and driving in the Dallas–Fort Worth area is also challenging – doing them simultaneously can be really difficult!
There are a couple of ways to make this process less stressful and set yourself up for long-term success. We’ve worked with thousands of pups and their families over the past nearly twenty years and have come up with some pretty good tips and strategies that we wanted to share.
- Make sure your pup is safe.
There are many ways your pup can ride in the car, but we suggest keeping them in the back seat and secured in some way for their safety. Some folks use a bolster seat with a tether, a hammock for the back seat, or even a crate (this is my personal favorite). By ensuring our dogs are safe in the back, we can focus on the road, keeping everyone safer.
- Try to make the car ride comfortable.
Bring a blanket from home (this can double as an easy-to-wash cover!) or a familiar bed. Point the air conditioning toward them, redirect the air to the back using The Noggle System, or get them a portable fan. Being hot can certainly contribute to not feeling well! Pre-cooling the car can make a HUGE difference in the summer. No one likes getting into a hot car — especially not with a full fur coat!
- Talk to your vet.
Anyone who struggles with motion sickness can tell you how miserable it can be. Because puppies’ inner ears aren’t fully developed, they’re much more likely to get sick in the car. With repeated trips, this can create negative feelings about being in the car. Your vet can prescribe medications to help alleviate nausea.
- Make the car fun.
When you don’t have to go anywhere, practice getting in the car, giving some high-value snacks, and then going back inside. This can build good feelings from the start or help negate some pre-existing bad feelings about the car. I really like using my dog’s mealtime (and all the excitement that comes with it) to help create positive feelings about the car.
We hope these tips will help you and your puppy feel more comfortable in the car. Remember to be patient with them — cars are inherently kind of weird, and it may take some time for them to feel comfortable with this routine.