Dogs and cars

[Spidey66]

What's your dog like in the car?

Maggie hates getting into the car. She physically has to be lifted in. However, apart from occasional carsickness, she's actually OK once she's in. She does sometimes dribble a lot, which seems to happen just before she's sick. I think the carsickness happens about 20% of the times she's been in the car, so significant but not excessive.
She's quiet and just lies on the back seat. We've taken her to Cornwall twice in the car-we're in London so a good drive, and not a peep from her.

I don't know why she's so stubborn about getting in though, I wonder does she always get scared she's going to get sick?

What are other people's experiences?

If something made me sick 1 in every 5 times I did it, I'd stop doing it too.

20% might not seem like a lot to you but it obviously is to her.

Have you tried moving her around in the car - so in the boot rather than the back seat for example, to see if that helps her sickness?

What kind of journeys does she make in the car? Does she ever get short, few min journeys that end in something great fun to help build up positive associations?

How often does she go in the car? Ideally short little sessions daily to help her settle would be best.

My dog also resists getting in, and he's never carsick now, though does sometimes dribble. If I try to lift him, he bites. He can be induced to get with various tricks, eg putting treats inside, getting in the car before him so he has to follow,etc. But he absolutely loves going to new places! And oddly never resists getting in the car when coming home (something that used to worry me as a possibility).

The car's a Fiat Panda, so we can't put her in the boot. There's a boot but she'd be in a dark, cramped place. It's the backseat or nothing.

TBH she doesn't go in the car much, so far it's been mainly on holiday bar one or two journeys. So maybe she just associates it with long journeys. We're walking distance from the park and vets so just walk her there. She has been on the bus a few times and actually there have never been any issues with the bus, she seem happy enough to go on the bus. I've not tried her on the tube as most of the stations near us have escalators and she's too heavy to carry (for me anyway.) Might try her on an overground train though that doesn't involve escalators.

I think we just need to get her used to short journeys with a pleasant outcome.

She's a year old btw, we've had her since 9 weeks. We took her from the breeder at 9 weeks and she was OK in the car when we took her home as a pup. She's a border collie.

Oh I've remembered when we were in Cornwall apart from driving down she had a few short trips in the car. We've taken her there twice so a few trips in the car around Cornwall. Not so much London as most places she goes are walking distance.

I think we just need to get her used to short journeys with a pleasant outcome.

Sounds good.

I'd start even easier. Lift her in. Giver her a treat, let her get out. Keep doing this until she gets in on her own.

Then add shutting the door.

Then add getting in the driver seat.

Starting the engine.

60 seconds of driving.

etc.

Build up to taking a short journey to somewhere nice.