Motion sickness is common in dogs during car trips. The tip of a specialist, accessible to everyone.
Dogs can also suffer from motion sickness, and the symptoms are the same as for us humans: nausea, even vomiting. There may also be panting, excess drooling, moaning, or restlessness. Dogs may well associate these symptoms with being in a car, so they may develop travel anxiety (which can make car sickness worse).
To avoid this, you have to get him used to this means of transport, explains Kim Paciotti, dog trainer, in an Instagram post. As a reminder, motion sickness is caused by the fact that the inner ear perceives movement but does not move itself. This is all the more true in puppies, because this organ “is not yet fully developed.” “The vestibule, the part that controls balance and spatial orientation, is still learning how the eyes and ears work together during movement”indicates the specialist. We can therefore “train him” in order to promote this learning. To do this, she recommends going against preconceived ideas: if a dog is car sick, you should not make multiple trips!
Not only does this not address the root of the problem, but it also “Motion sickness can become anxiety about the car itself due to repeated bad experiences”. Kim Paciotti therefore recommends doing exercises at home, with objects that you already have. For example, we can put the dog on a blanket and drag it, place it on the moving washing machine, take it on our lap and swing on a rocking chair, install it on a desk chain and spin it, put it in a swing and gently rock it, etc. She recommends doing it in short sessions of 30 to 60 seconds: “Observe the dog’s body language. If he is relaxed and curious, continue. If he is tense or trying to run away, slow down.”
Kim Paciotti emphasizes that it is important to accustom the dog to all movements (vertical, horizontal, rotating, forward, backward), but also to vibrations and jolts, all of which will be encountered during a motorized journey. So, “By the time your dog goes in a car, his inner ear will have already experienced every type of movement a car produces. The car will be another movement he has mastered, not a scary, nausea-inducing experience.”.
