We are still working on getting our youngest dog, Missy, able to ride in a car without a nervous breakdown. We discovered after her last vet appointment that a trip to the treat store for a pup cup (whipped cream in a small cup) made her outlook completely different! After her treat, she didn’t shake at all the rest of the way home. Hmm. So about a week later we loaded both dogs up and did a trip for treats, and only treats. She rode on my eldest’s lap in the passenger seat on the way there (which is where she has historically been the most comfortable), but then on the way back sat with Griffin on his chair, which shows an improvement in her anxiety (and he is such a good boy to put up with it!) The plan is to repeat this treat-only trip about once a week, without introducing anything more scary (like getting out of the car or side-quests).

We did get some anti-anxiety meds from the vet, which do work in the car, but don’t work at home. On the meds (which we didn’t use for this trip), she is calmer in the car, but at home she is just as barky, but more sleepy. Medicated, she wakes up barking when her ears pick up a strange noise, then it takes a little longer for her brain to engage and stop barking. So the meds will be saved for long car rides. By the way, we do have a middle seat insert for the middle row. We will put that in for the next trip to give Griffin a little more room!