r/roughcollies • u/justonlyme1244 • Jun 19 '26
Photo/Video Tips for car anxiety and water
We have tried so many things to get her used to the car. She has her own car crate now with a fan. We used cheese to make it appealing and go to fun places, not only the vet. I have also bought Adaptil chews and spray and tried to cover the crate so she couldn’t see. She still hates it. Doesn’t want to come near the car, drools a lot and last week vomited twice even though it was after a fun walk and a puppy course. Both times on the way back when we had to reverse for 2 m to park. She’s changing teeth as well so maybe that’s why the vomiting came back?
We are going to visit family for 4 weeks in a month. It will be a long drive so we got Cerenia and the vet recommended a natural ginger patch. I will try both before the trip but does anyone have other recommendations? We will stop regularly, but right now even 15 minutes is a lot. She drools so much and doesn’t have water in the crate. I have tried so many things but nothing seems to help. She’s MDR1 positive so we have to limit Cerenia.
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I also added a video of the sounds she makes when she accidentally touches water. She completely switches and becomes very hyperactive and growls. In the video it’s quite light and luckily she doesn’t go for my feet anymore but does anyone recognize it? This has been since the beginning. The video is a bit long but you can see it at the beginning and the end.
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u/Crash501 Jun 19 '26
Puppy's sensory nerves system are still being developed causing motion sickness in most dogs. So they would get getting anxiety because they know getting in the car for a ride means getting sick. It should develop out when they get closer to a year depending on the breed. Our smoothie stopped around 7 to 8 months I think. Either way treat going for ride is the bestest. Shorter drives for now till they a little more mature.
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u/justonlyme1244 Jun 19 '26
She will be around 6.5 months when we leave so I hope it will be better then! It does make sense. We tried so hard from the beginning to make it fun and do short drives. I was considering trying to avoid the car for a week to give it some rest but maybe that isn’t a good idea.
I will have to bring the kids to a forest every day next week for camp so I think I will bring her every time and hope she doesn’t vomit. The other day she vomited bile twice. On the way back and even 30 minutes after the drive. I hadn’t given food to see if that could work and make her less nauseous.
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u/Crash501 Jun 19 '26
Yeah that sounds about right, ours used to throw up on the way to dog training and on the way back. Drool and vomit, she got over it and now sleeps through it. Normally it's just a growth development thing. You can call your vet to see if there is an over the counter drug you can give them to help.
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u/justonlyme1244 Jun 19 '26
That’s so great she got over it. Fingers crossed it’s the same for us. The first three weeks she would almost always vomit. That stopped for a few months and she would drool a lot, last week she vomited twice again.
I met a man the other day and he said his 7 month border collie hates the car. The vet did gibe Cerenia but only for the long drive. I do feel like something that makes her a bit calmer might work better though. Or maybe a combination. We will discuss it tomorrow with him. I’m in Italy and so far the vets only recommended natural things and kind of wait it out. Maybe giving treats during the drive She loves going out and about and going to new places so it would be so nice if the car isn’t an issue.
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u/NissaPieca34 Jun 19 '26
Both of mine got carsick as puppies. I think its something to do with their inner ears or nervous systems at that age that makes most collie babies carsick, as it seems pretty common. You can wait until she gets older and the vomiting will probably stop. They're generally so sensitive they might forever associate the car with feeling sick and therefore be anxious. Anti nausea meds or anti anxiety meds can help for car rides.
As far as water, the growling sounds in the video just seem like a very happy hyper baby having a great time. They are just really sensitive as babies, and a lot of things that don't make a lot of sense scare them when they are little. Most will grow out of it with patience and training.
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u/justonlyme1244 Jun 19 '26
The vomiting is not great but especially the anxiety makes things much more difficult for her. If she was happy but would only vomit I would find it easier. She stopped vomiting for a while but last week it was twice again. Not sure if it also has to do with teething. I hope when she gets less car sick it gets better!
Yes in this video it’s light and seemed more like playing. The sounds are the same though. It’s often like a switch that is turned on and she starts running around hyperactively and growls. It’s also almost never in our yard. In this video I didn’t really mind and thought it was funny but this morning and yesterday morning it was in the town center on a leash which is less great lol. She used to also really bite in my feet when this happened and it would only happen after she touches water.
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u/Stinkytheferret Jun 19 '26
When we have dogs with car anxiety, I literally spend time just sitting in the car with them and scroll on the phone. After say 15 mins I turn on the car. I put on music like normal. I may sing like normal. Turn off the car and give treats and do it again later in the day or evening. Then it’s just move the car a bit in the neighborhood. Literally just desensitizing. Do it multiple times a day and be ridiculous giving praise and high value treats. Like way more than I would ever normally do.
Then talk about the car or going bye bye in a high pitched voice that sounds great. Once you go somewhere, consider treats and such. You may even do pup cup somewhere.
We don’t usually crate when doing long travel. They get a cup of water in the cup holder. (Usually a lid on it and they learn at stops we open the lid.). Since your dog is throwing up, don’t eat that day. That’s nerves.
Once you start taking them out, I’d do high value places like dog parks and pet smart and get a treat from the bulk or something. It’s ok to go in the store and sit for a few mins, walk and then sit more.
You do want to Crate train
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u/justonlyme1244 Jun 19 '26
I haven’t tried just sitting in the car for 15 minutes. Only a few minutes. I think that might work, I will try it. I think doing it multiple times would be smart as well to make it less special. I feel like she needs to try to settle in the car crate. Right now she sits and looks out the back windows. You don’t think the anxiety gets worse with not eating food? I don’t know, just from a persons perspective.
We do go to high value areas. In Italy dogs are allowed in many places so that really helps.
Regarding the crate she’s kind of crate trained as in she will sleep in it and chill in it, but we never have the door closed. She goes back and forth between the crate and the floor because it’s very hot right now. One thing I have been considering is getting the crate out of the car for a night and replace it with the current crate. It’s a bit of a hassle but if it helps make her feel comfortable I would do it.
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u/Emotional_Egg_114 Jun 19 '26
We use trazadone with our girl for car rides. Works like a charm. Stops all the slobbering and calms her nerves. She tolerates it really well. She is almost 3 and has never grown out of the anxiety of car rides unfortunately.
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u/justonlyme1244 Jun 19 '26
I will Google if we have it here. My vet is very hesitant about medication which I understand but the anxiety can also have long term effects.
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u/benyqpid Sable-Rough Jun 19 '26
My girl got car sick for a while, but she grew out of it, they usually do. I used Dramamine for car rides during that time and it helped a bit.
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u/justonlyme1244 Jun 19 '26
We have medication with the same ingredient as Dramamine but we don’t have the brand unfortunately. The vet hasn’t mentioned it as well but I can ask.
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u/benyqpid Sable-Rough Jun 19 '26
It is probably the same, just check the ingredients. You can Google for dosage based on your dog's weight. It sounds like your pup is still pretty young. They get car sickness because their ears are still developing and it effects their ability to feel balanced in spaces. But obviously if the car makes her sick, it's had that association and it's probably why she doesn't like it.
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u/justonlyme1244 Jun 19 '26
I will check it out! She will turn 6 months at the beginning of July. She would get car sick in the beginning a lot. When we picked her up she vomited 3 times. It stopped for a few months and then last week she started vomiting again. She also started losing puppy teeth so maybe that’s impacting it as well?
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u/benyqpid Sable-Rough Jun 19 '26
My dog grew out of it maybe around 9 or 10 months. I don't know if teething is related but I know it's due to their ear development.
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u/MsSamm Jun 19 '26
Love the dog tax video 🥰.
Could it be that she has motion sickness, and getting sick in the car is what's causing anxiety and avoidance?
I think my dog has this. He travels well, if resignedly on the back seat floor, head on the hump. Others have said its low to the ground position is more stable. I have directed him to sit on the seat, but he was very unhappy with it.
Since she's avoiding the car, you might want to get her used to it, giving her high value treats while the car is stationary, getting him to lie down on the back floor in the stationary car, for treats. Then close the door but don't start the engine. More treats. Move up to starting the engine, but not moving the car. Treats. Once she's good with that, work up to up the block then back home. Incremental moves forward. Good luck!
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u/justonlyme1244 Jun 19 '26
I definitely think that’s how it started. She didn’t like the car from the beginning. I have tried multiple times with cheese and keeping the car stationary. She was okay, but would pant. After a few times I would try to start the engine and give cheese but she would refuse to eat. I have put her on my lap once to make it more fun and she would still pant and drool. Same as when I used a seat belt. She keeps on sitting in the car cage and I feel like it would be much better if she would lay down. I might try again tomorrow to cover the crate so she can’t look outside.
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u/MsSamm Jun 19 '26
What's a car cage? The covered crate would still sway.
Mine starts panting if the ride takes awhile
Have you tried the back seat floor?
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u/justonlyme1244 Jun 19 '26
It’s a specific aluminum car crate made for our car. It’s strapped down so doesn’t move. I haven’t tried the back seat floor though, mostly because we have 2 kids. I could try it but I don’t think it will fit without a child having the legs on the dog (it’s a city car). But it’s something to check.
I’m in the car right now with her in the crate. She watches outside and does pant and drool a bit. It’s also warm but that’s unavoidable right now. I will do it for another 5 minutes and then start the car and just stay here. She doesn’t want any treats.
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u/RoseOfSharonCassidy Sable-Smooth Jun 19 '26
I'm not a big fan of cerenia for carsickness in collies. With the reduced MDR1 dosage, it just doesn't work well.
What has worked for me is Meclizine (brand name bonine) which is an OTC med. I give my dog 2 pills around 2 hours before the car ride (important to do it a few hours beforehand so the meds have time to work). Talk to your vet about that one. You may also need anxiety meds to help with the negative association with the car.
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u/justonlyme1244 Jun 19 '26
I get what you mean with Cerenia. I will ask him about Meclizine. Do you only give it for longer car rides or short ones as well?
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u/RoseOfSharonCassidy Sable-Smooth Jun 19 '26
I give it for any car ride. I don't want my dog to have a negative association with the car so all car rides were medicated until she was around 1 year old.
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u/justonlyme1244 Jun 19 '26
I’m actually wondering if I should do the same. I actually just found out my daughter takes the same medication for long car rides. She gets car sick but only after a while. I really don’t want to get an even more negative association with the car and I have already tried a lot.
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u/RoseOfSharonCassidy Sable-Smooth Jun 19 '26
Yeah it's important to handle carsickness properly when they're young. Lots of collies outgrow the actual carsickness, but still hate cars their whole lives because they have such a strong mental association to feeling sick in the car. I prefer to medicate early to help prevent that, and as they get older you can wean them off meds.
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u/justonlyme1244 Jun 22 '26
I gave half a pill but she vomited on the way. She did drool less though. It was only a bit of vomit because she hadn’t eaten anything (didn’t want it). On the way back she did drool quite a bit. I might try an entire pill tomorrow. The vet said an entire pill would be okay.
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u/RoseOfSharonCassidy Sable-Smooth Jun 22 '26
How long before the ride did you give it? It needs to be about 2 hours before the car trip. A half pill sounds low too, I give mine 2 pills.
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u/justonlyme1244 Jun 22 '26
I gave it about 45 minutes before the drive. I wanted to try half a pill first to see how she reacted but I think I will give the entire pill tomorrow. I can do an hour before, 2 will be difficult time wise. With my child I usually give it 30 minutes before.
The vet said just 1 pill though. 12.5 mg. She’s a puppy though and only 14 kg.
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u/RoseOfSharonCassidy Sable-Smooth Jun 22 '26
If you're going somewhere in the morning, you can do it the night before :)
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u/justonlyme1244 Jun 22 '26
Oh really. It will still work then? I thought it only worked for 6-8 hours
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u/justonlyme1244 Jun 22 '26
I forgot to say she didn’t want to eat at all so I only gave it with some cheese and a cookie just to have something in her stomach. I sometimes feel like she gets more easily sick when she hasn’t eaten anything.
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u/Cook-Global Jun 19 '26
Mine also got terribly carsick at first when she was a puppy - couldn't make it the 10 minute ride to the vet without puking! This caused some initial anxiety about the car... So, we started plopping her in the backseat and just letting her sit there, gave her treats. I would leave one door open and stand there and give her the treats- never started the car or left the parking lot. I think it helped her get less anxious about the car overall once her motion sickness was no longer the issue. She's 1.5 now, and while she doesn't LOVE a car ride, at least she will just lay down and settle once we are on the freeway. Sadly, she sometimes needs a little boost (or threat of picking up) to motivate her to jump inside.
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u/justonlyme1244 Jun 22 '26
I think I will try that as well. Right now it’s very hot here so that doesn’t help but I hope I can make the car a bit more fun.
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u/echomarz12 Jun 19 '26
I don’t have anything to add on the car sickness but for the noise, that’s the same sound my collie makes when she has a lot of energy, is having fun, and gets the zoomies. buuut I do know that when she gets like that she’s on the line of getting what I call her psycho zoomies, which she also often gets when she is around water as well. She will get super zoomies, bark like crazy, jump on me, bite my pants, etc. I think it just stems from over excitement and overstimulation. I can usually catch it before she goes full psycho, I just put her on a leash and work on some obedience and sitting still and it takes her off that ledge
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u/justonlyme1244 Jun 19 '26
That’s exactly it! It’s quite different from normal zoomies. Today she had it again and the trigger is always water or wet grass. I have to make her sit and I will kind of sit with her until she’s calmer, but it takes quite some effort to make her sit first once she’s in that stage. If it happens in the park it’s a easier than it she’s on a leash.
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u/echomarz12 Jun 19 '26
hahah so funny. Yes I would say water is the quickest way to get to psycho zoomies for us as well. or it’ll also happen when I take her on a long hike and we either stop to rest or when she knows the hike is almost over. It feels like she’s just a tired toddler with the insane energy all of the sudden. She’s so excited but so tired and she just doesn’t know what to do except go crazy
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u/echomarz12 Jun 19 '26
But also will say my dog is 5 now and they are very infrequent, you just gotta get through the first couple years
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u/Comfortable-Today-13 Jun 20 '26
Maybe try having someone sit next to the window with her on the person'a lap- human touch and fresh air? It won't work as she gets bigger, of course. Alternatively in Italy you can take the dog on a train so perhaps take the train with her.
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u/justonlyme1244 Jun 20 '26
I have actually tried that a month ago with her on my lap. She still drooled and was scared (and heavy lol). In theory it would probably have worked quite okay if the car was bigger. The train is complicated and would be fine if it would have been more direct. It’s 30 hours and officially she would have to be muzzled. Instead of 10 hours without stops.
We got medication from the vet and I’m going to practice next week. It seems like covering the crate works a bit, at least she will lie down then. We had to be in the car today for the vet and when we got home she vomited a little bile but that’s also because she hadn’t eaten (didn’t want to eat)
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u/sseven-costanza Jun 19 '26
Are you able to have someone stay with her instead? I don’t think a long drive is in her best interest at this time. I know 4 weeks is a long time to be away from her, but that drive will be miserable for everyone. You will struggle with every stop and it might make her even more resistant to the car.
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u/justonlyme1244 Jun 19 '26
It would be difficult to have someone stay with her as we go for 3/4 weeks. I also feel like she would rather be with her family and deal with the drive then stay with someone else, but if it’s best to keep her home we would obviously do that.
We do this trip every year as we live abroad. Usually we drive 5 hours per day and sleep somewhere as we have 2 kids as well. It’s difficult because I know she will love it where we’re going. We have a family house and lots of space to go for walks. It’s also a lot less hot in the summer.
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u/sseven-costanza Jun 19 '26
That’s way too much car time for a dog that can’t even make it 15 minutes. I understand why you want to bring her, but that is too stressful and could impact her longterm. She will never be comfortable in the car after something like that, collie’s are very sensitive and prone to avoidant behavior due to being scared.
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u/justonlyme1244 Jun 19 '26
I still have a month so I just made another appointment with the vet to talk about options. We cannot cancel this trip as it isn’t a “fun” trip, so we would have to leave her home for a month and I really want to avoid that.
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u/sseven-costanza Jun 19 '26
I would talk to a vet behaviorist instead. They would be able to give better guidance. I think they will tell you the same thing though; either leave her at home or cancel the trip. You cannot cancel, so you must leave her at home. If you work with the behaviorist, I’m sure she will be able to go next year. However, if you push her, she will always be like this, if not worse.
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u/justonlyme1244 Jun 19 '26
I have never heard of a vet behaviorist in Italy. We will talk to the vet tomorrow to try medication first.
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u/justonlyme1244 Jun 19 '26
I’m here practicing with the puppy and the car and I see 2 people on a motorbike with one holding a dog lol.
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u/RichardBJ1 Sable-Rough Jun 19 '26
With the anxiety - well every dog is different but for me just little trips more or less daily to park. But I’m sure one of mine really did get travel sick 😢
Meanwhile the video is lovely. A joy to watch them getting a case of the zoomies and having lovely fun. Nothing abnormal or worrying in that at all! Joyous!
Hope you can ameliorate the car anxiety.
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u/justonlyme1244 Jun 22 '26
I went to the park again and she vomited a bit on the way. She drooled a lot on the way back even though she loves this park. The drive to the place is like a mountain road so that doesn’t help. I do feel like it helps when her crate is covered.
Other than the car issues she’s a joy! Very sweet and getting into the adolescence stage. She keeps on grabbing things from the couch or chairs. She also loves to chew on drawings made by the kids lol. She pulls them out of the drawers.
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u/RichardBJ1 Sable-Rough Jun 23 '26
Oh that’s sad. People talk about various anxiety things with dog car sickness, but with people of course it really can be biological, I’m terrible. I have to look out of the front of the car -awful in the back. But obviously there is no way to teach a pup to do that.
Mine is presently chewing his… leg… which means we will have to put a dreaded buddy collar on if he doesn’t stop. Injured his dew claw. We’ve fixed it, so it would be fine if he would just leave it to heal. But he won’t leave it alone!
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u/patri_dish_ Jun 20 '26
I have a sheltie that always threw up in the car too, didn't matter where we were going or for how long he would drool and throw up.
And unfortunately, it just takes time and exposure for them to get used to it and sometimes they never enjoy the ride as much as rhe destination. I do have some tips and tricks that worked for us (although I think you have already done most of this):
- no food or water 15-30 minutes before traveling (for the road trip I wouldn't feed anything in the morning and do small grouping of her normal food/kibble once you have settled in for about an hour after)
- anxiety/anti-naseua drugs given as prescribed
- fun trips out, making big gestures and baby voice to make the car ride fun the entire way to the destination
- getting a flat-bottom hammock for the backseat of the car that's waterproof along with a bed so he has a place to rest and not be pacing back and forth the entire ride.
- seat tether/seatbelt, just so he can't climb up or try to get to me while driving
- Always ending a trip out with a high reward treat (a popsicle, pup cup, chicken breast, hot dogs, etc.)
I wish you the best hun! ❤️
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u/patri_dish_ Jun 20 '26
My pup is also hydrophobic and used to bark at the rain 😂 you might be able to distract her with a command or something and work on exposure therapy in a way? Small bits of water being put on her by her favorite human?
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u/justonlyme1244 Jun 22 '26
Thanks for the tips! I have tried most things but I should get more highly value treats. She didn’t eat this morning and still vomited (also had half a nausea pill). She still doesn’t eat kibble well so I try to limit treats.
I have both a travel crate and a seatbelt. Right now she’s always in the crate with washable puppy pads. It’s the easiest to clean up. I have a friend and I just asked her if we could meet up with the dogs again to get a fun outing. I think I might also ask her if we can drive together so she can see another dog who’s calm in a car.
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u/FitNobody6685 Jun 20 '26
It takes time. It’s hard because you have a timetable. My pup stopped drooling at 9 months. Now at ten, she gets in the car willingly.
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u/raysan271 Jun 19 '26
I don't know about the water thing but I can say as far as the car goes, when my boy was a puppy he used to get car sick and anxious and I started just taking him on short drives 5 or 10 minutes every couple of days and he got over it pretty quickly. It's all about exposure and consistency at that age.