It may have happened the very first time you brought your puppy home. There you are, riding along, cradling your new darling in your lap and—uuurp!
Car sickness in puppies is common and can persist into adulthood if not addressed early on. It’s usually attributable either to temporary balance and motion issues (young puppies aren’t automatically steady on their feet in a moving vehicle) or fear and anxiety triggered by a negative experience. Experts agree it’s best cured by a program of gradual desensitization that starts with sitting in a non-moving car for a few minutes a day and working up to longer trips.
Putting a pup in a solid-sided (rather than wire) crate so that she can’t see out the window can help prevent motion sickness, and it’s a sensible solution for times when it’s just you and Little Perro in the car. Puppies who are not thoroughly crate trained should be positioned looking forward out the windshield rather than out the side, where blurry scenes whizzing past can exacerbate the situation. For the safety of both of you, a seat belt harness or some other type of restraint should be used for any pup big enough to jump out of a lap or bounce around in the vehicle.
Once your pup is acclimated to car travel, it’s time to hit the road—provided your little bundle of joy has had all her shots, that is.
Parvo, distemper and other serious diseases are easily contracted by young pups exposed to places frequented by other dogs and animals. A puppy’s final set of core vaccines is usually given at 14-16 weeks; before then, you’ll want to limit her exposure to the wider world.
"Murray in the Car" – A-List (CC)
