Dogs in Cars

The Law

There are laws around travelling with dogs in cars. It’s important to be aware of this as it will affect your insurance. It’s not safe to be travelling with your dog loose in the car. A dog loose in a car may distract you, or cause injury to you or others, should you be involved in an accident.

Check out this article for guidance on the law around dog travel.

Help your dog feel comfortable in the car

Training your dog or puppy to travel safely, calmly and quietly in your car is something you should start as early as possible. Sometimes people experience problems with their puppy either getting in a car or having accidents /drooling/sickness whilst travelling in the car.

Unfortunately, the first few memories your puppy will have of travelling in a car are not necessarily positive ones. Being removed from its mum and siblings and taken to its new home or early days trips to the vet for check-ups or injections.

If your dog is nervous about the car you may need to spend some time getting him/her to use the car, overcoming those early scary experiences.

It’s important for your safety as well as your puppy that (s)he is secure in the car. You can use a car harness or a travel crate which will also help your puppy to feel more secure.

Build positive associations with the car, but don’t overdo this either. If you only put your dog in the car to travel  to the park or exciting places you could end up with a dog that barks, howls, or whines on every car journey.

If your pup is very nervous think about just sitting in the car without going anywhere. Will he take treats from you at this point?

With any training to help a dog overcome anxiety or fear, a dog taking treats is a key factor. If your dog is scared of something and you’re trying to overcome that fear, you need to reduce the fear. Reduce the fear to a level where your dog will take treats from you and work on it from there.

Consult your vet

Some dogs do suffer motion sickness in a car. If your dog is sick when (s)he travels in the car, make sure you don’t feed him/her before any journey, but it’s always worth a chat with your vet too.

If you would like a more detailed free information sheet on getting your dog or puppy comfortable in the car please just let me know and I can email it over to you.