Do they get to ride in the car much? If not, then they think they are going to the vet. No wonder they are frightened.

Try taking them on short trips once or even twice a day and then on longer and longer trips. Mine are asleep before we get out of the driveway. Some feel safer in their crates. some love to sleep cuddled in their blankies. Some love pillows. Try a variety to these on the short drives acclimating them to the car. But I'm pretty sure their fear is that they think they are going to the vet. If you can get them over that, all will be well.

They advertise some kind of comforting shirt on TV for fearful dogs that you may want to look into. Can't think of the name. ThunderShirt or something like that. Good luck and be sure to take those short rides, if only to the end of the block for starters.

i once had a terrier that would not eat away from home. Not only on the trip but also afte we got there. Wouldn't eat a thing, not even a hamburger. Survived on just water. The longest we ever kept him away from home was 3 days. Really put a crimp in vacations with dog!

I try to bring as much of their stuff as possible, leave the crate in the back with its door open. I also bring water from home. I find that small dogs like to be raised up to see out the window.

I'm paranoid about them getting loose, I put them in harnesses and make sure that my cell # is on them.

Our lab Bailey is a very good traveler. We think he is just happy as long as he is with us.

Excellent idea about the cell phone number! Our house number won't help any more because the house is empty!
:wave:

I always put the cell # on their tags, if you're riding around looking for them somebody calling the house # isn't going to help much.

The other thing, that I haven't done yet, is update the information on their chip.

Someone at the Dogpark gave me this suggestion. I had tags made up at Petsmart and the dogs always wear them. On one side the tags say "$500 Reward". And on the other side we have our cell phone number and our Vet's telephone number. Even though our dogs are both chipped, I want to make sure that a finder has the motivation to hunt us down. My biggest nightmare would be to lose a beloved pet.

I swear by the thundershirt for calming my 102# lab. I purchased it when he became frightened of thunder folowing the tornadoes that went through the villages some time ago. He is calm now during storms. Then he had a seizure a few years later. Again used the shirt to calm him as he was coming out of it and it really helped with his anxiety. This summer he needed surgery and was suppose to wear an Elizabethan collar which was horrible. I resorted to putting his thunder shirt on and he immediately calmed down leaving his incision alone to heal. Have known of other dogs that wear them while riding. Don't expect miracles..give them time to adjust to the shirt. Now when I bring his thunder shirt out, my dog eagerly awaits to have it put on him wagging his tail the whole time. Good luck.

Yes, we also used the Thundershirt and it calmed our dogs
down immediately.

Our Tucker just cowers in the back floorboard and acts like he's petrified! Thank goodness he doesn't throw-up or anything. He's fine to get out and walk around at rest stops. His behavior is almost comical. He seems just fine as long as he is in The Villages but as soon as we leave campus he hops in the back floorboard and is there for the remainder of the trip! We've tried meds that the vets prescribed but I don't like to see him sedated. He's still seemed in distress!

We bought the Thundershirt for thunder but I can't see it has made a difference!

I'm really looking forward to trying out the thunder shirt. We will be heading down next month and it would be so, so nice to not have to clean up after my pup for two days. You should see the stack of towels and paper toweling. I even have a case of hospital pads to keep under her. If this shirt works, I'll be a very happy happy villager.

A couple of questions, please. Thundershirt owners. Can you tell what it is about the shirt construction that calms the dogs? Construction? Fabric choice? Magic potion?

Owners of dogs who are chipped. Is the chipping process painful? Does it take long? Is it expensive? Can you feel the chip when it's in the dog? Where do they put the chip?

I lied. That's more than a couple. lol!!!

Thanks for your help. I know my dogs should be chipped but they are 3.5 and 6 pounds and I hate the thought of it.

Don't use thundershirt, but have looked at them. I think they make the dog feel secure because they fit like a big hug.

My dog came chipped, I guess it's a good thing, what bothers me about chips is that the puppy mill stores use chips to track inventory, kind of like a upc code. When I first got her you could feel the chip, felt like a piece of rice.

LOL! You sound just like me! Everytime we get 'brave' enough to take Maddie for a ride I cover the seat with a rubber backed rug...then a washable potty pad and maybe her blanket. I also keep a 'Maddie Bag' packed that we take with us that includes paper towels, water, face wipes and a 'wet' bag for the used paper towels. My poor baby girl, she can be following me through the house and if I say the word 'ride' she stops in her tracks and turns green!

There is hope though, she will be 5 in September and she is getting a smidgie bit better, the Thundershirt has truly helped her.

I don't recall anything on the package about a Magic Potion being sewn into the construction but, hey, if it's in there and it's helping my Maddie I'm all for it! lol!

Seriously though, it's made of t-shirt type material and it wraps around the dog's neck, stomach and chest and over their back so they feel secure. The first time we put them on the girls they froze in their tracks and I told my husband 'it works alright, they're now comatose!' but after a few minutes they finally moved, actually they shot like a rocket across the room and jumped up on the couch because they aren't used to wearing clothes! lol! But, now that they are used to them they really do help with anxiety whether it's from a storm, fireworks or a ride in the car.

It helps if you put the vest on the dog before they get a chance to become anxious about a situation but you can put it on them whenever they need to use it.