Dogs don't get car sick when you do exercise at home before driving
Anyone who's suffered from car sickness or motion sickness will understand just how horrible it can make you feel. This unpleasant experience isn't limited to humans alone, as our four-legged companions can also be affected.
There are occasions when taking with us our dogs in the car becomes essential, whether for a veterinary appointment or to reach a distant walking spot.
To assist with this problem, a dog and puppy trainer called Kim Paciotti, who runs the Empowered Puppy Program, has revealed her preferred methods for helping your dog conquer car sickness - all achievable from your own home.
Posting on Instagram, where she boasts more than 323,000 followers, Kim shared her favourite techniques for preparing dogs and puppies for car journeys by acclimatising them to various types of movement.
"Train away the car sickness... without the car," Kim penned at the beginning of her video, which shows her working with her puppies using different approaches.
In her post's caption, the dog expert explained that car sickness, or any form of motion sickness, occurs because a puppy's inner ear hasn't fully matured yet. The puppy's vestibular system, which governs balance and spatial awareness, is still developing its understanding of how vision and hearing coordinate during movement.
"Most people think the solution is more car rides. Expose them to the car over and over until they get used to it. But that's treating the symptom, not building the foundation," she explained.
Rather, she stated that your puppy's inner ear requires exposure to various forms of motion, not merely forward car movement. This can be achieved by utilising everyday household items that you most likely already possess at home.
She proceeded to reveal some of the different methods you can help your puppy become accustomed to various types of movement.
Carefully spinning them on an office chair will help them become used to rotational motion, whilst rocking chairs teach how horizontal movement feels, and swings combine multiple motion types. Finally, she explained that prams also help teach forward horizontal movement with bumps and turns.
Training these different types of movements can work wonders. Kim explained: "By the time your puppy gets in a car, their inner ear has already experienced every type of motion a car produces.
"The car becomes just another movement they've mastered, not a new scary experience that triggers nausea," she added.
Kim added that you should begin these training exercises in your home, keeping each session brief - just 30 seconds to a minute each. She also said that you should observe your puppy's body language during the sessions.
"If they're relaxed and curious, continue. If they're tense or trying to escape, slow down," she explained.
This will not only help reduce the risk of car and motion sickness, but will also limit the amount of anxiety your dog might have about car rides in general.