Last year, Gracie spent a good portion of the trip trembling in the back seat. As we have chronicled in many posts, we were determined to ease her anxiety for both local and long distance trips. We have tried several things over the last few months – a calming collar, ThunderShirt, DAP, homeopathic remedies, et cetera. In addition, we have been taking her for short drives in the evenings.
For this year’s trip, we planned ahead. We placed quartz rocks in the car. We had lavender incense in the front of the car; lavender is supposed to be soothing. I gave her half of an Ultra Calm tablet about two hours before we left. I tried slipping on the calming collar about an hour before departure. Unfortunately, she began shaking violently because she now associates the collar with a car ride. I tossed the collar on the back seat instead; maybe having the scent in the car would be enough.
Gracie was excited at first. She even put her paws on the car door. When she saw the luggage the car, though, she had a meltdown. It was brutal and heartbreaking.
Once we were about a mile down the road, she settled down. She stopped shaking, which is a huge improvement. When we stopped at rest areas, she did resist getting back into the car the first couple of times. After that, she seemed to accept her fate.
We did not take Gracie with us on all of our little excursions after we arrived. We said, “Are you ready?” She hid under the nearest bed. Clearly, she preferred to spend her vacation at the condo. When we returned, she found her sleeping on our bed, happy and well rested.
When she did accompany us into the city, she was still anxious riding in the car and walking on the streets. However, when we grabbed a bite to eat at a restaurant on a busy street, she settled underneath the table and was really good. She happily ate a few bites of grilled chicken. Last year, she would have been spooked by the traffic, trembling under the table and refusing to eat anything.
These small improvements are very encouraging for us. We think the Ultra Calm tablet may have helped a little. The biggest helper may have come from the training we have tried to do lately. If you have an anxious dog like us, keep trying new things. It can get better.
Rescue Mommy and Daddy
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