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| Does this looks like vacation to you? |
We always take extra good care of Viva and make sure she is as comfortable as possible. Yet, a typical 600 mile trip by car would look like this:
- The first hour of the trip she is sitting up-right and pants mildly trying to make up her mind what is happening
- On a break, she has to decide between to evils. Stay in the car? Or go out into this new scary place I don't know?
- Toilet-breaks for her human company adds to the anxiety as she suspects we might not return
- She whines over the mere sight of another dog
- The last hours of the trip she spends sitting up-right, panting nervously
Is traveling with Viva a good idea? Leaving her home in good care without her family seems not a valid alternative due to her separation anxiety. We could cut down on our vacation trips, but we have to travel for our business. There seems no way around it.
Could D.A.P. help?
Trying to find ways to deal with this, medication is an option. But I have been avoiding it, weary about anything that has to do with drugs. Then Jana from dawgbusiness - who else - recommended Dog Appeasing Pheromone, or D.A.P., as an option. The scent of pheromone is used by a dog mother to calm her litter of puppies. I asked around on Twitter and the feedback was mixed. But I thought it was worth giving it a try, although I didn't had my hopes up.
Yesterday we traveled 600 miles by car from Copenhagen (Denmark) to The Hague (Holland) for a one week business trip. This time we used D.A.P. I sprayed the rear-area of the car several times during the trip. It worked. It just did. Viva laid down after 10 minutes. She has never done that before. She has only been sporadically sitting up-right, and when she did, her panting was not as nervous as before. The last hours of the trip she remained in a laid down position. There was no change in her reluctance to leave the car and explore a new place. And she still whined when another dog was in sight. But D.A.P. made her time spend inside the car a lot more comfortable.
Should we travel at all?
There was an excellent discussion last week on Edie Jarolim's blog "Do Our Pets Really Want to Travel With Us" asking the question if traveling with our pets makes sense at all. Do we do it for ourselves? Wouldn't it be better for our pets to leave them in their well-known environments? This got me thinking. I spent a night away from home the other week on a business trip for the first time since we have Viva. The anticipated state of panic didn't happen. Of course my wife takes excellent care of her. But both of us expected a different turn-out.
This leaves me with lots of things to think about. We travel regularly for our business. And I take the whole family with me as I think they would benefit more from being together, then from being apart. But I find myself changing my mind on this. At least with D.A.P. car travel became a little more pleasant. And bought me some time to give this more thought.
I'm so glad to hear the DAP gave Viva some relief. I've heard mixed reviews myself. But it doesn't have to work for every dog; it just has to work for Viva.
ReplyDeleteJust a question. Does Viva's discomfort with traveling keep you from taking her for short trips? I was wondering if you've tried driving her a short distance (now, using the DAP to help relax her) and giving her a special treat at the end, and just driving home.
If it works, and you build up mileage over time, perhaps Viva will be comfortable with a 600 mile trip in oh, 30 or 40 years. :)
I will use a thundershirt or body wrap with some success, but if I think the agitation is going to be too much I give Sunny a Xanax. L-theanine could be an alternative as well. I have often wondered just what makes him so anxious. Is it the possibility that we'll see people as we drive? That often upsets him. Is it that he's not used to seeing the world go by at 65 miles an hour? Does the drive make him feel crummy? Wish I knew.
ReplyDeleteMaybe Viva associates the car with trips to the vet? Try taking her along when you go shopping or other various errands. Even drive the dogs to the dog park, that's a pretty good reward for being in the car. After awhile she might even look forward to riding in the car.
ReplyDeleteYou know me - I don't usually give any sort of advice via internet, but I want to throw in my two-cents on this one, too! ;)
ReplyDelete1.) Love FearfulDogs point on Xanax... so long as the meds don't interfere with any current treatments (and I'm not sure Xanax would interact with any other medications at all) it WILL take the edge off - especially in combination with something like DAP.
2.) I'm so glad that the DAP helped. =] It's always great to hear about Viva making leaps and bounds in her training...and I'm sure she can do well with this (the car trips), too.
3.) It's all about the muscle memory.
Sounds like Viva has a pattern of things that she does that tell you what state of mind she is. I recommend checking out Help For Your Fearful Dog by Nicole Wilde, it talks briefly about things like muscle memory and to move your dog, etc.
-For Kittie, lying down in the fetal position precedes shaking and panting. What do we do? We move her from the fetal position - basically what we are doing is not allowing her brain's neural pathways to take the route they think they are.
So why does moving Kittie from the fetal position help?
Because going into the fetal position does engage those neural pathways in the brain - and her programming tells her that she is afraid. (EG: If you see a bear and feel fear, it's because you are REMEMBERING that you are afraid of bears. Body positions and muscle memory have a lot to do with emotional states.)
So, when we move her, effectively we are forcing her brain to rethink the situation.
4.) 'Kay, so I moved the dog...what next?
If you have a free person in the car (someone who is not driving...and can manage to maybe be behind the barricade?) I would try something like T-Touch. The massage will increase circulation and help her to relax.
5.) A few other things.
Metamusic is really cool. It's supposed to link the right and left brain and calm.
There's also Through A Dog's Ear or Canine Lullabies.
The practicing of short rides in combination with some of these things could be beneficial.
Hey, so cool that the DAP worked for the inside of the car! I think somewhere I came across it being applied to the collar. Maybe then she could take her calm with her wherever she goes.
ReplyDeleteWow, great suggestions from JJ
@Pamela
ReplyDeleteWe do have our share of small trips. Unfortunately a lot have been trips to the vet. But you are right, I should do more short trips with her and just return home, And then give a reward.
@fearfuldogs
ReplyDeleteWe still have Xanax on the short list. I am glad D.A.P. helped for the car travel itself, but still not satisfied with the overall result. On arrival she still shed a lot of dandruff indicating she still is stressed out and we need to improve.
@Karen Friesecke
ReplyDeleteThere have been too many trips to the vet. She loves our vets, but it is the other dogs again that go in and out that displease her (once more). I will follow your's and Pamela's advice and do more short "fun" trips with her.
@JJ
ReplyDeleteGlad you made an exception and did comment :) This is great input. I will have to study it some more, and will give those things a try for sure.
@Jana
ReplyDeletePortable D.A.P. :)
That is so great that DAP worked for you. I really wish it was the answer for our dogs, but I didn't have any luck with it. I'm so jealous! BOL I have struggles with these panics of car rides with half of my dogs and I haven't figured out the magic answer yet. Sounds like this is helping at least in calming Viva down. There is nothing more distracting than an upset dog on a car ride. Could you feel yourself breathe again as your shoulders relaxed? :) Hope that it keeps working for you, sounds like you are making some progress.
ReplyDeleteBest of luck!
Glad to hear that DAP helped make the trip more comfortable for Viva. Gus is always anxious in the car and we'd love to find something to ease his discomfort...especially since we're about to embark on a road trip.
ReplyDeleteHe is always in the car for short trips and continues to show anxious behavior - I'm going to look into DAP. :)
I am so glad you found something that helps. That's pretty huge!
ReplyDeleteShiva loves the car. She sees it as the most fun thing in the world as we're usually going some place new and it means she won't be left in the house alone, which she despises more than anything in the world. I have no doubt my dog would much rather be with us than left behind. But every dog is very different and it takes some time to really understand what their desires may be, if we ever do.
I think you clearly have Viva's best interests at heart. I agree with the above suggestions about taking more short, fun trips, turning getting in and out of the car into a game. If it worked for our dog and her fears of water, it will help Viva as well. Congratulations on all this progress!
Leo - I am also someone who prefers to avoid using drugs if possible. I am fortunate enough not to have to worry about car anxiety. Neither Daisy nor Jasper seem to have any issues with it... now.
ReplyDeleteThere was a time, right after I got Jasper, when he would throw up in the car every time we went somewhere, but then he realized that pretty much every time we rode in the car we went somewhere fun. After that, he got more excited than scared. It was the big trucks whizzing by that freaked hi out most.
I am really glad DAP worked for calming Viva down! I have heard mixed reviews about the stuff too. Your description of her fear of new places and dogs made me wonder. I once was told by a trainer that perhaps Jasper suffered from Brittle Dog Syndrome. She told me that brittle dogs tend to have a hard time adjusting to new environments and new objects in their environment. Jasper was not socialized to anything but a glass pet store enclosure for the first 9 months of his life, so everything new now freaks him out. Is it possible Viva has the same condition?
Also, regarding leaving Viva at home or taking her with you. I think that's a personal decision. But I've had very few dogs who weren't calmer than their parents expected after they left them behind at home with me. I don't know if that helps, but thought I would share!
I'm glad that DAP helped some. I hope that things get easier for Viva! I know we've had our share of traveling trouble with Bella. Even though she isn't really anxious, she honestly can't handle the motion and gets sick. I think that whether to leave a dog behind or bring with is a personal decision (I agree with melF) and it really depends on the dog.
ReplyDeletei've never heard of DAP before. i'll have to suss it out.
ReplyDeletegeorgia will happily jump into the car but once in it, boy, does she act up. howling and crying. trying to get to the front. chewing through barriers and harnesses, not to mention one seatbelt. even for a 15 minute drive to the park. we don't think she's car sick, she's never thrown up or even done the heavy drooly pant. in fact, she becomes very good once she's able to sit in the front passenger seat [too dangerous for our liking, though peaceful]. we'd love to be able to calm her. treats for good sitting behaviour seems to be working a little, but something more permanent and less fattening would be good! after 2 years, anything is worth a try.
on whether to take viva along on long trips - i think if you've taken her along a few times and she's shown obvious signs every time that she doesn't enjoy travelling, then maybe don't take her. some dogs [like some humans] just feel more happy and secure in familiar environments and neighbourhoods.
will bookmark this post for future reference. some useful comments too :)
gosh, it looks like all the comments i made on various blogs on thursday [including yours] have disappeared. that sucks :( blogger's been sick. ahh well.
ReplyDeleteHi, very belated thanks for the shout out -- for some reason, it did not turn up on my blog -- and very belated congratulations for finding something that worked. So far, I haven't found anything for Frankie who, like Viva, stands on alert for hours, refusing water. I once had success with a triple assault -- an herbal pill, Through a Dog's Ear music, and an aromatherapy collar -- but with the first real stop and start traffic he was up on alert again.
ReplyDeleteMy vet never prescribed Xanax, though he gave me Valium, with very humorous results. It worked as a kind of aphrodesiac, with Frankie trying to leap over to the front seat to be with me to kiss me, even though he was secured. And is neutered...
As you'll see from today's post, I'm still working on the problem of traveling with him, this time with a plane ride. We'll see...
@24pawsoflove
ReplyDeleteThanks, we were lucky it did help. It makes travel (inside the car at least) a lot easier. Like you said my shoulders relaxed, and it was great to see no dogs in the rear view mirror all the time, because they were laying down :)
Hope you can find some help for your car issues in the comments. Best of luck!
@Lori
ReplyDeleteI hope D.A.P. will help you too. As said, the fedback from my Twitter pals were mixed. But it is worth a try. I will cross my paws for you and Gus!
@Kristine
ReplyDeleteYou are absolutely right it takes time to really understand what their desires are. First now that Viva is improving in other areas, I noticed that her car "behavior" was lacking and falling behind. But we will get there, lot of small fun trips from now on - and not to the vet :)
@Mel
ReplyDeleteIt might well be true Viva has Brittle syndrome (I will have to investigate some more to understand fully). Viva doesn't adapt well and is easily stressed with new things. Also when we arrived at our destination we take extra care not to overdo it with new things. First after a couple of days, she tends to relax and is ready to explore some more.
Oh Mel ! If we would have a pet sitter like you in our area, the choice would have been so easy.
@Pup Fan
ReplyDeleteThanks, and I hope you find out of something for Bella's car sickness, poor girl! Did you try some form of medication?
@georgia
ReplyDeleteI am sorry you had those troubles with blogger :( Happily I found your comment in the mail. It disappear from blogger though. Here is your comment:
"i've never heard of DAP before. i'll have to suss it out.
georgia will happily jump into the car but once in it, boy, does she act up. howling and crying. trying to get to the front. chewing through barriers and harnesses, not to mention one seatbelt. even for a 15 minute drive to the park. we don't think she's car sick, she's never thrown up or even done the heavy drooly pant. in fact, she becomes very good once she's able to sit in the front passenger seat [too dangerous for our liking, though peaceful]. we'd love to be able to calm her. treats for good sitting behaviour seems to be working a little, but something more permanent and less fattening would be good! after 2 years, anything is worth a try.
on whether to take viva along on long trips - i think if you've taken her along a few times and she's shown obvious signs every time that she doesn't enjoy travelling, then maybe don't take her. some dogs [like some humans] just feel more happy and secure in familiar environments and neighbourhoods.
will bookmark this post for future reference. some useful comments too :)"
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Oh my, poor Georgia, I hope you can also find some help in those excellent comments. I fear D.A.P. will not cut it for Georgia. Hope you come back and tell if you tried something that helped, or blog about it, then I will find it too :)
@Edie
ReplyDeleteThanks for that, we erase valium from the list of options. No need for 90lbs of loving Hovawart in the front seat(s). Going to your blog in a minute to follow up on that plane travel story ...