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To prevent car sickness, make sure you take your puppy for frequent, short, pleasant rides ending in play. If he does get sick, don't reinforce the behavior by giving him a lot of attention, petting, and talking to him. That kind of response from you tends to reinforce the dog's reaction, rather than alleviate it. If you already have a problem with your dog getting carsick, the following are suggestions that will benefit you both.
1) Open all the doors to your car with the engine turned off and coax your dog into it. At the same time, use a command, like "Get in the car," said in a happy tone. If your dog won't get in on his own, place him in the car. Once in, offer him a treat, laugh and talk happily to him, and immediately let him out of the car. Repeat this five times. You should notice that he is becoming less reluctant to get into the car. Repeat this until your dog willingly gets in on your command. Remember to keep laughing and offering treats.
2) Once your dog is getting into the car on his own, close the doors on one side, engine still off, and repeat the above. If he shows apprehension, continue to work on this step until he is relaxed again. Keep laughing and giving treats.
3) When he is comfortable at step two, tell your dog to get in the car, give him a treat, and close all the doors. Laugh and talk to him and give him another treat. If he shows apprehension at this stage, repeat it until he is calm.
4) Tell your dog to get in the car, close the car doors and turn on the engine. Don't go anywhere yet. Give your dog a treat, laugh and talk to him, and turn off the engine. Repeat the process until he is comfortable then move on to the next step.
5) Get in the car with your dog, give him a treat and take him for a short drive, a quarter of a mile or less, and return home. Take your dog out of the car and play with him. Make the game lots of fun, including lots of laughter.
6) Gradually lengthen the trips you take, always beginning them with a treat for getting in the car and ending them with a play session.
Throughout this exercise, your attitude and tone of voice are critical. You must maintain a light and happy demeanor. At no time should you act concerned about your dog's behavior. Avoid a sympathetic tone of voice and phrases like, “It's ok,” or “Don't worry.” This kind of concern conveys itself to your dog as apprehension on your part. Since he doesn't understand your words, and can only pick up your emotional state, what he gets out of this is that you are apprehensive about the car ride too. Therefore, there really must be something to throw up about. To overcome this, use lots of laughter and always have a happy attitude.
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