Dogs panting in cars

So your dog is excited to go for a ride in your car but after a short while starts panting and not looking as well as when you first left home. What is going on? Dogs can pant in cars for a number of reasons:

• They may simply be thirsty. Is it a particularly hot day or have you cranked up the heat in the car? If the car windows are not open to allow an airflow for your dog, you may want to consider doing so as well as giving him some water to drink. With the amount of fur dogs carry around, they can easily overheat and dehydrate in hot vehicles.
• They may be suffering from travel or motion sickness. If this is the case, panting may well escalate to heaving or vomiting. If you have a young dog or one that is not used to travelling in a vehicle, this can often happen. They have yet to acclimatize themselves to the motion of a vehicle. I remember when we first had Finn, he would be sick after 10-15 minutes in the car. We got him used to the motion of a vehicle by doing a number of short trips and soon he was able to travel comfortably.
• They may be anxious if they are in the back seat by themselves. If your dog is one who has to be near you or is always sitting on your lap at home, the fact of not having a human directly next to them may be stressing them out. In this situation the panting will likely be accompanied by whining or crying. Anxiety may be caused by simply being in a different environment, ie the vehicle rather than the home or back yard. Dogs not used to being in a vehicle may feel too restricted. They may also be put off by any particular smells in the vehicle or even the texture of the seat. If there is a person in the vehicle apart from the driver who would be able to comfort the dog, you could ask them to sit with the dog. It’s important, when dealing with anxiety, to make the environment for the dog as fun and comfortable as possible. Take short drives to the local dog park or places your dog enjoys going to. By doing that your dog will start to associate getting in the vehicle with going somewhere he enjoys visiting and will become more receptive to going in the vehicle, resulting in less anxiety.

For both motion sickness and anxiety there are medications you can give your dog. Before doing this I recommend trying the other techniques I describe but, if you feel you have to explore medicinal cures, visit your vet. He or she, being aware of the medications your dog is currently taking, will be able to advise the best course of action.

Don’t forget: what works for one dog won’t necessarily work for your own dog!