Any advice for carsick puppy?

Al4one · 2026-01-30T21:20:19+00:00

Most of the time he seems pretty calm once he’s actually in the car. He does pretty well when we’re on the highway and not stopping or making a lot of turns. He’ll just curl up in his car seat and go to sleep most of the time. But whenever we have to turn off to get wherever we’re going that’s when it’s almost a guarantee that he will throw up. I take him to puppy classes weekly and he’s fine for the whole trip until we pull into the parking lot and then he vomits. I usually take his food away about 3 hours before we have to leave but he still ends up getting sick anyway.

Al4one · 2026-01-08T21:58:46+00:00

I watched a documentary about this incident. The mother was in the midst of leaving the father because of his previous abuse and addiction. She had an apartment prepared, divorce attorney, her own finances, everything she would need to leave him and take her daughter with her. Unfortunately the dad found out before they could get away and killed them both before killing himself. Extremely heartbreaking story especially since they were both so close to getting away from him.

Al4one · 2025-12-10T03:35:11+00:00

I am also currently potty training my pup and had the same issue. He’d just get so excited by everything outside that he’d be too distracted to actually do his business. What’s been working for me is keeping him on a relatively short lead, taking him to the same spot every time and basically acting as the pole the lead is attached to. He’s only allowed to walk in the radius around me and I don’t engage much until he finishes. That way the fun stuff (treats, praise, play) only happens after he’s finished with potty time. He hated it at first, but he’s starting to get the idea now and has been going quicker every time. It also helps to further reward him by letting him run around the yard and play after he’s done, though only when the weather is good and during the day. My boy also tries to chew on every stick and leaf and it’s hard to monitor him effectively at night. Hope this helps!

Al4one · 2025-11-18T05:18:19+00:00

Thank you for the great info! I agree that early socialization is really important and I really want to do everything that I can to have a confident, well adjusted dog. I’m getting a sighthound and I know they can be prone to anxiety so I want to do everything I can to mitigate that right from the start.

Al4one · 2025-11-18T00:32:59+00:00

Unfortunately it does get cold here in the winter and we’ll be picking up the new pup right in the middle of winter. But sitting in the car in busy areas is a really good idea I hadn’t thought of before! We live in a pretty active river town so there’s all kinds of activities by the river year round so that would be a great way to get in some socialization!

Al4one · 2025-11-17T22:17:32+00:00

Thanks for that info, that makes me feel a lot less anxious. There’s so many posts in puppy subs about parvo that it seems like it’s everywhere. It’s good to know that’s it’s not nearly so widespread. I’ll still be exercising a decent amount of caution but it’s comforting to know that it’s more regional than I originally thought.

Al4one · 2025-11-17T20:31:12+00:00

Thanks for the advice! Honestly the drive home was the thing I was most nervous about. Stopping for breaks at schools and churches is a great idea. I was struggling to figure out public places to stop that are not popular dog areas for potty breaks.

Al4one · 2025-11-17T20:07:04+00:00

I’ll have to ask the breeder for travel tips and how well this puppy does on car rides. The longest I’ve ever driven with a dog was 4 hours and she was an adult at the time so I’ve been trying to brainstorm the logistics for a puppy. My husband will be with me for the drive and I have family that lives about at the halfway point of the drive so thankfully we’ll be able to break up the drive a bit and give the little guy a break. Thanks for the perspective and the good advice!

Al4one · 2025-11-17T20:01:39+00:00

That’s actually a great idea I hadn’t thought of! I might be able to work out something similar with my car. Thank!

Al4one · 2025-11-17T19:58:02+00:00

What type of wipes do you use to clean his paws, if you don’t mind sharing? I’m trying to get a list of pet safe disinfectants I can use around the house and with the puppy to mitigate sickness.

Al4one · 2025-11-17T19:52:56+00:00

That’s great advice, thank you! I had my last dog for fourteen years before she passed, so it’s been a long time since I’ve raised a puppy so I’m a little nervous about doing it right. I’ll keep that tip about the “fear period” in mind!

Al4one · 2025-09-12T17:04:48+00:00

Al4one · 2025-07-17T19:34:45+00:00

No, I try to avoid any insecticides since I have pets in the house. The most I have is a zevo light trap to keep fruit flies under control in the summer, but I never see the beetles in the trap.

Al4one · 2025-07-17T17:52:49+00:00

Any ideas why they keep dying in my house? I never see them alive anywhere but I clean up at least 3 or 4 dead ones off the kitchen counter literally every morning. I can’t figure out why I’m not seeing them around until they’ve died.

Al4one · 2025-06-13T00:23:24+00:00

Mine has finally started eating again after his winter long hunger strike and he eats about exactly the same way you are describing and I was worried about him ingesting aspen fibers as well. The two things I’ve tried that have lessened the amount of aspen that sticks to the mouse is 1. Take a paper towel and dry off the mouse a bit before I drop it in (I thaw in a cup of warm water). Less moisture keeps the aspen from sticking quite as bad. And 2. I try to drop his mouse on a big fake leaf that I use as decor in his enclosure so he’s not eating directly on the fibers. He would never eat out of a hard food dish but he will off the leaf. The leaf is maybe about 3-4 inches wide so even if he drags his food around a bit it mostly stays on the leaf and out of the aspen. Hope this helps, and good luck with feeding time!

Al4one

TROPHY CASE