Holiday travel with an anxious dog: the car, the in-laws, the drive home

Most dogs cope with the car, but a fair number don't. In one survey of 907 owners, about 1 in 4 dogs had shown problems during car travel. Car fear is usually learned, and short, positive practice drives in the weeks before a trip are the method veterinary guidance points to. First, though, rule out car sickness, which is a job for your vet.

Below: how to tell fear from sickness, a practice plan to start now, safe travel basics, the in-laws' house, and where music fits.

How common is car trouble?

Researchers in Italy asked 907 dog owners about car travel. About three in four dogs (76.2%) had always responded well. The other 23.8% showed or had shown problems, and 6.7% always reacted badly. Dogs were more often excited than subdued in the car.

Two findings matter for holiday planning:

• Early practice. Most dogs (86%) had got used to the car as puppies. Those dogs were much less likely to have problems: 6.3%, against 24.1% of dogs that hadn't.
• Where the car goes. Dogs that only rode in the car to the vet were more likely to react badly: 46.4%, against 22.7%.¹

This was an owner questionnaire from a convenience sample, not a trial, so it shows links, not causes. It fits what the Merck Veterinary Manual says: car rides are one of the common triggers of fear in dogs, and a dog that has been frightened can start to worry in advance whenever a similar situation comes up.

Nearly half the owners of dogs with problems (48.7%) hadn't asked anyone for advice. If the car is hard for your dog, you're not the only one, and help is worth asking for.

Fear or car sickness?

Tell these two apart before you start, because they need different help.

Car sickness (motion sickness) starts in the inner ear, which is linked to the part of the brain that controls vomiting. The Merck Veterinary Manual lists the signs: nausea, drooling, vomiting, and sometimes a poor appetite for hours afterwards. Dogs may also yawn, whine, look uneasy or have diarrhea.

Fear can look similar: whining, restlessness, panting, refusing to get in. The two also feed each other. Merck notes that fear of the vehicle can contribute to motion sickness, and a dog that has learned to link the car with feeling ill may show signs in a car that isn't even moving.

If your dog drools heavily, vomits or has diarrhea in the car, talk to your vet before the trip. Merck says some dogs get over car sickness through gradual conditioning to travel, and your vet can prescribe medicine to prevent vomiting if needed. The Merck travel guide adds that your vet might suggest a small meal before the journey.

Music is not a treatment for car sickness. No study we know of has tested it for that, and a calm soundtrack won't settle an upset inner ear.

Safe travel basics

Whatever your dog feels about the car, these come first. From the Merck Veterinary Manual's guide to car travel:

• Restrain your dog. Small dogs ride in a carrier. Larger dogs ride in the back seat in a harness, which protects them and the passengers and stops them distracting the driver.
• Heads inside. Don't let your dog put their head out of the window. Debris can injure their eyes, and some dogs try to jump.
• Never leave your dog alone in the car. Cars heat up quickly.
• Stop every two hours somewhere safe, for water and a toilet break, with your dog on a lead.
• Keep meals on schedule. Bring your dog's usual food.²

A secure, familiar spot also helps the practice plan below: your dog rides in the same place, in the same harness or carrier, every time.

A practice plan to start now

If you're travelling for Thanksgiving, start a few weeks ahead. That's enough time to make a difference.

The method comes from veterinary behaviour guidance. Merck describes two parts: expose the dog to the trigger at a level low enough that they stay calm, and pair it with something they enjoy, like food, so the feeling shifts from fear to calm. It also warns against the opposite, making a dog sit through the full-strength trigger until they stop reacting. That approach, called flooding, can make fear worse. For a dog that is very frightened, Merck advises working with a trainer or vet to set the steps.

Here's one way to apply it to the car. Move on only when your dog is relaxed at the current step. If they stop taking treats, freeze, pant hard or try to get out, go back a step.

1. The parked car, engine off. Open the doors. Toss treats in, let your dog climb in and out, feed a meal there. Leave after a minute or two.
2. Buckled in, engine off. Settle your dog in their carrier or harness spot with a chew. You sit in the driver's seat.
3. Engine on. A few seconds at first, with treats, then off again.
4. The end of the road and back. Then around the block.
5. Somewhere good. Drive to a park, a friend's garden or a favourite walk. The Merck travel guide suggests short trips to fun places before a long one, and the survey above found that dogs who only rode to the vet reacted worse.
6. Longer drives. Build up to the length of the holiday trip, with a break every two hours.¹²

Keep sessions short and end on a calm moment. If your dog's fear is severe, or it isn't improving, talk to your vet. Merck notes that some dogs need medication early on to be able to learn, and that's a decision for your vet.

What about calming sprays and collars? A systematic review of pheromone studies found insufficient evidence that dog-appeasing pheromone helps with travel-related problems. The review covered one travel study, so this means the evidence isn't there yet, not that it's been disproved.³

For more on how pheromone, herbal and music collars compare, see do calming collars work?.

At the in-laws' house

The drive is only half of it. A holiday visit means a new house, new people, new smells, and often more noise than your dog is used to. Some things that help:

• Bring a familiar space. The PDSA, a UK veterinary charity, points out that a crate your dog already knows gives them a familiar place to retreat to when they're away from home. Bring their own bedding too. Only use a crate if your dog is already happy in it at home.
• Keep the routine. Walks and meals at the usual times.
• A quiet room. Somewhere your dog can rest away from the busiest part of the house, where no one disturbs them.⁴

Where music fits

We make a music box, so here's what the research does and doesn't say.

No study we know of has tested music for dogs in a moving car. The closest work is on pet dogs separated from their owners in an unfamiliar room: dogs that heard classical music lay down and settled sooner than dogs with no added sound, but the effect was only moderate, and the authors thought sound was of little value in short, acute stress. A review of nine studies found classical music appears calming for dogs in stressful settings like shelters and kennels.⁵⁶

So music is not a fix for car fear, and it does nothing for car sickness. What it can be is a familiar, calm signal. If you play the same music during every practice drive in the plan above, it becomes part of "the car is fine", and you can bring that cue to the in-laws' house too.

You can listen to the on-the-go playlist, a slightly more upbeat mix for walks, car rides and adventures. For the full set, see the studies on music and stress, with their limits.

Taking the music with you

A home speaker stays at home. The Barkwoo Music Box clips onto any standard collar, so the same music plays in the back seat, at a rest stop and in a spare room at the in-laws'. One button starts the preloaded playlist, with no phone, WiFi or app. It runs for almost a full day on one charge, and a full charge takes about an hour, so charge it the night before you leave.

Use it during the practice drives, not just on the big day. The studies above used speakers, not our device, and none tested car travel, so we don't claim more for it than they found.

Before you leave: a checklist

• Vet check if your dog drools, vomits or has diarrhea in the car.
• Practice drives started, building to the trip length.
• Carrier or car harness your dog has already ridden in.
• Food, water, bowls, lead, poo bags, and their own bedding.
• ID tag with your current phone number.
• A plan for a stop every two hours.
• The Music Box charged, or the on-the-go playlist downloaded.
• A quiet room at the other end.

Quick answers

Why is my dog scared of the car? Car rides are a common fear trigger, and a bad experience can make a dog anxious whenever a similar situation comes up. In one owner survey, dogs that had got used to the car as puppies were less likely to have problems, and dogs that only rode to the vet were more likely to react badly.

Is it anxiety or car sickness? They can look alike and often overlap. Drooling, vomiting and diarrhea point to car sickness, so talk to your vet. Whining, panting and refusing to get in can be fear, sickness, or both.

How do I calm my dog in the car? Short practice sessions in the weeks before, starting with the parked car and pairing each step with treats or a meal, at a pace your dog stays calm at. On the day: a secure harness or carrier, breaks every two hours, and a familiar blanket or sound.

Does music help with car sickness? No. There's no evidence that music helps motion sickness. Talk to your vet.

Should my dog ride in the front seat? The Merck travel guide advises larger dogs ride in the back seat in a harness and small dogs in a carrier.

References

1. Mariti, C., Ricci, E., Mengoli, M., Zilocchi, M., Sighieri, C. & Gazzano, A. (2012). Survey of travel-related problems in dogs. Veterinary Record, 170(21), 542. doi:10.1136/vr.100199 ↩︎
2. Merck Veterinary Manual (2025). Traveling by car with pets. Pet owner version. merckvetmanual.com ↩︎
3. Frank, D., Beauchamp, G. & Palestrini, C. (2010). Systematic review of the use of pheromones for treatment of undesirable behavior in cats and dogs. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 236(12), 1308–1316. doi:10.2460/javma.236.12.1308 ↩︎
4. PDSA. Crate training your dog. pdsa.org.uk ↩︎
5. Kinnaird, R.F. & Wells, D.L. (2022). The effect of auditory stimulation on pet dogs' reactions to owner separation. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 254, 105688. doi:10.1016/j.applanim.2022.105688 ↩︎
6. Lindig, A.M., McGreevy, P.D. & Crean, A.J. (2020). Musical dogs: a review of the influence of auditory enrichment on canine health and behavior. Animals, 10(1), 127. doi:10.3390/ani10010127 ↩︎
7. Borns-Weil, S. (2025). Behavior problems of dogs. Merck Veterinary Manual. merckvetmanual.com
8. Neer, T.M. (2024). Motion sickness in dogs. Merck Veterinary Manual, pet owner version. merckvetmanual.com