puppy training

How to Train Your Puppy for Car Rides!

Using a car is a normal daily activity for many of us, but where driving may come as second nature to us, it’s a totally new experience for a young puppy! Whether you’re planning ahead for your puppy’s first car ride to their new home, want them to accompany you while you’re driving around town, or are planning a roadtrip with your puppy, we want to make sure it’s a stress-free and enjoyable time for them!

In this blog we’ll cover puppy car safety tips, how to train a puppy for car travel, puppy car anxiety and puppy motion sickness tips, and how to get your puppy used to car rides quickly! Buckle up, here we go!

puppy car ride training

The Puppy Academy student: Petunia!

In their first year, your puppy will experience many firsts such as going to their first vet visit, their first walk, first bath (document all these “firsts” in the cutest way here!), and let’s not forget building their bond with their family -- it’s an exciting time! Some of these activities come easily to a puppy while others require more guidance and patience. 

Riding in a car isn’t a natural thing for most puppies, it needs to be taught. Doing so can help avoid future adult dog anxiety, car sickness, and fear. Luckily, puppies are fast learners and quickly adapt to their environment and routines with the right techniques! Here’s how to get your puppy to love the car!

Safety First

Before jumping in for their very first car ride, take some safety precautions to ensure the well-being of your puppy:

Secure Your Puppy with a Crate, Harness, or Car Seat!

frenchie puppy car seat

Don’t let your puppy wander around freely in the car or sit in your lap. Not only can it be very distracting for the driver, but in the event that you need to stop short, this could be extremely dangerous for your puppy. You’ll want to make sure they’re safely secured by either placing them in a car crate, puppy carseat, or puppy car harness.

While wanting your puppy in the front seat is tempting, the safest location to secure your puppy is in the back seat of your car, which also helps you to avoid a possible distraction while driving!

Head and Paws Inside the Car at All Times

Open car windows, especially when the car is moving, can be very dangerous. We know many pups love to have their head out the window, but there’s serious risk involved. Their eyes could be struck by dirt and debris, their ears could be damaged from the high-wind speeds, and pups have been known to fall out or even jump out of moving vehicles.

Keep your puppy safely secured inside the car and crack the window a couple of inches to let in the fresh air, which can also help them if they experience car sickness.

Puppy Car Ride Training

Learning to ride in a car is just another desensitization experience for your puppy! Here are simple to follow steps to get them comfortable with riding in your car:  

First, simply get them used to going in and out of the car. The best way to introduce anything new to a puppy is by making it a game! It’ll help your puppy create a positive association with going into the car. Here’s how:

  1. Have your puppy sit in front of the open car door while holding their leash. Use high-value food or treats, or their favorite toy, and coax them to jump into the car (or pick them up and place them in the seat if they are on the smaller side).

  2. Give your puppy a little time to sniff around in the seat, familiarize themselves with their new environment and give them the reward to build a positive association with getting into the car.

  3. Next, have your pup sit again so they don’t bolt out of the door (this is teaching calm threshold practice!), grab their leash, encourage them to jump out (or lift them if they’re small), and praise them when they’re back on the ground outside of the car!

  4. Repeat steps 1 through 3!

By doing this little exercise your puppy will start to build confidence that getting into the car is fun and rewarding! Also, having them sit and wait before jumping in or out will lessen the chance your puppy will be anxious or over-excited about the car and can prevent puppy car anxiety for future car rides.

If your puppy simply refuses getting into the car, you can try sitting in the car first and have your puppy come to you. Some puppies just don’t want to go somewhere without their owner, so it’s up to you to guide them! 

You can also open both back doors and have someone stand on one side and you on the other. Have your puppy jump in and out, using a long leash to guide them, for treats! Do this a few times as a puppy training session until your puppy feels comfortable jumping into the car on their own.

Sometime puppies need to build more confidence to improve their car-riding experience. For more help to make car rides easier for you and your puppy, check out our Online Puppy School!

We cover how to desensitize your puppy to new sensory experiences like traffic noises, street construction, and passing other pups and people to help make car rides calmer. (If you’ve got a car barker, we’ll show you how to fix that!) Plus you’ll learn training routines that will not only improve your car rides but also make your outings with your puppy a breeze!

Get all the details and sign up to start today here: The Puppy Academy Online School.

The First Car Ride

If possible, start with a short car ride for the first time. And remember to take it sloooow! Use a slow speed and turn corners slowly so your puppy is able to relax and help avoid car sickness. To make them more comfortable, sit with them in the back with them secured either in a crate, puppy car seat, or car harness, and give your pup treats along the way. This will help create a positive association with the car moving. Car rides = fun! 

If your puppy starts to whine, don’t baby talk to comfort them. Instead, remain calm and ignore them until they settle down, and then give them a treat for doing so well in the car!

NOTE: Puppies, especially teething pups, like to chew! Make sure to keep an eye on your puppy as much as possible to ensure they aren’t chewing through their harness or seat belt! Bring a chew toy along to keep them occupied!

To help you further, here’s a shortlist of some things to bring along for your puppy’s first car ride:

  1. Treats to reward your puppy during the ride

  2. A chew toy or two to keep them occupied and avoid them chewing up their harness or seatbelt

  3. Cleaning supplies in the event your puppy gets a little car sick

  4. A blanket to cover their crate or to make them comfier

Car Sickness

Inevitably there are going to be some puppies who get a little car sick on their first ride. It’s a brand new sensation and many puppies have sensitive stomachs that can become upset by motion. 

To avoid a possible accident in your backseat, don’t give your puppy food or water right before the trip (allow 2-3 hours after food and water to ensure they don’t have a full stomach for the car ride), and let them go potty before jumping into the car. 

Other things you can do to alleviate a car sick pup is have them sit, not lay down, in the middle of the back seat looking over the dashboard straight ahead. You can also block out the side windows with sunshades or if your puppy is in a crate, have it facing forward and cover it with a blanket. Cracking the window to let in some fresh air also helps! 

Puppy Car Ride Do’s & Don’ts

Don’t miss this short video highlighting our top tips for car ride success with your puppy:

Give these tips a try and let us know how it goes! Ultimately, by spending some extra time giving your puppy the opportunity to become familiar and feel comfortable during car rides, you are creating a lifelong association that car rides are fun and stress-free!

If you need more help with introducing riding in a car to your puppy, join us for our next Ask A Puppy Trainer Show on Instagram and TikTok (@thepuppyacademy)! Each week we do a live Q&A every Wednesday at 1 pm PT with our expert trainers answering questions of all things puppy-related from puppy parents like you!

And you can sign up for our Very Important Puppy (VIP) list to receive weekly puppy training delivered right to your inbox!

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The Ultimate Guide to Puppy Training: Tips, Tricks, and Techniques

Bringing home a new puppy is an exciting experience, but it also comes with a lot of responsibility. One of the most important things you can do as a new puppy owner is to provide your new furry friend with proper training. Puppy training is essential for creating a strong bond between you and your pet, as well as preventing behavior problems in the future. In this guide, we'll cover everything you need to know about puppy training, from basic obedience to more advanced techniques. Let's get started!

The Puppy Academy student: Ollie!

READY TO START TRAINING YOUR NEW PUPPY? SET UP A FREE CONSULTATION FOR OUR DAY SCHOOL IN HERMOSA BEACH, CA HERE!

1: Basic Puppy Training
When it comes to puppy training, it's essential to start with the basics. Basic puppy training should focus on teaching your puppy fundamental commands such as “Sit," “Come,” and “Stay.” These commands are the building blocks for more advanced training techniques and can help establish a strong bond between you and your pup. Additionally, basic training can help prevent common behavior problems such as excessive barking and chewing.
Check out our blog on “Starting Your Puppy With The Basics” for more tips to get started!

2: Housebreaking Puppies

Housebreaking, or potty training, is another essential aspect of puppy training. It involves teaching your puppy where to go to the bathroom and helping them develop good potty habits. This process can take some time, but it's well worth the effort. With patience, consistency, positive reinforcement, and a plan in place, you can successfully housebreak your puppy and prevent accidents in the house.

Here’s our way to fast-track your puppy’s potty training success or take our Free Masterclass here:

3: Crate Training Puppies

Crate training is a valuable tool for puppy owners. A crate provides your puppy with a safe, comfortable space where they can rest and relax. It also helps with potty training, can prevent destructive behavior when you're not home or aren’t able to supervise your pup, and can also be used to help prevent separation anxiety in pups. Crate training should always be done in a positive way so our pups enjoy their time in there!

For our top tips to crate train your puppy check out our blog here!

4: Reward-Based Puppy Training

The Puppy Academy students: Harley & Obi!

Reward-based is a highly effective and positive training technique that involves rewarding your puppy for good behavior. This can be their food, treats, a toy, or affection. At The Puppy Academy, we use our students’ food for training and reward, and start weaning off as they get older. Puppies LOVE to work for their food and it’s a valuable resource that helps keep them focused and motivated to learn, especially as they do more advanced techniques around more distractions. 

5: Puppy Socialization

Socialization is an essential aspect of puppy training. Socialization not only involves exposing your puppy to other dogs, but new people, noises, environments, and teaching them how to behave appropriately in each situation. Proper socialization can prevent behavior problems and help your puppy develop into a well-adjusted, confident adult dog.

Check out more of our socialization guidelines here

The Puppy Academy student: Django!

Proper puppy training is essential for creating a well-behaved pup, a strong bond between you and your new puppy, as well as preventing behavior problems in the future. By following the tips and techniques outlined in this guide, you can be on your way to developing your puppy into a well-behaved adult dog! And if you want an easy step-by-step guide to follow with how to train and when, check out our Online School to get our puppyhood made easy blueprint plus professional help from our puppy experts. Remember, patience, consistency, positive experiences and a good plan are the keys to successful puppy training! By doing this, you can create a happy and healthy relationship with your new puppy that will last a lifetime.

Have more questions about creating a daily schedule for your puppy? Ask our trainers every Wednesday at 1pm on our Instagram @thepuppyacademy during our Ask A Puppy Trainer Show! All replays are posted afterward, and you can catch up on our last ones on our YouTube channel!

Lastly, don’t forget to sign up here for the VIP (Very Important Puppy) list where we send weekly puppy training tips direct to your inbox!

Check out these blogs related to puppy training and more!

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What Everybody Ought to Know About Puppy Training!