Step 0: Support a Balanced Stress Response

Dogs learn best when they feel calm enough to cope. If anxiety is high, even gentle training can be hard at first.

Many families choose natural supplements to help support a normal stress response and make learning feel easier while working through the steps below.

CandidTails Calm+ products may be used for:

• Daily support: a consistent daily amount to support overall balance
• Situational support: a higher amount before known triggers or practice sessions

BSAVA principle: Learning cannot occur when emotional arousal is too high.

Explore Calm+ products here

Step 1: Prevent Full Panic Episodes

The goal of training is to help your dog learn that the car is safe. That learning can only happen before panic sets in.

It’s okay if your dog feels a little unsure or cautious during practice. Mild, short-lived discomfort is part of learning. What we want to avoid is overwhelming fear or full panic, which makes learning much harder.

What to aim for during practice

• Your dog may pause, look alert, or seem uncertain
• Your dog can still take food or respond to you
• Your dog settles again fairly quickly afterward

Signs you’ve gone too far

• Refusing food completely
• Continuous barking, drooling, trembling, or frantic movement
• Trying to escape or being difficult to calm afterward
  

If panic happens

• The step was too big
• Go back to an easier version next time
• Progress more gradually
  

Preventing panic does not mean avoiding practice altogether. It means choosing practice steps that are small enough for your dog to stay calm enough to learn.

BSAVA principle: Repeated panic responses strengthen fear and avoidance.

Stap 2: Desensitisation to the Car

Goal: Reduce fear and build positive associations before the car even moves.

EXERCISE

1. Start at a distance:

• If the dog is nervous, begin training far from the car, slowly moving closer only when the dog is calm and engaged.
• Reward calm behaviour with treats or calm stroking
  

2. Approach & reward:

• Encourage the dog to approach the car on a loose lead.
• Reward for looking at or sniffing the car without fear.

3. Touching the car:

• Progress to touching the car body/door pair with treats and praise every time.
• Move at the dog’s pace; do not rush forward if the dog shows stress signals.

BSAVA principle: Fear is reduced through gradual exposure paired with positive, low-arousal associations.

Step 3: Practice getting in and out Smoothly

Goal: Make entering and exiting the car predictable and calm.

EXCERCISE

1. Teach a calm sit at the doorway:

Ask for a sit or stay before opening the door. Only open the car door when the dog is sitting quietly.

2. Treat inside the car:

• Place high-value treats slightly inside (or at increasing depths) so the dog chooses to enter voluntarily.
• Reward each step toward being fully inside.

3. Exit training:

• Ask for a sit/stay before allowing the dog to step out.
• This reinforces calm behaviour at both entry and exit.

BSAVA principle: emphasis on positive reinforcement and structured exposure to reduce fear responses.

Step 4: Practice sitting in the car

Goal: Build comfort with the environment of the car without motion.

Excercise

1. Sit inside with rewards:

• With the car parked, spend a few minutes sitting inside with the dog.
• Offer treats, toys, or a long-lasting chew.
  

2. Sound association:

• Pair the sound of the engine idling (without driving) with treats and calm behavior.
• Repeat until the dog remains calm during ignition and engine noise.

BSAVA principle: Calm exposure paired with settling activities builds emotional safety.

Step 5: Gradually introduce motion

Goal: Help the dog tolerate motion and associate it with positive outcomes.

1. Very short drives:

• Start with brief movements (around the driveway or a short loop).
• Immediately stop and reward calm behaviour.

2. Incremental increases:

• Over days/weeks, slowly build to longer, smooth trips
• Keep sessions positive , avoid abrupt braking or jerky driving.

3. Predictable pattern:

Use consistent cues (verbal and tactile) before starting so the dog can predict what comes next.

BSAVA Principle: behaviour training emphasises incremental progression and avoiding overwhelming the dog with too much change at once.

Step 6: Get Extra Help If Anxiety Is Severe

Some dogs move through these steps quickly, while others need much smaller, slower changes. If your dog becomes panicked immediately, struggles to settle at all, or seems unable to progress, focus on preventing panic episodes and consider involving your veterinarian for extra support.

Please talk to your veterinarian if:

• Panic starts immediately when get near or in the car
• Your dog tries to escape or hurts themselves
• Training feels impossible because anxiety is so intense
• Progress stalls despite consistency
  

Extra support can help your dog stay calm enough to learn.