My Pet World: It's important to help your animals adjust to car rides
"The idea is to convince your dog that a drive can be fun," Ciribassi added.
Begin with a very short drive with low fat cream cheese or peanut butter stuffed into a Kong toy, or another toy. Another idea is a rawhide or another chewy, if you dog really likes these. Following the short drive, your dog enjoys a meal. So, the idea is to totally distract the pup, and then your dog learns that the outcome of a drive means a meal.
Over time, increase those slow drives of short distances to fast drives of longer distances. Also, when going over those big bumps, do so slowly, and try to distract your dog when you doing it.
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Q: Mr. Wiggins stopped using his regular shiny bowl. We've tried to use a flat plate or lots of bowls, nothing works. He eats form the floor very happily, but that gets messy. He's even refused food for a couple of days when I only offered the food from a bowl. How can I transition back to a bowl? L.A., Hollywood, FL
A: "A porcelain or ceramic plate might work because it's heavy, and may not slide around," said veterinary behaviorists Dr. E'Lise Christensen of New York City and Denver. "I wonder if the sound of the tags rattling against the bowl spooked your dog. It would be interesting to know Mr. Wiggins is sound sensitive.
If Christensen's suggestion doesn't immediately work, don't give up. Put some newspaper down and spread about 80 percent of the food on the paper, but drop the remainder inside a ceramic or porcelain bowl, which he'll likely scarf up. Over time increase the amount of food in bowl, as you gradually decrease the food served on paper.
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