I've been doing socialization outings with my puppy since we first got her- once a week at first but recently for an hour every day (last 2-3 weeks). This looks like us getting in the car, driving somewhere (usually 10-20 mins), sitting in the trunk of the car or on a blanket in the park (15-20 mins) and then driving home (10-20 mins).
I took about a week slowly desensitizing her to the car, and during that time we only really went to the vet until we got our system figured out (aka; got a back seat hammock and a dog buckle)
Around 90% of the time she's perfectly chill in the car- taking treats, minimal panting, no yawning, etc. She walks up to the car, sometimes even when we're not going to the car (like on a walk she will pull towards the car before we leave our yard). Besides when I'm handing her treats, she usually just lays in the back seat because its the most stable position for her to be in. She can be a little restless usually, switching sides of the back seat like shes having a hard time deciding what side to be on. She's not really tall enough to look out the window yet, but I imagine when she is she'll probably be doing that.
The other 10% of the time (has happened twice actually, including today), she gets a little stressed in the car. Yawning, light panting. Still taking low-mid value treats and sniffing stuff so ik shes not over threshold or excessively stressed. She continued the light panting even when we were sitting in the trunk, so I gave her water. When she continued after having a drink, I wrapped up the session quickly and headed home.
Am I doing something wrong, or is it just puppy whims? She walked up to the car and sat down for me to put her into it, so she doesn't hate the car.
submitted by /u/largedragonwithcats
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