““Car Sickness in Puppies: What To Do (and What NOT To Do)”””

From My Heart to Yours—Because This One Is Hard to Watch

Last week, we had one of those moments in Prep School that just gets you.

You know the kind.

We had the perfect puppy.

I mean—everything about him checked the box. His temperament was beautiful. He was confident, engaged, eager to learn. Truly one of those puppies where you just look at him and think, “This one is special.”

He was even being considered for service work.

And then… we put him in the car.

Within minutes, the drooling started.

Not just a little—that heavy, stringy drooling where you know they feel awful. You could see it in his eyes. He wasn’t scared… he was sick.

We all just kind of looked at each other like… oh no.

So we waited a couple of days and tried again.

Same thing.

And I’m telling you, my heart broke for him.

Because there is nothing worse than a puppy who wants to do well… and physically can’t.

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And Here’s What I Want You to Know

This is not something we see in every puppy.

But when we do see it, it usually shows up during a very specific stage—

👉 our Social Puppy Program (Block 3: 9–12 weeks of age)

This is when puppies are:

getting more real-world exposure
being evaluated more intentionally
starting to experience things like car travel

So when something like this shows up here, it’s not random.

It’s developmental.

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What’s Actually Happening?

At this age, their inner ear—the part that controls balance—is still developing.

So when the car starts moving, their little body is basically saying:

“Something is off… this doesn’t feel right.”

And that creates nausea.

But here’s where it turns into a real problem…

If that happens more than once, their brain starts connecting the dots:

🚗 Car = I feel sick
🚗 Car = I feel bad
🚗 Car = I don’t like this

And just like that…

It’s no longer just motion sickness.

Now it’s motion sickness + a learned negative association.

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So What Did We Do?

We didn’t push him.

We didn’t say, “He’ll get used to it.”

We didn’t load him up and try to “ride it out.”

We stopped.

And we reset.

Because the moment a puppy starts drooling like that…
learning has stopped.

At that point, all they’re experiencing is discomfort.

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And This Is Exactly How We Work Through It

If this ever happens with your puppy, whether here or when they come home, this is what you do:

You go all the way back to the beginning.

Not halfway. Not “just a shorter ride.”

All the way back.

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Step 1: The Car Becomes Still Again

We put him in the car…

And we didn’t even turn it on.

Just sat there.

Quiet. Calm. No pressure.

A few minutes… and out.

That’s it.

Because before we fix motion…
we have to fix the meaning of the car.

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Step 2: Add Sound Without Motion

Next step?

Turn the car on.

And still don’t go anywhere.

Let him feel the vibration. Hear the engine.

But no movement.

We’re separating the experience into pieces.

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Step 3: The Smallest Movement Possible

And when I say small—I mean small.

Back up. Stop.
Pull forward. Stop.

That’s the “ride.”

Not a trip. Not an errand.

Just a controlled moment.

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Step 4: Build Slowly (This Is Where People Get It Wrong)

Most people go too far, too fast.

But with something like this?

👉 Slow is fast.

We keep everything:

short
successful
and below the point of symptoms

Because once the drooling starts…
we’ve gone too far.

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What You Need to Watch For

The very first sign is usually drooling.

Then you’ll see:

lip licking
yawning
restlessness
that “something’s not right” look

And the moment you see it?

👉 You stop.

Not in a few minutes.

Right then.

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A Few Simple Things That Help

Don’t feed a full meal right before a car session
Keep the car cool (this matters more than you think)
Fresh air helps
Some puppies do better in a crate, some do better seeing out—this is individual

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And Sometimes… They Need a Little More Help

If a puppy:

drools heavily very quickly
vomits
or just can’t seem to progress

There are safe options your vet can help with.

And I want to say this clearly—

👉 That is not failure.

Sometimes helping their body feel better is what allows the training to actually work.

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Back to Our Sweet Puppy…

We didn’t give up on him.

We slowed everything down.
We reset the experience.
And we are going to work with this sweet Prep School puppy—
patiently, intentionally, and correctly.

Because that’s what we do.

We don’t walk away from challenges like this…
we lean in, we understand it, and we train through it the right way.

Because sometimes the difference between a struggling puppy and a successful one…

Is not the puppy.

It’s the protocol.

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And This Is Exactly Why This Matters

Moments like this are the ones most people never see.

You don’t see the first car ride.
You don’t see the drooling.
You don’t feel that moment where you realize—this is going to take some work.

But we do.

We’re the ones sitting there with them…
making decisions that will shape how they feel about the world.

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And when you choose a Smeraglia puppy…

You’re choosing a team that:

sees these moments early
understands what’s happening
and knows exactly how to respond

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Because a lot of puppies go home, get sick in the car once or twice…

And it quietly turns into a lifelong issue.

But here?

We step in early.

We slow it down.

And we give that puppy every opportunity to succeed.

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So if this ever happens when your puppy comes home…

Don’t feel discouraged.

You didn’t cause it.

You just need to handle it the right way.

And now—you know how.

💛
Sherri