I've been taking Berman and Lucy with me to my weekend job. The drive is about 20-30 minutes each way. They both get really excited to get in the car for a ride, but about 5 minutes into the ride, Berman starts shaking, panting and whining like he's having an anxiety attack. Lucy starts at about 15 minutes into the trip.
I tried taking some little treats with me to give them along the way, but Berman is so stressed he won't eat them. Also, in the seat with them, I have their blankets and a few toys.
Is there anything else I can do to comfort them on these trips?
Boy I empathize with you. When I first got Hallie she was a perfect traveller. I had a big carseat I made for her and would seatbelt her in there. It sat up high and she could see out she loved it, would often roll over on her back and take a snooze. One day on the freeway she was sitting up looking out the front and a rock hit the windshield right in front of her face. From then on, she would get very stressed riding in the car, I took away the car seat and just seat belted her onto the seat itself so she wasn't up so high to feel so exposed but she acted like a dog was attacking her almost, she would shake and try to crawl up the back of the seat, her eyes would dart all over the ceiling like she expected something to get her any second. (she once did this for 6 hours straight...each direction).
I hired a very expensive behaviorist (who was no help at all) and what finally has helped her the most is she now rides in a crate in the passenger seat. I had one end of it cut off and then cut off the door end of another crate and mounted that onto this crate so there is a door at each end, one facing me so she can see me (and I sometimes open it to get her out or give her a drink) and the other end's door is where I put her in and out. I have it strapped down really tight so it can't move and so it's safer in the case of a wreck, and then I cover it with a towel like a bird in a cage, except a hole on my side where we can see each other. (she is also particularly afraid of going under overpasses or next to tall trucks and boy if she hears a rock on the windshield...). She is so much better now, she can actually take a nap here and there and she doesn't act scared. We can finally go under overpasses and bridges and she doesn't react too much. But if I am riding with someone else and she's in my lap or on the seat, she will still get afraid while we are driving.
I don't know how much that helps your kids though since they are like this from the get go. You might try a crate to see if that helps. Could they be getting a little car sick, do you see any drooling or licking that would indicate an upset tummy?
Thanks, Dee Dee! I haven't noticed any car sickness signs. It may be all in my head, but I swear Berman started acting like this right after we took Annie to the vet to assist her to the bridge. He saw us leave with her and not come back with her. Of course, I'm pretty sure I'm imagining this, but for some reason I just keep thinking that may be part of it.