Survey of travel-related problems in dogs

Abstract

The aim of this study was to quantitatively assess the kind of transport dogs undergo, the behaviours displayed during transport, the prevalence of travel-related problems in dogs and owners' interventions to solve these problems. A convenience sample of 907 dog owners completed a questionnaire containing 16 multiple-choice questions. All dogs had been transported by car at least once, but 4.7 per cent were no longer transported. 76.2 per cent of animals always responded positively to car transport, the rest showing or having shown problems (6.7 per cent always reacted negatively). Dogs were found to be more excited than inhibited during car transport. The vast majority (86.0 per cent) had become used to travelling by car as puppies; this made them less likely to develop problems (6.3 per cent v 24.1 per cent; χ(2)=19.886, P=0.000). If dogs were transported only to veterinary clinics, they were more prone to respond negatively to car transport (46.4 per cent v 22.7 per cent; χ(2)=7.245, P=0.007). For dogs reported as problematic (23.8 per cent of the sample), 96.3 per cent of the owners did not administer any treatments or other substances, 48.7 per cent did not seek any advice, and 40.4 per cent of them made attempts to solve the problem by themselves.

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Survey of travel-related problems in dogs
C. Mariti, E. Ricci, M. Mengoli, M. Zilocchi, C. Sighieri, A. Gazzano
The aim of this study was to quantitatively assess the kind of transport dogs undergo, the
behaviours displayed during transport, the prevalence of travel-related problems in dogs
and owners’ interventions to solve these problems. A convenience sample of 907 dog owners
completed a questionnaire containing 16 multiple-choice questions. All dogs had been
transported by car at least once, but 4.7 per cent were no longer transported. 76.2 per cent
of animals always responded positively to car transport, the rest showing or having shown
problems (6.7 per cent always reacted negatively). Dogs were found to be more excited
than inhibited during car transport. The vast majority (86.0 per cent) had become used to
travelling by car as puppies; this made them less likely to develop problems (6.3 per cent
v 24.1 per cent; χ2=19.886, P=0.000). If dogs were transported only to veterinary clinics,
they were more prone to respond negatively to car transport (46.4 per cent v 22.7 per cent;
χ2=7.245, P=0.007). For dogs reported as problematic (23.8 per cent of the sample), 96.3
per cent of the owners did not administer any treatments or other substances, 48.7 per cent
did not seek any advice, and 40.4 per cent of them made attempts to solve the problem by
themselves.
THE increasing number of dogs in society and the growing mobility
of the human population make it necessary to move dogs by differ-
ent means of transport. Most owners will need to take their dogs in
the car at some time (Gandia Estellés and Mills 2006), both for daily
mobility and travelling for leisure purposes (Wöhr and Erhard 2004).
Some animals adapt quietly to the journey, but others may dis-
play problems. Transport has been shown to be stressful for some
dogs (Beerda and others 1997, Farca and others 2006, Cannas and
others 2010). They may be phobic about the object ‘car’ (Gaultier and
Pageat 2003) and they may be anxious about a forthcoming journey
(Benchaoui and others 2007) because of fearful factors related to the
transport itself, such as strange noises, unusual balance, extreme space
reduction and climatic stress (Wöhr and Erhard 2004) or to negative
associations with the destination (Pierantoni and others 2010). Dogs
can also suffer from motion sickness (Frank and others 2006), a con-
dition connected to a sensory conflict between the signals from the
vestibular apparatus and from the visual cortex (Money and Friedberg
1964, Reason 1978, Yates and others 1998, Benchaoui and others
2007). Moreover, motion sickness could be a predisposing factor for
car phobias. Other dogs display signs typical of overexcitement, such
as excessive barking (Wells 2006), that can be challenging as well.
There are several problematic behaviours that may be displayed
during transport. Previous literature suggests that dogs may bark,
whine, jump, attempt to run around the car, salivate, seek attention
from the driver, lick themselves, cower, hide, be restless (Gandia
Estellés and Mills 2006) and/or vomit (Frank and others 2006).
Even though dogs with travel problems may be referred to as
excitable, fearful, nervous, anxious or suffering from motion sickness
(Gandia Estellés and Mills 2006), all of these different behaviours
result in a problem in the human-dog relationship, as it can prevent
dogs and their owners from travelling together (Neilson 2004).
Despite the importance of the topic, little research has been done
(Gandia Estellés and Mills 2006). As regards epidemiological data, the
prevalence of car-related problems in dogs is not well established, due
to differences in methodology that lead to inconsistent results when
previous studies are compared. For example, in Germany, 4.5 per cent
of dogs were found to be fearful within the car (Tiefenbach 2001) and
7.6 per cent of dogs belonging to a behavioural caseload displayed prob-
lems related to car transport (Döring-Schätzl and Herard 2004); 10 to 15
per cent of dogs in the USA (Osgood 1978) and 16 per cent in Europe
(Monzeglio 2008) suffer from motion sickness; 23.0 per cent of dogs
became restless when they travelled (Mills and Mills 2003); and 43.6 per
cent of dogs had car travel-related problems (Cannas and others 2010).
Regarding interventions to reduce the problem, research has been
focused on medications (Hart 1985, Yates and others 1998, Benchaoui
and others 2007) or pheromones (Gaultier and Pageat 2003, Gandia
Estellés and Mills 2006), while no scientific literature is available on
the effectiveness of car training.
Some scientific studies have been carried out on the physiologi-
cal and behavioural effects in dogs of means of transport other than
cars, such as aeroplanes (Hanneman and others 1977, Tennyson 1995,
Bergeron and others 2002) and trucks (Frank and others 2006), in spite
of the comparative rarity of dog transport by these methods.
The aim of the current study was to quantitatively assess the
kind of transport dogs undergo, the behaviours they display during
transport, the prevalence of travel-related problems, and the owners’
interventions to solve these problems. The study was carried out by a
questionnaire survey of dog owners; the broad applicability of ques-
tionnaires for measuring dogs’ behaviour (Serpell and Hsu 2001), emo-
tional state (Kerswell and others 2009), welfare (Hiby and others 2004,
Rooney and Bradshaw 2004) and behavioural problems (Gazzano and
others 2008a, b) has been demonstrated by many previous studies.
Materials and methods
The survey was carried out using a specifically prepared ques-
tionnaire. A convenience sample of 1031 dog owners filled in the
Veterinary Record doi: 10.1136/vr.100199
C. Mariti, DVM, PhD,
E. Ricci, BSc
M. Mengoli, DVM, PhD
M. Zilocchi, BSc
C. Sighieri,
A. Gazzano, DVM, PhD,
Department of Physiological Sciences,
University of Pisa, Viale delle Piagge,
2 – 56124 Pisa, Italy
E-mail for correspondence:
cmariti@vet.unipi.it
Provenance: not commissioned;
externally peer reviewed
Accepted February 3, 2012
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According to respondents, 86.0 per cent
of dogs had become accustomed to car trans-
port while puppies, 7.9 per cent had not and
for 6.1 per cent this was not known.
Among respondents, 43.5 per cent
claimed not to use any means of restraint
for dogs during car transport. Table 2 shows
the possible means of restraint and the fre-
quency with which they were used.
Owners reported that dogs were usually
taken by car in the rear of an estate car (46.7
per cent), on the back seat (24.1 per cent), not in a fixed place (17.4 per
cent), at the passengers’ feet (4.7 per cent), on a passenger’s lap (3.0 per
cent), on the front seat (1.7 per cent), in the cab (0.6 per cent), on the
ledge (0.4 per cent) or other (1.3 per cent).
Most owners (65.8 per cent) did not administer anything to the
dog before travelling, 33.0 per cent provided water and 19.8 per cent
food. During the transport, dogs were reportedly provided with a
blanket (47.9 per cent), nothing (37.6 per cent), water (27.0 per cent),
toys (13.1 per cent) and food (3.5 per cent).
Regarding the quality of the dogs’ responses to car transport,
76.2 per cent of dogs were reported always to respond positively. The
remaining 23.8 per cent was divided as follows: 6.7 per cent responded
always negatively, 8.7 per cent responded negatively but stopped, 6.8
per cent showed different responses according to the situation and 1.6
per cent responded positively but started to have problems.
Dogs who had become accustomed to travel as puppies were sta-
tistically less likely to develop problems related to car transport (6.3 per
cent v 24.1 per cent; 2=19.886, P=0.000). Furthermore, if dogs were
moved only to veterinary clinics, they were more likely to respond
negatively to car transport (46.4 per cent v 22.7 per cent; 2=7.245,
P=0.007). The statistical analysis also revealed that dogs that were
not provided with any device (toy, blanket, water and/or food) during
car transport more frequently displayed problems (29.0 per cent v 20.7
per cent; 2=8.794, P=0.003). Table 3 shows the frequency of dogs’
problematic behaviours during car transport.
For dogs reported as showing problematic behaviours during car
transport (23.8 per cent of the whole sample), 96.3 per cent of owners
did not administer any treatment/substances; 1.3 per cent reported
using medications (maropitant, acepromazine, other sedative or
antiemetic drugs), 1.1 per cent used dog-appeasing pheromones, 1.1
per cent used Bach Flower Remedies and 0.2 per cent used homeo-
pathic remedies.
For dogs that showed problems during car transport, 48.7 per cent
of owners did not seek any advice and 40.4 per cent of them made
attempts to solve the problem by themselves. Respondents who had
asked or were going to ask for help (51.3 per cent) preferred to refer
to veterinarians (68.7 per cent), behaviourists (30.3 per cent) and dog
trainers using gentle methods (22.2 per cent); smaller, but still relevant,
percentages of respondents referred to people having the same problem
(11.1 per cent) or dog trainers using non-gentle methods (eg, choke col-
lar, prong collar, shock collar, physical punishment (4.0 per cent)).
Finally, the proportion of dogs transported by means other than
cars, and the relative quality of the dogs’ responses, were surveyed.
Dogs were reportedly transported by boat (18.5 per cent responded
positively v 1.4 per cent that responded negatively), train (14.8 per
cent v 1.4 per cent), bus (13.7 per cent v 1.7 per cent), bicycle (10.4 per
cent v 2.4 per cent) and motorcycle (8.8 per cent v 1.5 per cent).
Discussion
This study represents an attempt to widely analyse dog transport.
This common phenomenon is often related to many activities in
which the dog can participate, from those important for its health
(such as trips to the veterinary clinic) to recreational purposes.
A survey on a large sample of dogs was carried out. The first
remarkable result was the high number of dogs displaying travel-
related problems, approximately one in four. Previous studies found
different prevalences due to methodological differences, such as the
inclusion of dogs belonging to a behavioural caseload (Döring-Schätzl
and Herard 2004, Cannas and others 2010) or the analysis of a spe-
cific aspect of the problem, for example, motion sickness (Osgood
questionnaire anonymously between June 2009 and June 2010.
A total of 907 questionnaires were completely and properly filled
in, and therefore used for the study. Respondents were recruited in
30 Italian veterinary clinics and by personal contact. Interviewees
had to be a person actively involved in transportation of a dog.
Each questionnaire corresponded to an individual dog, for which a
single questionnaire was filled in.
Almost half of the dogs (44.9 per cent) were mixed breeds; the rest
belonged to 91 breeds of different Fédération Cynologique Internationale
groups. No breed consisted of more than 5.0 per cent of the sample. The
dogs’ mean (sd) age was 76.0 (48.6) months; the sex distribution was
48.6 per cent males (43.6 per cent entire, 5.1 per cent neutered) and 51.4
per cent females (29.7 per cent entire, 21.6 per cent neutered).
The questionnaire included 16 multiple-choice questions on
transport plus three open questions about general characteristics of
the dogs. Where appropriate, an ‘escape’ answer (eg, ‘Do not know’ or
‘Other’) was provided for the multiple-choice questions.
The questionnaire was divided into four sections. The first col-
lected data on the dog (breed, sex and age). The second was focused
on car transport: owners were asked about the frequency with which
their dogs were transported by car, the destination, length and mode of
transport (including the means of restraint, dog’s place within the car,
provision of water, food, toys, blanket etc). The third section consisted
of questions regarding the dog’s behaviour during transport, focusing
on behaviours that could be problematic and changes in these behav-
iours. The kind of intervention provided by the owner when problems
arose was also surveyed. The fourth part investigated transport by
means other than a car, and the relative quality of the dog’s response.
Data obtained through the questionnaires were analysed to obtain
descriptive statistics. In order to find possible factors that predispose
to travel-related problems, the answers to three questions were sta-
tistically analysed by using a chi-squared test (significance accepted
at P<0.05): whether the dog had been used to being transported by
car since it was a puppy; whether the dog used the car only to go to
the veterinary clinic; and whether a device (toy, blanket, water and/or
food) was used during car transport.
Results
All of the dogs in the sample had been transported by car at least once;
95.3 per cent were still being transported and 4.7 per cent were no long-
er transported by car. Specifically, 75.4 per cent were moved by car more
than 10 times per year, 14.3 per cent one to five times, and 10.3 per
cent six to 10 times per year. Owners who said they rarely (maximum
five times per year) transported their dogs, or did not transport their
dogs any more, gave the following reasons: having a big garden/living in
the countryside (48.2 per cent), dogs displaying problems related to car
transport (14.5 per cent) and the dog was ill or elderly (12.0 per cent).
Table 1 summarises the frequency of transport to different destina-
tions and of different lengths.
TABLE 1: Frequency of destinations and length of car transportation reported by dog owners
Purpose of journey Often (%) Sometimes (%) Only for this purpose (%) Never (%)
To veterinary clinics 22.5 66.7 3.9 6.9
For walking 36.1 3 9.0 1.2 23.7
For activities (sport, hunting, training etc) 20.8 12.9 1.1 65.2
To a washing/grooming shop 6.0 25.1 1. 2 67.7
Travels up to 50 km 45.8 42.3 1.4 10. 5
Travels 50 to 150 km 12.2 47.0 1.0 3 9. 8
Travels over 150 km 8.7 33.6 0.9 56.8
TABLE 2: Means of restraint of dogs during car transport
Often (%) Sometimes (%) Never (%)
Net/grating 27. 0 7. 2 65.8
Kennel 16.3 6.1 7 7. 6
Seat belt for dogs/lead 11.0 4.9 84.1
Truck 0.6 0.0 99. 4
Box/bag/basket 0.1 0.4 99. 5
Seat belt for people 0.1 0.0 99. 9
Dog’s bed 0.1 0.0 99.9
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1978, Monzeglio 2008), restlessness (Mills and Mills 2003) or fear
(Tiefenbach 2001).
According to Benchaoui and colleagues (2007) and Osgood (1978),
motion sickness is most frequently reported in young animals, and
can be a lifelong problem or may decrease as the animal gets older. In
the present study, there were a low number of dogs with a reduction
of signs (8.7 per cent of the whole sample; 36.6 per cent of dogs a
showing negative response to car transport), maybe because all travel-
related problems, not only motion sickness, were taken into account.
As the probability of a ‘spontaneous’ solution is not high, owners
should be recommended to deal with the problem from its onset.
The statistical analysis revealed that not transporting dogs when
they were still puppies made them more likely to display problems as
adults. This confirms what is usually hypothesised and suggested by
animal behaviourists: the best prophylaxis consists of training puppies
to become used to car transport (Doring-Schätzl and Erhard 2004),
habituating them to short travels and to the noises of the engine
(Overall 2001). Breeders, veterinarians and owners should implement
the habituation of puppies to a large number of stimuli, to increase
their ability to adapt to the world and decrease the development of
negative behaviours (Neilson 2004, Shepherd 2004), including those
related to car transport. Veterinarians should be versed in basic ethol-
ogy and learning theory, in order to explain to clients how to habituate
puppies to stimuli, preventing the risk of sensitising them. Prevention
should also consist of avoiding negative associations with car trans-
port, such as transporting the dog by car only for visits to the veteri-
nary clinic. It is probable that in some cases the problem is not the car
itself, but post-traumatic fear or anticipation already being displayed
during the travel (Pierantoni and others 2010).
The use of devices (especially blankets and toys) during car trans-
port was relatively common and seemed to have a beneficial effect.
However, the data obtained in the current study did not allow the
authors to determine how devices were administered (eg, toys stuffed
with food, the kind of toys etc), making further analyses impossible.
Cannas and others (2010) found that the use of a device was more
frequent in dogs without travel-related problems, but in that survey,
devices included inanimate objects and pets, the latter probably having
a different effect (eg, higher comfort or more excitement). Therefore,
results on this point cannot be regarded as conclusive and further
research should be aimed at clarifying it.
In agreement with Cannas and others (2010) and Gandia Estellés
and Mills (2006), the present survey found that during car transpor-
tation, dogs usually show more excitable behaviours rather than
inhibited ones. This may be due to dogs anticipating within the car
what is going to happen, for example, going for a walk. Especially in
cases when the dog is hypostimulated at home, it is likely that arousal
increases excessively: dogs can be restless, bark and yelp, and these
behaviours can be annoying or even troublesome (distracting) for the
driver. In that case, the problem is not directly related to the car, but to
the management of the dog, and this should be addressed in order to
solve the problem and improve the dog’s welfare.
Among physical signs displayed by problematic dogs, hypersaliva-
tion and vomiting were quite common, the latter having a prevalence
of 39.9 per cent; this value was slightly high-
er compared with those reported by Gandia
Estellés and Mills (2006) and Cannas and
others (2010). Such signs should not be
underestimated as they represent a strong
welfare matter and they can lead to negative
associations and therefore difficulty in the
future transport of the dog.
It is remarkable that almost half of the
owners did not seek advice for the problem,
and only a small percentage (in comparison
to the amount of problematic dogs) admin-
istered substances to help the dog cope with
vomiting, hypersalivation and other problems
related to travelling. In the case of kinetosis
or transport-related stress, fear and anxiety,
the most common suggested treatments are
non-pharmacological interventions (eg, fast-
ing, not transporting the dog at all, homeopathy), pheromones (Gaultier
and Pageat 2003, Gandia Estellés and Mills 2006) and medicines, espe-
cially antihistamines (Yates and others 1998), sedatives (Hart 1985) and
antiemetics (Benchaoui and others 2007). However, some authors con-
sider behavioural therapy to be crucial in solving travel-related problems
in dogs (Leonard 1978, Döring-Schätzl and Erhard 2004).
Interviewed owners referred, or believed that they should refer to,
veterinarians to solve these sorts of problems. Veterinarians are seen as
a respected source of information on animal-related matters including
behaviour (Voith 2009). Even though aversive methods in education
and training can lead to serious negative consequences (Tortora 1983,
Roll and Unshelm 1997, Beerda and others 1998, Hiby and others
2004, Schilder and Van der Borg 2004), a small but relevant percentage
of respondents in the present study mentioned that they had referred
to or would refer to dog trainers using non-gentle methods.
Almost half of the respondents claimed not to use any means of
restraint for their dogs during car transport, similarly to what was
found in Germany by Wöhr and Erhard (2004). In Italy, there are no
principal legal stipulations concerning the transport of one dog, pro-
vided that it does not hamper driving. Despite the lack of laws, infor-
mation about how to transport dogs safely should be widespread, in
order to protect the safety and welfare of both dogs and people (Royal
Society for the Prevention of Accidents 2011). A good choice could be
a kennel (Doring-Schätzl and Erhard 2004) after proper training that
allows the dog to consider it as a safe place.
Dogs were moved also by means of transport other than cars,
among which boat transport was the most frequently used. None of
the dogs in this sample had been transported by aeroplane, maybe
because the owners had not needed it or they were scared of the pos-
sible negative consequences for the dog’s health (such as a high stress
response, death resulting from sedation, hyperthermia, environmental
stress, disease complications (Hanneman and others 1977, Tennyson
1995, Bergeron and others 2002)).
In spite of the lack of action taken by many owners to solve trans-
port-related behavioural problems in their dogs, it would be useful to
keep investigating this very common problem. Further information
may help owners in solving travel-related problems of their dogs, pre-
venting the inconvenience of not being able to transport the dog.
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doi: 10.1136/vr.100199
2012 2012 170: 542 originally published online May 1,Veterinary Record
C. Mariti, E. Ricci, M. Mengoli, et al.
Survey of travel-related problems in dogs
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