If you have a puppy, take him for car rides whenever possible. be sure he is secured with a car harness or placed in the back seat. Make it a pleasant experience (no drag racing). And talk to him from time to time telling him he is good. If you have a passenger, have that person pet the puppy to comfort him. Always refrain from feeding or watering the puppy several hours before traveling. You'll be glad you did.

An older dog with a car phobia can sometimes be cured with behavior modification exercises. Begin by feeding the dog near the car. Over the course of several days, move the dish closer to the car until you are finally feeding the dog in the back seat with the door open, motor off. Next close the door. The next step is to go back outside and feed the dog near the car with the motor running. repeat the same procedure until the dog can eat in the car with the motor running. You can now try short drives while your passenger offers food treats and praises and pets your dog. We are counter conditioning the dog through reinforcement training. Do not rush this procedure. If the dog is very afraid of car travel, these exercises can take weeks or even months. Be patient.