A nervous rescue dog, who was afraid of travelling in the car, enjoyed a beach holiday thanks to advice from a top dog expert, a bit of Elvis and a traditional roast dinner herb.

Four year-old Evelyn was rescued from Romania by the Home 2 Home charity, and now enjoys a happy life in Wendover Bucks.

But for the playful chihuahua dachshund crossbreed, travelling in the car was a huge source of stress, and despite the best efforts of her owner Hayley Finch, Evelyn's life was being curtailed.

Hayley, 38, said: "Evelyn used to scream whenever she was travelling in the car, and it was clear that this really was stressful for her. We tried lots of things like positive reinforcement, but she just hated every moment of the short journeys we were taking with her.

"It was curtailing what we could do as a family, and we were missing out on day trips because of the problem. We knew that we had to do something about it."

When a family wedding invitation on the South Coast forced their hand, Hayley and her husband Peter, 53 sought advice from canine expert Anna Webb, who recently worked with Skoda to create a calming playlist for dogs who are nervous on car journeys.

The playlist includes tracks from acts as diverse as David Bowie to Abba and Harry Styles, and the Spotify playlist is also  accompanied by Anna's top tips on training smooth car travel with your pooch.

Anna, 50, advised the couple to acclimatise Evelyn to the car, by simply sitting her in it, and turning the engine on. Gently, gently was Anna's approach and with a bit of work and a few treats, Evelyn was soon sitting well in the stationary car.

Anna also advised that Evelyn should try Pawable's Calming supplement, the principal ingredient of which is traditional roast dinner herb thyme. Thyme promotes better breathing which in turn calms down the dog.

Hayley said: "In the past we have only ever put thyme on our roast potatoes, so it was really interesting to hear about its health benefits too.

"Thank you so much to Anna for her amazing advice, it has really made all the difference to Evelyn, and our lives too."

On the journey to the wedding, after the acclimatisation work, and the calming supplement Evelyn settled down for a peaceful three hour journey, and later enjoyed time at the beach with her family.

"It really was amazing to see the transformation, and we all enjoyed the break away, and the family wedding so much more knowing that Evelyn was calm and happy." Added Hayley.

Anna said: “Training travelling in the car can only work by training the dog in small increments.

"Beginning indoors by acclimatising to a familiar sound that’s contextualised as representing safety.

"Transferring this - soundtrack, radio station or playlist to the car stereo.

"Remaining stationary without the engine on at first ,just to familiarise your dog with the car as a strange place without an escape route, which triggers anxiety in dogs.

"Once your pooch is settled (no panting, no drooling, no whining) in the stationary car, turn on the engine with the familiar sound, remain stationary, and stop at the first sign of any stress.

"Build the time slowly, keep training sessions short.

"Once your dog is totally relaxed on your driveway with the engine on, only then begin short journeys and vary them. Build these journeys gradually. "

According to research conducted this year among 1,000 dog owners, 60% of respondents felt they must limit where they go on days out due to their dog becoming so distressed in the car.

 And 24% of participants in the study had no idea how to ease their dog’s discomfort. Overall, six out of 10 owners said they had tried but failed to solve the issue.

Anna added: "Always quit on an up and make the experience fun for your dog, always have the windows open to allow fresh air to circulate, not just air conditioned air, and plan your journey around your dog’s needs  to stretch their legs and have regular comfort breaks.

"Be mindful of overheating in a car even in autumn , and take plenty of fresh water with you.  

"Ensuring your dog is in optimum health is always a priority for me, and with anxiety in dogs on the rise, adding a natural supplement like Calming can really help progress training, by taking the edge of all situations, enabling your dog to grow in confidence rather than becoming ’stuck’ in a state of constant stress.”

From Harry Styles, to Miley Cyrus, Rihanna to Abba, Bowie and Elvis Anna's Happy Hounds playlist will help your dog stay relaxed on car journeys.
Download it here: https://lnkd.in/eXJinCf9

Anna's top 10 tips to train smooth car travel with your dog can be downloaded here:  https://lnkd.in/eQk5BPGF