When dogs drool while driving, it is usually due to fear, stress or motion sickness. Under certain circumstances, dehydration, extreme excitement and heat stroke can also be responsible.
Fortunately, almost all of these causes can be prevented with a little knowledge and preparation. The first step, however, is to identify the trigger.
For this reason, below you will learn about the 5 most common causes and what you can do about them in specific cases.
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#1 Motion sickness
Despite its name, motion sickness is not a real illness, but simply a reaction of the body to contradictory sensory impressions.
On the one hand, when driving fast, the dog's balance system receives signals that it is moving quickly and, on the other hand, everything in the car itself stands still.
This can usually be recognized by the fact that the dog is drooling heavily and is struggling with nausea. A feeling of dizziness is also typical. Other noticeable symptoms include:
- Constant yawning
- listlessness
- Licking the lips
- Dog smacks his lips
- Increased saliva production
- Frequent whining [1]
Puppies and young dogs are increasingly affected by this. In addition, sensitivity can vary greatly depending on the breed. The following tips can help with this:
- Travel on an empty stomach
- No snacks while driving
- Regular breaks
- Have the dog face forward
- Medication for motion sickness [2]
A large meal before the journey as well as a hectic and fast driving style can increase the symptoms. You should therefore avoid this.
When dogs struggle with motion sickness, they usually start drooling a lot in the car. The nausea can also be recognized by the fact that the dog constantly licks its lips, frequently smacks its lips, yawns a lot and generally appears listless.
#2 Anxiety & Stress
Driving in a car often triggers fear and stress, especially in young dogs. In most cases, this has nothing to do with the car, but rather with the small space.
Because the trunk is comparable to a kennel, which causes claustrophobia in many dogs. Other typical fear and stress factors are:
- Closed trunk
- Hectic driving style
- Too small car
- Distance from familiar people
- First car ride
- Existing traumas with cars
- Temperature too high [3]
This can usually be recognized by the fact that the dog begins to tremble, tucks in his tail and also drools heavily. Other typical signs of this are:
- Dog seems restless
- Constant beeping
- Ears laid back
- Dog keeps changing places
- Heavy panting
- Dog pees in the car [4]
In most cases, the fear can be resolved through gradual habituation. It can also help to associate driving with something positive.
So why not bring some treats or toys along for the ride? For young puppies, their own basket can also provide a familiar environment.
Many dogs drool a lot while driving because they feel anxious and stressed. What is typical here is that they tremble slightly, pant heavily and behave restlessly while driving. Here it is important to proactively get the dog used to driving in the car.
#3 Dehydration
It's usually too hot for dogs in the car in summer, so they secrete more sweat on their paws, stick out their tongues and start panting heavily.
And, among other things, the need for fluids also increases significantly. Combined with the following problems, this can quickly lead to dehydration:
- Diarrhea and vomiting
- Kidney problems
- Heat stroke or fever
- Diabetes [5]
Because of the heavy panting, some dogs sometimes foam at the mouth and start drooling in the car. Other typical symptoms of this are:
- Increased pulse
- Dry gums
- Lack of motivation
- Sunken eyes
- Increased saliva production
- Dry dog nose
- Dizziness and fainting
- Dark urine color [6]
Here you should encourage your dog to drink. In most cases, offering water is enough motivation.
A travel drinking bottle or a simple bowl is ideal for this. For stubborn dogs, you can simply pour some salt-free bone broth into the water.
While driving, dogs often lack fluids without being taken into account. In this case, panting and lots of drooling are simply signs of dehydration. A dry nose is also more common here.
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#4 Excitement
Driving in a car is very exciting at first, especially for puppies and young dogs. Because suddenly they are in a “box” that moves faster than they can run.
In addition, there is always a loud engine to be heard, cars honking and there is not enough time to inspect everything out the window.
This excitement combined with the overload of sensory stimuli causes dogs to release huge cocktails of hormones. [7]
What is typical here is that the dog explores the car out of excitement, starts to drool while driving, sniffs around curiously and constantly wants to run around.
In contrast to fear, there is no shaking or whining. The solution here is to calm the dog down or even take preventive action:
- Ignore any hyperactivity
- Take something familiar with you in the car (e.g. blanket)
- Let your dog let off steam first [8]
In any case, you should avoid suddenly paying a lot of attention to your dog when it behaves undesirably. Otherwise he will repeat it constantly.
When dogs are excited in the car, numerous happiness hormones are released, which also change their behavior. When they are very excited, young dogs and puppies start to drool and pant more often in the car.
#5 Heat stroke
If the dog's body temperature is so high that heat damage occurs, doctors speak of “heat stroke”. An increase of just 2 °C is enough.
Unlike humans, dogs cool themselves down not primarily by sweating, but by panting. Some four-legged friends are also more sensitive to heat than others.
Brachycephalic breeds in particular suffer greatly from heat in the car. This refers to dogs that have a flat face and a short muzzle. This includes:
Because of the constant panting, many dogs here start to drool while driving. Rapid breathing and a high pulse are also typical. Here's how to prevent it:
- Turn the air conditioning cooler
- Roll down the windows
- Use a self-cooling dog mat
- Regular breaks in the shade
- Darken the windows [10]
Leaving your dog in the car in summer is one of the absolute no-gos among dog owners. Even just a few minutes can be life-threatening.
If dogs overheat or even suffer from heat stroke while driving, this can usually be recognized by their behavior. Typically, affected four-legged friends breathe very quickly, have a high pulse rate and drool unusually much.
Other causes
If your dog drools a lot not only in the car but also at home, then this could be due to the following triggers:
- Dental problems
- Genetically determined problems
- Poisonings
- Inflammation of the upper respiratory tract
- Food allergies
- Liver and kidney problems [11]
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