If your dog drools, paces or is sick every time the car starts moving, it isn't just nerves, and it usually doesn't sort itself out on its own. Car sickness in dogs is a real, physical response, and while some of it comes down to genuine motion sickness, a good deal of it is also about how secure and comfortable a dog actually feels back there. Both are worth addressing properly rather than just packing extra towels.
What's actually happening
Motion sickness in dogs works much the same way it does in people: movement disrupts the balance centre in the inner ear, and the brain doesn't know what to do with the mismatch between what the eyes see and what the body feels. Dogs who weren't exposed to car travel early in life are more prone to it, and anxiety makes the physical symptoms worse, not better, since a stressed dog is already primed to feel unwell before the car has gone anywhere.
The signs to watch for
Drooling, panting, swallowing repeatedly, lip licking and retching are the physical signs. Barking, whimpering, trembling, toileting accidents in the car, or point-blank refusing to get in are the anxiety side of the same problem, and they often show up before the vomiting does.
Before you set off
According to the PDSA, feeding your dog two to three hours before travelling, rather than right before, gives their stomach time to settle. A short walk beforehand helps too. If your dog is a nervous or reluctant traveller rather than simply carsick, the PDSA recommends building tolerance gradually: trips of under five minutes to start, worked up slowly over several days, rather than going straight to a motorway journey and hoping for the best.
Setting the car up properly
Once you're moving, a lot comes down to how stable and secure your dog actually feels. A dog sliding around on a slippery seat, or bracing itself against every corner, is working harder and feeling worse than one on a proper non-slip surface with somewhere secure to sit. That's the whole reason the Artemis Backseat exists as a flat, hard-bottomed, non-slip base rather than another loose blanket. Keeping the car cool and well ventilated matters just as much as the seating itself, and if getting in and out of the car is part of what makes your dog anxious in the first place, particularly if they're small, older or nervous of the jump, the Artemis Car Steps take that part of the stress out of the equation entirely.
When it's more than travel nerves
If none of the above helps, it's worth speaking to your vet rather than just living with it. The PDSA notes that untreated motion sickness in dogs tends to get worse over time rather than better, and vets can prescribe short-term anti-sickness medication or anti-anxiety support (pheromone collars, calming supplements, compression coats) alongside the same gradual retraining approach, for dogs whose car sickness is more anxiety than balance.
Sources: PDSA