Car Training Advice.

[Ben and Jerry]

I'm not too sure if there's a post about this already but I haven't quite got the search function worked out so I dont get lots of pages with the word training in it .

I dog is getting close to 2years now and I'm having trouble with him in the car. When I first got him around 3months he was terrified of everything to do with cars. He use to flip out like mad when we tried to go past parked cars and often I had to carry him past as he just refused to take a step. Since then I got him comfortable around them and can now go past them with no issues.

The thing I am now trying to work on is him inside a car. In the past I got him happy enough to get in and out of my car after by just sitting in the driveway then eventually doing really small trips around the street with him inside. Which that all eventually work out and he became more comfortable with being inside. Now the issue I am having is keeping him comfortable. He refuses to sit or lay down in the back seat and just stands. I would much rather him to sit down or lay down so he isn't rolling around as much when going around roundabouts, corners and stopping. He is in a car harness so not rolling everywhere but he still rolls around a little which I think is ruining his confidence in the car .

So my question is how can I get him to sit or lay down in the backseat when he refuses to do anything once he gets inside? I've tried treats and toys to get him to do things but he just won't. I want to be able to take him more places around town for walks and such but I at the moment I don't take him in the car anymore then he needs to because I don't want to make him worse.

Any suggestions would be greetly appreciated on how to get him more comfortable within the car .

[Sue & Waldo]

This article may help you

Help my dog is afraid of car rides!

Many dogs experience fear and anxiety when placed in a vehicle, and unfortunately, not many know why. Part of it may be that the only time your dog enters a vehicle is for a trip to a stressful location (veterinarian's office, shelter, a place he dislikes for whatever reason). The key to removing the anxiety is a fairly lengthy desensitization process. As with all desensitizing attempts, things must be taken slowly. Each step should be taken over the course of a few days. This allows your dog to get used to a non-threatening environment enough so that he or she will learn to associate the car with good times, rather than stress-inducers.

Step One : Arm yourself with treats and goodies, and walk your dog around the car with the doors open a few times. Let him or her sniff wherever he likes, let him stick his head inside. If he handles this well, give him plenty of treats and praise. Do not treat if he shows anxiety, just continue to circle the car until he relaxes, then treat and praise.

Step Two : After a few days of circling your car (yes, I DO realize how silly you may look doing this, I've done it too), your dog should be relaxed in the presence of an unmoving vehicle. Today you once again arm yourself fully with drool-worthy treats, and leaving all the doors open and the car engine OFF, coax your dog trough the doors of your vehicle.

This is not as easy as it sounds by a long shot. While many dogs have no trouble actually entering a vehicle, some will be stressed out by the mere thought of being put into a car. If your dog is one of the latter, try these methods to find one that works for you. Also try to avoid forcing the dog into the car as this will set you back to Step One.

•Lure her into the vehicle using mouth-watering treats

•Throw a favourite fetch toy into the vehicle for her to retrieve

•Walk her through on a leash if she is well-trained to "heel" wherever the leash goes

•Have a favoured human sit in the vehicle and call her name

•Sit in the car yourself and wait until she's ready to enter on her own

Leave the doors of the car open so that your dog may leave at any time. Let her explore the vehicle at her own pace, making sure to always leave her exits open, and treat lavishly for every time she is in the vehicle. Ignore all anxiety from her. Do NOT coddle her, or try to reassure her, as this only reinforces the fear.

Step Three : Close the car doors when your dog is inside, but leave the windows open, and the car engine off. Pet her through the window. Talk to her. If she shows anxiety, ignore it, but if she sits calmly, reward her. Don't leave her in there long, just a few minutes at a time. Join her in the car too, but continue to leave the engine off.

Step Four : Start the car with your dog inside (who should now by calm inside, as well as outside). Don't leave the car, and don't leave the driveway, simply sit there with her a few times.

Step Five : By this time, your dog should be behaving calmly and relaxed inside the car with the engine running, and yourself in the driver's seat. After sitting in the car for a few minutes, take her for a short drive around the block. Just a short one though. Reward her relaxed posture, ignore any drooling and shaking. When you've returned to your home, lavishly reward her for a job well done. Repeat as necessary, this may be a short step, or a long one, dependent upon how quickly your dog realizes that the car is not delivering her to a place of terror.

Step Six : Take her someplace FUN. A dog park, a beach to run and swim at, somewhere fun for HER. It is very important to remember that dogs tend to associate delivery methods with the end result. If the end result of a car ride has always been a stressful vet visit, the association must be changed or your dog will never learn that the car delivers to fun places as well. I strongly recommend repeating this step at least four times a week, for the rest of your dog's life.

[Oskar & Zsa Zsa]

I may be barking up the wrong tree..... but step six is all I have ever had to do to get dogs comfortable with cars. I am probably a little different in the way I think about these types of things, but I have always just chucked em in, not made a fuss, taken them somewhere fun and made it a routine for a week and they then look forward to car trips. I think dogs pick up on our anxiety far more than anything else and if you just act as though it's nothing, not a big deal and just act normal, they tend to follow along??? Zsa Zsa is only new to me, she didn't like the car at first (Probably thought after 4 months in a shelter that it was vet time again.) But I just didn't make any fuss, threw her in the back seat, praised her when she relaxed and made sure I made it a fun destination over a week long period. Now, all I have to mention is the D word (Drive) and she is tail spinning!!!! :D

[Sue & Waldo]

I may be barking up the wrong tree..... but step six is all I have ever had to do to get dogs comfortable with cars. I am probably a little different in the way I think about these types of things, but I have always just chucked em in, not made a fuss, taken them somewhere fun and made it a routine for a week and they then look forward to car trips. I think dogs pick up on our anxiety far more than anything else and if you just act as though it's nothing, not a big deal and just act normal, they tend to follow along??? Zsa Zsa is only new to me, she didn't like the car at first (Probably thought after 4 months in a shelter that it was vet time again.) But I just didn't make any fuss, threw her in the back seat, praised her when she relaxed and made sure I made it a fun destination over a week long period. Now, all I have to mention is the D word (Drive) and she is tail spinning!!!! :D

Cindy is like that too but our previous dog....I had to do the whole thing (he was very special)

[corvus]

Some dogs you can't just chuck in because they become sensitised to the car rather than desensitised. My older dog was like this as he often got carsick. He'd get very tense and anxious about the car, presumably because he often felt sick in it so naturally he developed an aversion to the car. The key to success with him was easing the anxiety and carsickness. We set up a small bed with sides for him on the back seat so that he wouldn't slide around. And we did some TTouch to settle him into the car and make him feel relaxed before we took him anywhere. These things combined made a huge difference. About a year later he suddenly discovered there was a world going by outside the car window and now he sits up watching it a lot. We never would have imagined when he was a few months old that he would ever enjoy car rides.

[MonElite]

I am probably a little different in the way I think about these types of things, but I have always just chucked em in, not made a fuss, taken them somewhere fun and made it a routine for a week and they then look forward to car trips.

I had the same thought.

Obviously the dog in question is happy enough to get into the car and doesnt drool nor vomit.

What I would do is take the dog for several really LOOOOONG drives. If he is crate trained Id put him in a crate and just drive and drive ignoring the standing.

My Rex loved the car and he liked standing and looking out the window, but if the trip was longer he would eventually get bored and go to sleep.

[koalathebear]

I may be barking up the wrong tree..... but step six is all I have ever had to do to get dogs comfortable with cars. I am probably a little different in the way I think about these types of things, but I have always just chucked em in, not made a fuss, taken them somewhere fun and made it a routine for a week and they then look forward to car trips. I think dogs pick up on our anxiety far more than anything else and if you just act as though it's nothing, not a big deal and just act normal, they tend to follow along??? Zsa Zsa is only new to me, she didn't like the car at first (Probably thought after 4 months in a shelter that it was vet time again.) But I just didn't make any fuss, threw her in the back seat, praised her when she relaxed and made sure I made it a fun destination over a week long period. Now, all I have to mention is the D word (Drive) and she is tail spinning!!!! :D

It really isn't that easy for some dogs :p You have been lucky. With Elbie our first dog, he used to bark like crazy in the car - he hated the car, he hated the harnass. We tried everything, and we did not make a big deal out of car trips and tried to keep it casual and tried to take him to fun places - nuh uh. We spent so much time sitting in a stationary car, taking him on short trips, using DAP, throwing chews and kangaroo jerky in the back seat. Nothing worked!

He finally stopped the barking but then came the yodelling and wailing where he sounded like a bizarre cross between a wounded Wookie or a dying tauntaun. Then he settled down and is generally quiet in the car now - hopping in of his own accord and seeming quite happy to go to the car. By contrast, our second dog Hoover came to us at 3 months old. At that point he'd had almost no car travel, only left the farm to visit the vet - he was so quiet and well-behaved in the car we used to wonder if he was dead! Everyone talks about all the movement and speed of passing cars overstimulating working dogs but we would turn around and see Hoover sitting at the window, staring out with interest but profound placid tranquility as the world speeds by. We didn't have to do ANYTHING with him - he just came preloaded with Calm Car Travel. :D

Edited June 17, 2011 by koalathebear

[corvus]

Obviously the dog in question is happy enough to get into the car and doesnt drool nor vomit.

I wouldn't rule out him feeling sick or even in pain in the car. I remember an episode of Barking Mad with a dog that wouldn't settle in the car and they found out that he had hip problems and found the movement quite uncomfortable. It's a possibility.

Does he have something to lie on or in that doesn't slide around? Does he whine or pant in the car?

[Ben and Jerry]

Does he have something to lie on or in that doesn't slide around?

I have a crate for him but unfortunately it is too big to fit in my backseat. As for beds he has one but he just stands in it still.

Does he whine or pant in the car?

He has never made a sound in the car. He use to drool so much but these days he is quite good in that regard. I have noticed lately he has been panting every so often but I just thought I may not of had enough air coming in the car for him.

I guess I just have to stick with what was posted which is what I had done many months ago to get him use to it, only problem I see with it though is I feel we take one step foward two steps back as we have to go out twice a week in the car .

[corvus]

If he's panting sometimes there's a good chance he's anxious. I appreciate that it's difficult when he has to go out in the car regularly to make a difference with counter-conditioning. IMO you just take a dozen steps forwards before you have to take 2 steps back. I've CC one of my dogs to some regular procedures he was deeply unhappy about and I just kind of approached it like it was a see-saw. To make sure the positives outweighed the negatives I just really hammered the positives. Several times a day, short sessions with loads of rewards. It might take a while given he seems to have a long history with anxiety around the car. Have you thought about some DAP to help calm him or even some medication? Vet behaviourists are very expensive, but perhaps they could give you something to give him before you go in the car to calm him down so you can retrain. Good luck.

[Ben and Jerry]

Thanks for the advice, I haven't tried any calming products for him at this stage but will be something to consider . Maybe it's just being in the back seat of my car because from what i've been told he is fine in both my sister/dads car (hatchback and 4x4).

Time to add more regular training to his already busy training schedule .

Edited June 18, 2011 by Marleah