prevent dog from laying under the car

[kopuk]

Hi everybody,

 

My maremma sheepdog is 10 years old. We adopted him when he was 7. He is scared from thunder, loud voices and also when raining. I talked to many veterinaries and they said that fear training should be made when he was 3 months and we can not train him any more. We have a small garden so we can not tie him to his kennel or keep in the house. If we do so, he is angry. He was always free, he walks by himself all the day and comes home at night. The problem is he is laying under the cars when he is scared. I am afraid some drivers can not realize he is under the car until he goes outside and hurts him. To get him out of the car,  I tried to give him his favourite chewing sticks, pull him from his collar, spray white vinegar, spray water gun, use electronic dog repeller... Nothing works.. He choose one car which is parked and lays under it until his scare passes. Please give me and advice. What should I do to prevent him laying under the cars?

[Loving my Oldies]

He is used to being free and I doubt you can do anything about it.  

Edited November 29, 2018 by Loving my Oldies

[RuralPug]

I am sorry, you won't want to hear this, but good fencing is the only way to keep him safe. That way he will not have access to cars in the first place, except for a safe wreck that you have placed in his yard for him to crawl under when he is anxious.

Take him out on a lead for daily walks and the rest of the time keep him safe behind good fences.

[Her Majesty Dogmad]

Not sure why people get dogs if they haven't got fences.  If you love a dog you surely don't want them to:

 

get run over by a moving car on the road

get attacked by other dogs/cats/feral people

taken to the pound

 

and so on, none of it is good.

[Papillon Kisses]

Fences!!!!

 

But also the vets you’ve spoken to are wrong re nothing being able to be done if your dog wasn’t properly socialised to loud noises, storms, etc by 4 weeks.

 

Patently wrong.

 

They clearly know NOTHING about learning theory and phobias.

 

You need to find yourself a veterinary behaviourist and a reward-based trainer aka not someone who is going to use shock collars, sprays, any of those aversives. You don’t make a dog feel better about scary things by hurting them. What country are you in?

 

And please get good fences before your dog is run over!