car ride help

[deadrabbits]

Pepper our 3 month old DS is not fond of car rides. She whines for a good deal of the ride. The whining doesn't bother me but I am worried it stresses her out. The dilemma is that she goes with our daughter to family members house 4 days out of the week and has to ride in the car. Does anyone know any tips or tricks to help her out. I thought she would have been used to the car by now.

[Stacy_R]

Whining could be many things....excitement one of them.

Try desensitizing her to the car. You'll want to do drills similar to crate training. Get her in the car and then just sit in there for a few seconds or minutes (but BEFORE she reaches her threshold) and then get her out and go do something else for a few minutes. Lather, rinse, repeat, increasing the amount of time a little bit at a time. Don't do a drill-set for longer than 30 minutes or so.

Next step would be get her in and and go for a short drive (around the block or to the end of the street). Again, ending before she reaches her threshold, gradually increasing the length of the drive.

At some point, you'll want to take her to stores and other places that are dog-friendly, but where she has to be under control (leashed and obedient). (Also, talk to your vet and see if you can stop in there to just walk inside, sit down for a minute, and then walk out. This will help with any vet visit anxiety. I take Tyson in occasionally, have him get on the scale, we sit down for a spell, and then leave.) This will help her learn that car rides don't always = excitement/free-for-all/play-date at the end and are just a normal part of life...no big thang.

[Dutchringgirl]

I feel Stacy hit the marks. That is what I did for Sadie as a pup, but I also had Thalie help show Sadie the ropes. I had a smaller crate that Sadie would ride in until she was okay, then went for short rides. She was always fine though.

[simbathedog1]

Simba was a year old when we got him and would hardly even get into the car. He HATED it! He would tremble whenever in the car and whine/cry.

We made it a routine to take him in the car for short trips whenever we could--taking kids to school, etc. He found out he was ok and that he always came back home. Try not to console him when he is whining with petting, sweet talk, etc--it will be like a reward for the scared behavior. Just act like it's no big deal. When he settles down, THEN pet him and tell him what a good dog he is.

Give him some time and he will come around. Simba is the first one in the car now when we go to the garage!!! He LOVES car rides and wants to go everywhere

[HeatherH]

He's still young and allowing him to wonder the vehicle could get him sick and afraid to back in the car. If there's more then one person in the car only one person should be allowed to talk to him not all at once. I travel with my dog a lot (I think 18 months now). You have a long way to go. I use distractions like a bone or Kong. Although they don't last long with these dogs. Be consistent were he sits. I used a barrier for a while so he understood he was not allowed up font in the car, I don't care in the van. Then when he does calm down praise the crap out of him. They need to see where they are going.

After an awhile they so quickly understand which direction you’re going so you might be prepared them act confused if it's a new direction. I tell him, van, car, front seat back, cargo, the vet is silence, Christie's, Dog Park, hike, walk, "let's go" as oppose "go with Greg". It calms down as time goes by.

Even walking the three of us together when one has to leave it's a game of destraction until they get the idea.

It may seem silly but they do know.

Heather

[Stacy_R]

Then when he does calm down praise the crap out of him.

I disagree.

You want to limit excitement in the car, not promote it and too much excitement brought on by over-praising can lead to stress and then you're right back where you started. You've actually re-created pressure and stress/excitement once they have relaxed and have contradicted what you've just asked your dog to do...calm herself down. A quiet "good girl" or "yes" (if you use marker training) as opposed to over-praising will give better, more relaxed results.

I also wouldn't name destinations...just tell her to load up (or whatever command you use). If she understands the different place names and what they mean, you run the risk of putting yourself right back where you started...stress (silence...vet)/excitement (walking trails, dog parks, etc). You want her to view the car as a place to relax for the ride, no matter the destination. Side-note...they know over time where they are going by smells...I promise...and you want to START the driving process calmly, not add excitement to it.

Something I left out of my earlier post... When you are doing drills - just as with crate training - do not let her bolt from the car. She should come out of the car (whether in the first drills in the driveway, or later drills when you get to a destination, especially when you get home from a drive) only when she is relaxed and you give her the "okay" (whatever command you use...I use "here"). It will take some work, but will be worth it. And stay consistent. The last thing you want is a dog who bolts from the car as soon as you open the door.

Just my

[LyonsFamily]

Where is she at in the car? Is she by your daughter at all? Without seeing the dog, it's hard to tell if it's excitement, anxiety, nervousness, etc. I would venture to guess there might be something being picked up emotionally from your daughter though. If she's excited or nervous to go somewhere, the puppy might be too. Kids throw weird vibes that dogs pick up, especially in a breed like the DS. I would work on desensitizing the puppy to car rides without your daughter at first. There's also no reason why the dog can't travel in a crate and that's the safest place for a dog.

Elli gets overly excited in the car to the point she shakes and ends up stressing herself out. She associates the car with PSA practice and anticipates the decoy. Putting her in a crate in the back tells her it's not time to work/play and she falls asleep.

[Owned-By-Hendrix]

Stephanie and Stacey have it right on point. If you watch Karen Pryor's Crate Games videos (I "borrowed" them from Youtube) you can adjust some of her drills where the dog goes in and out of the crate. If Pepper is food motivated, use some yummy yummy treats. Boiled chicken was my guy's favorite. I would occasionally drill my guy at meal time, so he got part of his meal in the drill and the other part doing something fun after, like "find all the kibble on the floor" game. Also, work in just chilling in the car with her like Stacey suggested is a huge plus in them realizing just because you're in a car doesn't always mean you're going to be going for a ride.

I agree with the crate. I think it helped Hendrix calm down. Now his crate is too big for my tiny sedan so I got him one of those car hammocks for short trips around the city. I'll force his crate into my car when we go on the highway or to PSA practice but I can't do it too often as it takes up the whole rear view. He loves the hammock and doesn't do too much running around the car.

I found sometimes waiting 45 minutes after they eat for a car ride also helps any possible nausea she could possibly be feeling. Also, calming music helps too, if you suspect it's anxiety. Classical or Native American Flute music (my guy loves that) works. But mainly showing Pepper the car is not scary and is a positive place is the main tactic.

As an aside, once she learns the car is not horrible, you can start working on "load in" or " load out" commands as you practice the drills. I would leave that until she likes the car though.

[deadrabbits]

When pepper rides in the car she does ride in the back next to our daughter. Most of the time she lays down right next to her car seat and rests. But lately she has become anxious and whiny. I do tell her good girl quietly and reassure her it's alright but don't amp her up. It seems like she does better in my truck when she is in the seat next to me. I'd did the treat thing last week without even realizing what I had done. I will have to do that more often.

I would do the crate in the car but because of beccas' car seat it won't fit in the car. This weekend I will start doing drills in the car and out without going anywhere. One thing I need to start is the load up and load out commands. I can't thank you all enough for your help

[deadrabbits]

So I have been drilling with pepper since I last posted and she is doing much better. We have been working on the load up/load out commands and she has picked both up. As for her whining in the car it has diminished. She might do it once or twice but not near as much. I have been rewarding her just as soon as she gets in and lays down and then sparsely as we travel either with a good girl or a treat. I have made sure to not get her worked up with excessive petting or verbal commands. I just try to make it as relaxing as possible. Thanks for everyone's help

[Stacy_R]

Glad to hear she is making progress!!!