My dog HATES the car - help please!

UK0106

Hi all

I'm hoping to get some advice about my dog and travelling in the car.

I've had Alfie for just over a year now and he's around 19 months old. I believe I posted on here when I first got him about him peeing submissively. I'm pleased to say he's definitely grown out of that (except for the odd wee in front of extremely large dogs at the vets :rotfl:).

He does, however, remain a very nervy dog and gets trembly and slinky at the slightest little thing (bless his little heart).

Anyway, after I got him, it took a good 3 months before I managed to persuade him to get into the car by himself which was a victory in itself.

He has always disliked the car and groans like an old man when I turn corners or go round mini roundabouts but recently, he's suddenly decided that he doesn't want to get into the car at all. It's gotten so bad that he actually runs off and hides in the tiny shrubs outside the house so that I have to go and get him.

Picking him up and putting him into the car myself is not a hardship (he's a 4kg Yorkie) but he also starts really trembling really badly once he's in. After about 5 minutes, he stops trembling but will not respond to me or come to me at all whilst in the car (even when it's parked and the engine is off).

I think that part of his fear is because he feels unstable whislt in the car (hence the groaning when going around corners) and I've tried a few things to help him with this:

• a dog seatbelt (he was really panicky when he had this on)
• a dog carrier (he wouldn't even get into this)
• a small cushion pad for him to lay on (this was the most successful but he was still pretty much rigid whilst the car was moving)
• a dog booster seat which is like a box that has a harness to go over and around the car seat (this is the current try and he won't relax at all in it so)
• dog in the back of the car
• dog in the front of the car
• dog in the foot well

I've now started to try using treats to encourage him into the car and reward him once he's in his seat and when I park up but this isn't really having any effect.

Does anybody have any ideas about how to resolve this?

Not having him in the car isn't an option because he stays with my mum every weekday and is with me when I'm out at weekend (so it's a minimum of 2 car trips per day).

Thanks in advance.
UK0106

chris_n_tj

How about tying a large cat carrier, being a littlie a large one will be big enough. I would also secure it with the seat belt so its safe, and put a cover over it.
I read you tried a carrier but he wont go in it? Lol put him in it and show him you are the boss not him. Sorry but it sounds like he thinks he is the boss ( I know we all go through it)
I really think a carrier will help, once in and covered up it will help to settle him down. You could try using it at home to get him used to it. Maybe put him in it indoors and then carry him out to the car in it.
These little rascals thinks because they are small they can get away with playing up. I know because I have a Bichon that used to think he was the boss, he now knows I am and sulking gets him nowhere.
Good luck xx


PS if you read the highway code it does tell you that all animals in cars must be fastened in for their own safety. So foot well is a big no-no, well it is for me. xx

pinkshoes

Our dog used to love the car as he associated it with nice things at the other end, like woodland or river walks.

Could you give him a really special treat once he gets out the car at the destination?

Statt by putting him in the carrier inside the house, then carrying him out to the car until he is willing to get in himself.

calicocat

If it was me (having had a dog who was ballistic about diesel car after) and also dog-sitting a friends dog who did the same at a young age for apparently no reason (sounds like yours).

With the friends dog...I went for really small trips in the car that he knew would end up with something good at the end. I varied this between food and walks to somewhere new and exciting.

He was scared of most things, but after a few months of it he would run to the car to get in as he knew it was going to be ok.

Personally, i'm not an advocate of locking them in a cage and blocking all visuals...especially if you are doing thins every day. He needs to get to where he loves it and is excited about where he is going next.



I would say really important is to ignore any negative behaviour (like talking to him when he's shaking etc....ignore this and reward any positive behaviour.

What about the car do you think he hates?....motion?....noise?. It may seem like motion but could be some noise?.

teddysmum

You could spend time just sitting in the car with him, then progress to running the engine very briefly , then progress to short journeys; all done very gradually.


My dogs have always loved cars. In fact , a stray we took in, hated cars, according to his previous owners (when traced). We persuaded them to let us keep him and he continued to love our car ....and the neighbour's, because he jumped into that a couple of times.

Katiehound

For safety reasons he needs to be secure- seat belt or crate / carrier just like a small child. If you brake suddenly he would fly through the air putting himself and passengers in danger.

I would be inclined to put him in the car, shut the door, pretend to drive off....instead unload and then go back in the house for a few times. If you can park the car off the road let him sit in the car for short sessions with something yummy .

I had a dog who used to get very agitated. I tried using the adaptil spray- I'm not sure it did any good- but worth a try.

it rather depends what is making him so nervous. One of mine is a bit unsure of the outside world so I tend to cover the window sides of his crate

UK0106

chris_n_tj wrote: »

How about tying a large cat carrier, being a littlie a large one will be big enough. I would also secure it with the seat belt so its safe, and put a cover over it.
I read you tried a carrier but he wont go in it? Lol put him in it and show him you are the boss not him. Sorry but it sounds like he thinks he is the boss ( I know we all go through it)
I really think a carrier will help, once in and covered up it will help to settle him down. You could try using it at home to get him used to it. Maybe put him in it indoors and then carry him out to the car in it.
These little rascals thinks because they are small they can get away with playing up. I know because I have a Bichon that used to think he was the boss, he now knows I am and sulking gets him nowhere.
Good luck xx


PS if you read the highway code it does tell you that all animals in cars must be fastened in for their own safety. So foot well is a big no-no, well it is for me. xx

Sorry, I should have clarified. He wouldn't get into the carrier so I put him into it - big mistake because then he was even more scared of it .

It was a little bit small so maybe I could try a larger one though.

Oh, and I know exactly what you mean. Sometimes he does seem to be under the impression that he's in charge and can do whatever he wants. Good job I love him :rotfl:

UK0106

calicocat wrote: »

I would say really important is to ignore any negative behaviour (like talking to him when he's shaking etc....ignore this and reward any positive behaviour.

What about the car do you think he hates?....motion?....noise?. It may seem like motion but could be some noise?.

I made the mistake of tryingto soothe him when he was trembling and groaning when he was younger and I think that made him worse so I definitely don't make that mistake anymore. I don't even look at him when it happens now (easily done because he's in the back seat anyway).

I think it's the motion he doesn't like simply because of the groaning and squeaking he does when we're turning and/or when I pull away from traffic lights too fast.

I suppose he could be scared of the noise too. TBH, he's pretty much scared of his own shadow sometimes. He's the dog that sees a large rock or a carrier bag on a walk and won't even walk past it!

UK0106

Thanks for the replies.

I put him into the dog seat this morning and clipped the harness to his collar (which caused no end of problems when he tried to hop out of the seat when we reached our destination, realised he was linked to the seat and flipped out!).

He didn't seem to tremble or groan as much as possible but it could be just wishful thinking on my part.

I've been giving him a treat as soon as he gets into the car, at a couple of the traffic lights and once I've parked and turned the engine off.

I wish I could figure out what made him stop wanting to get into the car in the first place. As I said in my original post, after his initial issues, he used to hop straight in and wasn't half as nervous up until a few weeks ago.

Sander_W

He's anxious. Our welsh terrier is the same - makes a whimpering noise until we get onto the motorway when he then lies down.

We have used Zylkene before which are herbal tablets for anxiety and I definitely think these helped. Just one in his food in the morning if youre going out in the car in the afternoon etc. Might help?

Cyberman60

Are you sure it's the car and not your driving