My Dog Hates the car

kelcol

I have a 3 year old rough collie. she is brilliant in every way except the poor thing is petrified of the car. Now I have had her since she was 8 weeks old and every day I took her out in the car so she would get to like it. The opposite happened I'm afraid.. I have tried so many things like putting a treat in the car, even once I put a leg of lamb in beside her and she never touched it!!!
Does anyone know what I can do, I feel so sorry for her we always like to bring her everywhere with us but we get so turned off bringing her when she doesn't want to get into the car and looks sooo sad!!:(

Beth

Do you know why she doesnt like the car?
Does it make her sick? If it does, then she associates car=sick. No one likes getting sick!! If she gets sick, you can give her a bit of a gingernut biscuit. The ginger will keep the nausea at bay.

If its fear, then it will take a lot of patience and time.

Take her out and play with her around the car with the boot open, if you put her in the boot, or the door open if you put her on a seat.
Do this a few times a day for a few days.

Then you can try sitting on the ground leaning against the car. Every time she approaches you, get her to give you a behaviour - ie sit, down, etc. Get her mind changing from "oh big horrible car" to "must sit" and use it to divert her attention. If she's too scared to do that, you can offer her a treat for getting as far as approaching you at the car.

If you put her in the boot, then sit on the lip of the boot! Read a book, a magazine etc and any time she approaches you, do the same as above.

Get her to sit in the boot with you, not going anywhere, while you read or play Nintendo or something As long as she is calm she can get a treat. Give her her dinner in there. Its the same as crate training - make it a great place to be.

Then you get out and sit/hang around the back of the car (if she's in the boot) and read, and again as long as she is calm she can get a treat.

Start closing down the boot a bit, a small bit at a time. As long as she is calm she gets a treat

If you can manage to close the boot and she's calm after a few days/weeks, you're doing well and can go sit in the drivers seat. If she remains calm, give her a treat

Start the engine but dont go anywhere. Read your book. If she's calm she gets a treat.

Drive a few feet, as long as she is calm, she gets a treat

Drive more than a few feet, and as long as she is calm you can pull in and give her a treat.

If she's not calm at any of the stages, you're going too fast so go back to where she was calm and repeat repeat repeat.

All the steps need to be done many many times, over the course of a few days, then you can move on to the next step and repeat repeat repeat over another few days.

It will probably take you weeks, but its worth it in the end.

Try to use really high value treats - something she goes nuts for when she's not around the car.
If she's not one for treats you can use a favourite toy.

Consistency, repeating each step many times, and patience is the key.

Good luck

getz

my bulldog is the same when he is in the car he starts panting ---i was told by a dog trainer to leave the lead on him when he is in the car--the reasoning behind this is that the dog then knows he is still with you attached to the lead--it dident work with mine --but it may with yours

kelcol

Hi Beth, that is wonderful advice I will definetly try that with her. No she has never suffered from car sickness. I will let you know how we get on. Thanks again

Beth

Good luck

sorella

One of ours hated the car and was always sick. she hated the lead also.

We just left it all alone for a few weeks; when we moved we were dreading the journey. But she loved it and never a sign of sickness.

And was also then fine on a lead.

Maybe just stress and needed it to rest a wee while?

Our rescued collie hates and dreads a lead also; because she was left tied up 24/7 for months. We leave that alone a while then try again, and slowly she is more trusting now.