Q for dog people re: vehicles

[CEO]

As most of you know (http://www.nestreetriders.com/forum/...m-georgie.html), I got a dog about a week ago.

He is ~2.5 years old, he was a stray in the south brought up to a shelter in MA about 6 months ago, a couple adopted him and their elderly mother had to move in with them and didn't like dogs (I would have just nursing homed her ass, but I digress...), they returned him to the shelter reluctantly, and then I rescued him. He is fantastic.

My question is as follows:

He seems to be very afraid of vehicles. Maybe the people didn't take him anywhere. When I show him to get up in the truck by patting the floor and then patting his bed on the seat, he jumps right up no problem. But then he starts shaking a bit and is clearly nervous. As we drive he seems to breathe much quicker/heavier and can't seem to get comfortable or calm down. When I open the door afterwards he is insane, wanting to get out... he even tries to jump down directly from the seat which is quite high and would likely hurt him, I have to stop him and show him floor first, then ground. On the second day I had him he even threw up in the truck (i'm sure he was more nervous then with the transition though so maybe that was other stuff too).

The truck is quite large, the other day I took him in a car and he did a little better but was still shaking and scared. I have tried petting him while I drive and telling him it's ok and that he's a good boy, giving him a treat, etc.

Any ideas for getting him comfortable with vehicles, besides just more and more experience riding in them?

I don't mind sternly training a dog for good and bad behavior, but when I see him so scared it really breaks my heart.

[imkindafkedup]

I can't speak from experience here because both of my dogs have been great in the car. But maybe try many short trips in the car. Leave home and come back home in 3 minutes, leave home come back in 5 minutes, etc. Have a positive destination besides home, try parks or places your dog may enjoy.

[OreoGaborio]

Not a bad idea, Mike.

Another possibility is not even go anywhere at all. Just have the dog get in & out repeatedly, hang out in the truck, play in the truck... just let him get accustomed to being in or around it without the stress of travel.

[CEO]

I can't speak from experience here because both of my dogs have been great in the car. But maybe try many short trips in the car. Leave home and come back home in 3 minutes, leave home come back in 5 minutes, etc. Have a positive destination besides home, try parks or places your dog may enjoy.

That makes sense.

I was trying to think if long trips or lots of short trips would be better for him getting used to it.

And yes most everywhere I've taken him the past week is a good destination... parks, fields, etc... so hopefully that will help him positively associate

[butcher bergs]

First off, DON'T pet him and tell him he's a good boy when he's visibly nervous. As difficult as it might be to do this on your part, you don't want him to make certain associations.

If he's eager to jump in, I'd say have him do that, leave the door open and have him stay in the truck as you begin to back away.....leave the door open the entire time. Practice this as often as possible until he shows you that it's no longer a huge ordeal to be in the vehicle.

Do not show anger toward anything when it comes to riding in the vehicle. You might want to promote the experience as a positive thing...like a treat only better.

Between his nerves and a likely new experience of riding in a truck, his stomach is probably doing loops.

Give it time and be patient. That's about all I have.

[imkindafkedup]

how is your dog with other dogs?

[CEO]

Thanks bergs.

And Mike all in all I'm not really sure. to our older family dog he seems uninterested. ON walks I've seen him get nervous and bark a little, I've also seem him sniff and walk away.

In general I think he might be a little protective, I see it especially as he gets to know me better and seems to perk up at strangers until he sees that they don't mean harm.

Who knows what he's been through in his life, that's why I wanted to ask here and be careful of how I do things.

I think I'm going to do some training classes with him probably

[Stoneman]

Yip, never - NEVER react to a dog's undesired behavior by telling them it's okay or coddling them. He'll get over it. Likewise, do NOT get all up in his face about shit like this either. It'll just make him that much more nervous about this whole thing. Chances are his drive up from down south was quite impressionable and it'll take some time & your understanding to get him over it...

My best advice would be to make sure ANYTIME you take him ANYWHERE it ends GOOD, no matter. Another thing that seems to help is leaving your windows cracked a bit. Not just A window, at least a couple. I don't think it matters so much the length, just that he ALWAYS associates a ride with YOU as a good thing. It may take months though, just be patient...

For vomiting, do NOT feed him him treats nor let him drink for at least a coupla hours before taking him. That's NOT helping. Wait 'til he gets used to the whole driving thing before you start relaxing with that...

Again, you need to remember what he's been through. That drive - while I'm sure was handled carefully, was probably NOT a very pleasant experience for him. He'll need to know for certain that the ride is NOT gonna end up the same as the one he didn't like...

I dunno, I'm half in it...

[CEO]

Yip, never - NEVER react to a dog's undesired behavior by telling them it's okay or coddling them. He'll get over it. Likewise, do NOT get all up in his face about shit like this either. It'll just make him that much more nervous about this whole thing. Chances are his drive up from down south was quite impressionable and it'll take some time & your understanding to get him over it...

My best advice would be to make sure ANYTIME you take him ANYWHERE it ends GOOD, no matter. Another thing that seems to help is leaving your windows cracked a bit. Not just A window, at least a couple. I don't think it matters so much the length, just that he ALWAYS associates a ride with YOU as a good thing. It may take months though, just be patient...

For vomiting, do NOT feed him him treats nor let him drink for at least a coupla hours before taking him. That's NOT helping. Wait 'til he gets used to the whole driving thing before you start relaxing with that...

Again, you need to remember what he's been through. That drive - while I'm sure was handled carefully, was probably NOT a very pleasant experience for him. He'll need to know for certain that the ride is NOT gonna end up the same as the one he didn't like...

I dunno, I'm half in it...

Good points first two paragraphs, thanks Jay. I guess I'll really just stoneface it with him while we're riding. ANd yes all the trips have been for fun, to the park, etc.

And he hasn't vomited since... he seemed nervous and threw up a couple times those first few days also not in the truck... I was just giving an example to show how nervous he is. None since and stool seems to be doing better as well. But yeah just to make sure I'll avoid feeding/water/etc directly before the rides for the time being.

I hadn't thought about the trip up here... yes it was in a big truck probably... maybe that's what has him scared.

THanks guys

[Femmekat]

Some dogs do actually get really car sick... If he vomits any more you may want to try an anti naseau medication called Cerenia you can get at your vet... But yes, I agree short positive trips are the way to go for now.

[Stoneman]

Good points first two paragraphs, thanks Jay. I guess I'll really just stoneface it with him while we're riding. ANd yes all the trips have been for fun, to the park, etc.

And he hasn't vomited since... he seemed nervous and threw up a couple times those first few days also not in the truck... I was just giving an example to show how nervous he is. None since and stool seems to be doing better as well. But yeah just to make sure I'll avoid feeding/water/etc directly before the rides for the time being.

I hadn't thought about the trip up here... yes it was in a big truck probably... maybe that's what has him scared.

THanks guys

We went through the same thing with our last rescue (holy fuck, I'm getting choked up just mentioning him). It took a coupla months, but worth it...

Some dogs do actually get really car sick... If he vomits any more you may want to try an anti naseau medication called Cerenia you can get at your vet... But yes, I agree short positive trips are the way to go for now.

Yeah, dogs get car sick. But this happens a lot with rescues that've had unpleasant LONG trips across the country...

[Femmekat]

Yeah, dogs get car sick. But this happens a lot with rescues that've had unpleasant LONG trips across the country...

Yes... I agree a long unpleasant trip doesn't help, but the dogs it affects are typically predisposed towards having some anxiety already. The 3 rescues I brought from Kentucky all loved to be in the truck... and the 50 dogs I transported from Louisiana to Colorado after Hurricane Katrina all had zero issues with car travel after. Usually there are multiple components involved...so taking all of them into consideration is a good approach.

[boloson]

Does he have afavorite toy or treat? Throw it in the truck. Key is to always associate positive things with whatever he's not comfortable with.

[Pigman]

My 2Cents.......I would say he is just a bit car shy and probably not had tons of seat time or is just not a car dog. Give him a replacement behavior as positive reinforcement help cope with the fear, treats ect. Make it a destination that is Fun for him Dog Park, swimming, trails ect that really fires him up gets his mind off the bad. He will come around more as he relies and looks to you as alpha and will be a lot more settled its prety early still but yet I am sure you have seen a change in him...

[Chippertheripper]

I'm just guessing he's nervous you're taking him back to the shelter.

[union]

Like others said just take him around with you. My dog didnt really care for the car at first. When I got him from the shelter I actually had to pick him up and put him in. We were just lucky once he gets in the car he goes to sleep.

If you have time in the morning take him with you to get a coffee. Its a nice short ride and typically the people in the drive thru love to see dogs. Mine gets a good reaction because of his goolges. I bring mine with me to the shop. He gets extremely excited when we get there because of Pete. Even is Pete isnt there the first thing he does is run over to his desk to check.

Make it a positive experience he will start to enjoy it a little. Mine now hops right up into the truck and sits down in his seat

[DocCola]

Great points brought up here. The only thing I can add is start getting him excited before going for a ride. For example, with my dog, if I even say the words ride/truck/car he will think there is a chance he is going for a ride and will therefore get all excited.

A small disclaimer: I resucued Rai (a pit) from a neglectuful and somewhat abusive home in Washington. He was severly under weight, scared and quite skittish when I picked him up. Wouldn't stop shaking in my car back then. It took a LOT of hard work with him, everything from training him NOT to scarf down all his food the second it was put on the floor to getting him more comfortable with going for rides. One thing that breaks my heart to this day though is a can't take off my belt if he is in the same room because he quivers/shakes and looks scared out of his mind. I can only imagine what his previous owner did to him.

Back on topic, with Rai and getting him to look FORWARD to a car ride I would do simple things like get him psyched up before we left. Started out like "hey Rai, wanna go to the park? Wanna play? Let's go let's go...etc." Then when we were in the car I would act all excited. "Wow Rai, we're going for a ride" "Look at that" or other things so that my positive mood rubbed off on him. I also always made sure he had at least one window open enough so he could stick his nose out and so he wouldn't feel claustrophobic (sp?) in the car.

Eventually he got a lot better, to the point where I could be sitting in the house and say just in general "Wanna go for a ride?" and he would perk right up and be rip-roaring and ready to go.

Best of luck Chris, I know first hand it isn't easy to see them "suffer," still breaks my heart that Rai is so scared of belts, but in the end the reward is totally worth it. Just remember, dogs are like babies they feed off of OUR mood, even more so I think at times. Be super postive, even if you think maybe you seem a little crazy, it's more than worth it.

[Tricky Mike]

Truck too big. Human too small. Shake. Puke. Escape.

[BLACK SQUIRREL]

have you tried the rolled up newspaper trick?

[Pittenger5]

Does he have afavorite toy or treat? Throw it in the truck. Key is to always associate positive things with whatever he's not comfortable with.

If hes got a favorite blanket or something that he sleeps on, throw it in the truck with him.

[ChrisNoF4i]

have you tried the rolled up newspaper trick?

Or peanut butter on your gear shift?

[TheIglu]

My dog is still this way. Been over two years.

He's gotten better over time, but still is not fond of car rides. Drools heavily, used to vomit, used to shake.

Now we toss his bed in there, he jumps up by himself (after 10 minutes of coaxing), lays down in his bed and is fine for hours. He still hates car rides, but the more we take him places, the better it gets.

Took him up to VT two weeks ago. Put his bed in the back of the new truck (with a cap, first time with one). Put him in there, he layed down. Hour and 45 later we were in VT. Opened the tailgate, he jumped out and was fine. Didn't like the ride, but he puts up with it.

Some dogs just don't like cars. Ours was a shelter and southern rescue. Just take him anywhere and everywhere. I agree with the advice here that says not to make a big deal out of going for a ride. I used to, rewarding him, paying lots of attention, etc. Didn't help. Just treat it like the ride is no big deal. Once we started doing that, Otis got lots more "ok" with rides. I hope to take him with me wherever and whenever I can. Gets him out of the house and with me, which is where I prefer him.

Of course the first day I took him away with me for an entire day is the day the house got broken into, so I digress. Damn cat didn't fend off shit.

[Bonk!]

What about keeping him in a crate until he gets comfortable in the truck? Maybe if he has a small area with his blanket in there he might be more at ease?

[Garandman]

I adopted a Lab that had been left in a vehicle alone for extended periods by the previous owner. He would flip out if I left him in the car.

I started by getting out of the car but standing nearby. Then I increased the distance and duration. It took a good year for him to calm down.

My wife had a dog who never traveled well. She got a sedative from the vet when she had to take trips with him.

[CEO]

Thanks guys, ajay and james and co.

I can see now that trying to soothe and calm him while in the car may not have been the best idea so I will stop doing that.

Clayton I hope this doesn't end up that way, that sounds a little rough... based on him having no problem jumping right in I'm hoping we can get him more comfortable.

We went through the same thing with our last rescue (holy fuck, I'm getting choked up just mentioning him). It took a coupla months, but worth it...


Yeah, dogs get car sick. But this happens a lot with rescues that've had unpleasant LONG trips across the country...

I think you're onto something Jay.

No vomiting since so I don't think he's carsick... you and pigman are probably right about the nerves. He'll just have to learn.

Does he have afavorite toy or treat? Throw it in the truck. Key is to always associate positive things with whatever he's not comfortable with.

I already have been using one of his beds on the seat and a toy... doesn't seem to have a big effect.

have you tried the rolled up newspaper trick?

Looks like you will be getting the rolled up newspaper trick next time I see you, little man

What about keeping him in a crate until he gets comfortable in the truck? Maybe if he has a small area with his blanket in there he might be more at ease?

I won't be crating him at all, in the car or otherwise. And yes I've been using a bed of his. I have three beds that came with him.