Help my dog is afraid of car rides!
Many dogs experience fear and anxiety when placed in a vehicle, and unfortunately, not many know why. Part of it may be that the only time your dog enters a vehicle is for a trip to a stressful location (veterinarian's office, shelter, a place he dislikes for whatever reason). The key to removing the anxiety is a fairly lengthy desensitization process. As with all desensitizing attempts, things must be taken slowly. Each step should be taken over the course of a few days. This allows your dog to get used to a non-threatening environment enough so that he or she will learn to associate the car with good times, rather than stress-inducers.
Step One : Arm yourself with treats and goodies, and walk your dog around the car with the doors open a few times. Let him or her sniff wherever he likes, let him stick his head inside. If he handles this well, give him plenty of treats and praise. Do not treat if he shows anxiety, just continue to circle the car until he relaxes, then treat and praise.
Step Two : After a few days of circling your car (yes, I DO realize how silly you may look doing this, I've done it too), your dog should be relaxed in the presence of an unmoving vehicle. Today you once again arm yourself fully with drool-worthy treats, and leaving all the doors open and the car engine OFF, coax your dog trough the doors of your vehicle.
This is not as easy as it sounds by a long shot. While many dogs have no trouble actually entering a vehicle, some will be stressed out by the mere thought of being put into a car. If your dog is one of the latter, try these methods to find one that works for you. Also try to avoid forcing the dog into the car as this will set you back to Step One.
- Lure her into the vehicle using mouth-watering treats
- Throw a favourite fetch toy into the vehicle for her to retrieve
- Walk her through on a leash if she is well-trained to "heel" wherever the leash goes
- Have a favoured human sit in the vehicle and call her name
- Sit in the car yourself and wait until she's ready to enter on her own
Leave the doors of the car open so that your dog may leave at any time. Let her explore the vehicle at her own pace, making sure to always leave her exits open, and treat lavishly for every time she is in the vehicle. Ignore all anxiety from her. Do NOT coddle her, or try to reassure her, as this only reinforces the fear.
Step Three : Close the car doors when your dog is inside, but leave the windows open, and the car engine off. Pet her through the window. Talk to her. If she shows anxiety, ignore it, but if she sits calmly, reward her. Don't leave her in there long, just a few minutes at a time. Join her in the car too, but continue to leave the engine off.
Step Four : Start the car with your dog inside (who should now by calm inside, as well as outside). Don't leave the car, and don't leave the driveway, simply sit there with her a few times.
Step Five : By this time, your dog should be behaving calmly and relaxed inside the car with the engine running, and yourself in the driver's seat. After sitting in the car for a few minutes, take her for a short drive around the block. Just a short one though. Reward her relaxed posture, ignore any drooling and shaking. When you've returned to your home, lavishly reward her for a job well done. Repeat as necessary, this may be a short step, or a long one, dependent upon how quickly your dog realizes that the car is not delivering her to a place of terror.
Step Six : Take her someplace FUN. A dog park, a beach to run and swim at, somewhere fun for HER. It is very important to remember that dogs tend to associate delivery methods with the end result. If the end result of a car ride has always been a stressful vet visit, the association must be changed or your dog will never learn that the car delivers to fun places as well. I strongly recommend repeating this step at least four times a week, for the rest of your dog's life.
Happy travels!
