Open the rear door and place another treat. Exit the car then go for another short walk then come back.Keep doing this until your dog looks comfortable. Make sure the car is not too hot and the engine is turned off. If your pet jumps in, give him some more treats and play with him gently for a few minutes. Try to lure your dog by placing another high-value treat on the seat. Come back to the car and open the rear door and sit down.For older and very small dogs, consider getting a ramp. Doing so will only increase their anxiety. If your pet jumps in the seat then go inside to sit with him but if not, go for another short walk. If not, try to lure your pet by placing a high-value treat on the rear seat not too far from the door for your pet to easily take it. Have your pet sit outside the car and give your dog a high value treat like a piece of chicken then go for a short walk then come back to the car. Begin by gradually and subtly re-associating your car with pleasant memories.Is your dog suddenly scared of car rides? If you are trying to figure out how to cure dog car anxiety, desensitize your dog to car rides through counter-conditioning! You would accomplish this by combining something your dog enjoys more than his fear of car rides or that enjoyment outweighs the discomfort. In other words, your goal is to calm your dog in the car by creating enjoyable situations.ĭesensitization: In simple terms, desensitization dog training involves gradually introducing a normally disliked stimulus at a very slow pace, building familiarity until your dog no longer dislikes that stimulus!Ĭounter-Conditioning: You’re changing the way your pet feels toward a situation or object (in this case the car). How to Cure Dog Car Anxietyĭespite any one of the issues above, you can still teach your dog to love car rides! Through careful, gradual training, help your pet form positive associations with the car and car rides.Ĭongratulate your dog for getting into the car with enthusiastic praise! Entice your dog with tasty food rewards and treats! Provide plenty of entertaining toys!īy using reward-based positive reinforcement, you can easily teach your dog to love car rides. You want your dog to feel like car rides are rewarding! Your pet is being treated to this amazing new experience, as opposed to dreading a fearful punishment. Have you ever become so frustrated with your dog for refusing to hop in the car, you’ve lost your temper? Has this dog been screamed at or punished for refusing to leave? Though no one wants to actually admit to it, this type of aversive punishment will nearly always increase a dog’s anxiety toward the car. Forcing trips might only make your dog’s intense anxiety worse, no matter how gentle you are.įor extreme situations like the examples above, you might want to discuss anxiety medication with your veterinarian. Like nearly any other traumatic situation, it may take very slow desensitization work (see below) from an experienced behaviorist to diminish fear at this level. The tormentor is the car this time, instead of other dogs or abusive humans. That bait dog will have such an intense fear of other dogs, not even the most educated behaviorist in the world will have an easy time curing it completely!ĭogs can suffer from PTSD just as easily as humans can! Unfortunately, they lack the same coping mechanisms we’ve spent hundreds of years developing. In both of these cases, the dogs would have developed an intense fear of their tormentors. a ‘Bait’ dog), or an abused shelter rescue cowering in the corner of his cage in an attempt to seem as small and non-threatening as possible. Diphenhydramine (Benadryl) per pound of bodyweight to help calm your dog and eliminate motion sickness simultaneously. Perhaps you’ve slammed on the brakes too many times, sending your furry friend catapulting into the back of your seat.Įnsuring a smooth ride is probably the best way to teach your dog to love car rides in this case. Motion Sicknessĭoes your dog become queasy, sick, or disoriented when traveling in your car? Have you noticed your pet vomiting during car rides? Maybe your suspension isn’t that great, and the ride is just very rough. Without understanding the exact cause, you’re shooting in the dark. In fact, this is true of nearly any unwanted dog behavior. You’ll need to understand the root cause of your dog’s fear before you can truly begin to change this unwanted behavior. Why is your dog so anxious in the car anyway? When did this dog car anxiety get so bad, and what led to it? If you’re wondering how to calm a dog in the car, consider why he is upset in the first place.
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