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If your dog is afraid to go near your vehicle, the inability to take her with you to the vet, for outings, and whenever moving will cause a great deal of stress. If your dog runs to the end of the leash in a panic whenever a car passes, it can make walking him almost impossible. The good news is that by training your dog one step at a time and creating positive associations to replace his fearful ones, you can overcome his fear of cars.
1. Overcoming Fear of Passing Cars
- Do not pet and soothe your anxious dog. Petting is a reward, so petting him when he is anxious will only reinforce the behavior.
- Do not scold or physically punish your dog for being afraid. Yelling at him will only intensify his fear.
- Do not try to “cure” your dog by making him confront his fear. This will only increase his fear, not remove it.
Know the signs of fear and of relaxation in your dog. Your dog might bark or lunge at the end of the leash when a car passes, but this is only an extreme display of anxiety. To train him, you’ll need to know when he is even mildly anxious, so you can go slow, and when he is relaxed, so you can move on to the next step.
- Common signs of fear are trembling, panting, whining, drooling, cowering, and tucking his tail.
- Signs that your dog is relaxed include relaxed posture, normal breathing, tails and ears held normally (not tucked or lowered), wagging, and eating at a normal pace.
Let your dog hear traffic noises at home. Start by opening the windows when you are playing with your dog or feeding him, so that he can start to associate the noise of cars with pleasurable activities
Expose your dog to cars at a distance. Once or twice a day, take your dog to a place in a park or a part of your yard that is far enough away from the street that your dog shows no fearful reaction when a car passes.
- Reward your dog with treats every time a car passes and praise him for staying calm.
- Do this for about a minute, then go inside or walk around the park for a couple of minutes before returning to the traffic for another minute.
- In all, expose your dog to traffic for a minute at a time, 5 or 6 times per training session.
- For the next session, increase the time your dog is exposed to traffic to 1.5 minutes. Continue gradually increasing the time from session to session
Add a command. Giving your dog something to do can help to distract him from passing cars. As you gradually move closer to traffic, start giving a command like “touch” or “look here” whenever you see a car coming. Give your dog a treat when he obeys
- If your dog is not able to focus on you or obey your commands because of traffic, take a break, move further from the traffic, and try again.
Wait until your dog shows no sign of fear at each stage before moving closer. Sometimes it might take 2 or 3 weeks of training before your dog relaxes at a given distance. Other times it might happen in days. Always wait until your dog is relaxed and calm before moving closer.
Walk your dog near traffic. Once your dog can deal with near-by passing cars while standing still, it’s time to start practicing while walking. However, if the dog shows signs of fear, do not force him to continue as this will only heighten and reinforce his anxiety. Bring plenty of treats, and just as you did while stationary, have your dog perform a command whenever you see a car coming. Give your dog a treat when he obeys.
Train your dog to walk a particular route. For extremely fearful dogs, it is often best to start with one particular route where they feel safe. If your dog is still having trouble walking near cars, consider conditioning him to walk a particular route – such as the path to your local park.
- Teach your dog to walk home first. Drive a quarter block from home along the path you will take, get out and walk home. If your dog pulls out of fear, stop and wait for him to stop pulling before you start again. Moving towards “safety” is his reward for good behavior. Be sure to keep distracting and treating your dog whenever cars pass.
- Each day, drive a quarter of a block further away along the path until you are driving him to the park and walking him home. Spend 1-2 weeks walking your dog home from the park.
- Next, teach your dog to walk to the park. Start by parking a quarter block from the park, walk him there, play, and then walk home.
- Continue adding a quarter block to your walk to the park each day until you are leaving from your home, walking to the park, and walking home.
2. Overcoming Fear of Car Travel
Check for travel sickness before assuming your dog is afraid of the car for any other reasons. If not addressed, a simple case of motion sickness can be compounded by anxiety brought on by associating the car with sickness. See your vet for advice about medication that can alleviate the motion sickness. Some symptoms of motion sickness include:
Whining and pacing
Excessive drooling
Lethargy
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Make your car comfortable for your dog. Creating an environment that is comfortable and enjoyable for your dog will make overcoming his fears much easier and in some cases, may solve your dog’s dislike of the car.
- Ensure that his harness fits properly or that his crate is the right size.
- Provide a blanket or toy that is special for your dog to help reassure him and to give him something to concentrate on.
- Ensure adequate air flow and a cool temperature. Never leave your dog in a car with the windows closed because the car will overheat and can kill your dog.
- Get rid of air fresheners. Any overwhelming smell in a car can be too much for your dog’s sensitive nose. Also avoid wearing too much perfume in the car.
Watch for signs of fear and of relaxation in your dog. To train him, you’ll need to know when he is uncomfortable, so you can back off, and when he is relaxed, so you can move on to the next step.
- Dogs who are afraid will often tremble, pant, whine, drool, cower, or tuck their tails.
- Relaxed dogs will adopt a relaxed posture, breath normally, hold their tails and ears normally (not tucked or lowered), wag, and eat at a normal pace
Do not take your dog on car trips if he is afraid. Trips in the car will only reinforce his fear, so avoid them, save for emergencies, until you've overcome his fear through desensitization (making him less sensitive to the experience) and counterconditioning (creating pleasant associations with the car to replace the negative ones).
Start by teaching your dog to approach the car without fear. When you go for a walk, give your dog a treat as you pass near the car. Play games like fetch or tug-of-war near the car. Feed your dog near the car, starting further away and moving the bowl progressively closer. When your dog shows no anxiety while eating or walking near your car, you are ready for the next step.
- Train your dog to spend time in the car while it is not moving. You may need to lure your dog into the car with treats at first. While he is in the car continue to give treats or give him a chew bone or treat filled KONG. Leave the door open, and take these treats away when your dog leaves the car. Practice this once or twice a day for a week or two.
- If it the engine starting that frightens your dog, try turning the car on before he gets in. You can attempt to desensitize him, or simply continue starting the car before putting your dog in it.
- When your dog is comfortable in the car, start closing the door.
- As your dog’s comfort increases, try feeding him in the car.
Turn the ignition on. Once your dog is comfortable in the car, try starting it with him in it. If your dog shows anxiety, then you might want to desensitize him. Start by starting the car with your dog nearby, but not in it. Have someone give treats as the car starts. Once your dog is comfortable, move him into the car and repeat the process
Move the car a few feet and back. Drive your car down the driveway or a few feet down the street. Stop and with the engine running give your dog some treats or have a quick play session. Move back to your parking spot and end the session. Continue this until your dog is totally relaxed during these sessions
Take short, fun trips. You want to make your dog’s first training drives in the car short, with a fun destination – preferably a park or hiking trail your dog enjoys. If there is one within a block or two, head there. If not, get in your car without your dog and drive it to within one or two blocks of your destination. Then, walk your dog to the car and drive the short remaining distance. Afterwards, walk your dog home.
- Continue until your dog is comfortable with this short trip.
- Park further and further away as your dog grows comfortable in the car.
Add more fun destinations. You want your dog to see the car not as a place of fear, but as a place of treats leading to wonderful destinations. Once your dog can handle short trips, try gradually longer ones to places he loves like friend’s houses, pet stores, or other parks.
Drive on the highway. Uninterrupted motion makes dogs sleepy and will help your dog to relax in the car. The highway is a great way to get your dog accustomed to longer trips in a relaxed manner
3. Introducing Your Puppy to Car Travel
Familiarize your puppy with the vehicle as early as possible. A puppy under three months will be easier to train to get used to a vehicle than an older dog. The best way to overcome fear of your car is to avoid it in the first place with early training
Teach your puppy that the car is a fun place. Before you take any trips with your puppy, introduce him to the car so that he can grow accustomed to it. Especially in the summer, make sure the car is running so you can keep it cool. This will also help your dog grow accustomed to the sound of the motor. To help your puppy get comfortable:
- Place a bed on the seat so your dog is comfortable and doesn’t slip on the upholstery.
- Feed you your puppy meals in the car.
- Give your dogs treats, such as a stuffed KONG or bone to chew on.
Get your puppy accustomed to being restrained in either a crate or under a harness for travel. Always travel with your dog restrained for his safety. When introducing your dog to the car, it is important that he wear the same restraint he will when traveling, or go in a carrier if that is how you will transport him.
- If using a harness, you can practice putting it on in your home before trying it in the car. Give your dog lots of treats when you put it on, then take it off. Gradually increase the amount of time he wears it, eventually giving him a bone or chew toy to play with while in the harness.
- If using a crate, you should crate train your dog before trying the crate in the car.
Start with short rides. Dogs often suffer from motion sickness during their first few car rides, so you’ll want to keep your puppies first trips short. Start with just going in and out of the driveway and gradually build up to more.
- For the first 2-3 days, just back out of the driveway or drive a few feet down the street, then return to you parking place. Do this once or twice a day.
- Next, try driving around the block for a couple of days.
- Move on to a five minute drive. As long as your dog shows no signs of anxiety – panting, trembling, whining, cowering, or drooling – you can slowly increase the lengthy of trips over several weeks.
Take your dog to places he likes. If you only use the car to take your dog to the vet, your dog is not going to like the car. Especially when you dog is a puppy, try to have most car trips end somewhere fun, like the park, the hiking trail, a pet store, a friend’s house, or a dog park. If your dog is anticipating the destination, he won’t mind the drive so much
Have your dog get in and out of the car by himself as soon as he can. Especially for bigger breeds, teaching your dog to get in and out by himself will save you a lot of back pain when he is full grown.
- Getting In – Pick a command word like “in” for entering the car. If necessary, use treats to lure your dog into the car at first. Be sure to use the command word as your dog enters, so he starts to associate the word with the action.
- Getting Out – Pick a command word like “out”. It is very important to teach you dog to wait to leave the car until asked. Teach your dog “wait” at home. Have your dog wait in the car, then get out on command. Practice with a leash on at first, to be sure your dog won’t run off.
Be patient. All training takes time. It may be weeks until your dog is comfortable with cars.
If at any time your dog has a meltdown, you'll need to return a few steps to build up her courage again. See this as a temporary detour in the learning process
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