car rides

[jackie]

can anyone offer advice on making car rides a bit easier?

my dog just goes crazy in the car, crying and whining and jumping all over the place. its gotten to the point where i just don't want to take him anywhere with me.

[Pit Chick]

He may be one of those few dogs that is not comfortable riding in cars. You could try a few different things to make the ride more pleasant for him:

-When he isn't whining or jumping around, give him treats for being good and praise him.

-Put on some soothing music.

-Give him a chewy to keep him occupied in the backseat.

-Get him a doggy seatbelt.

-If it is mandatory for him to go somewhere, you could crate him in the backseat, of course this will only work depending on the size of the dog and crate.

-Make a few short trips to fun places. He probably relates a ride in the car with a shot in the butt and it makes him nervous, so if you change the outcome he may learn to relax.

I hope this helps.

[Pit Chick]

He may be one of those few dogs that is not comfortable riding in cars. You could try a few different things to make the ride more pleasant for him:

-When he isn't whining or jumping around, give him treats for being good and praise him.

-Put on some soothing music.

-Give him a chewy to keep him occupied in the backseat.

-Get him a doggy seatbelt.

-If it is mandatory for him to go somewhere, you could crate him in the backseat, of course this will only work depending on the size of the dog and crate.

-Make a few short trips to fun places. He probably relates a ride in the car with a shot in the butt and it makes him nervous, so if you change the outcome he may learn to relax.

I hope this helps.

[Pit Chick]

Oops, sorry about the double post.

[jackie]

ok, thanks for the reply

i think the reason he gets so excited is because he only goes in the car to go to the beach, or as you said "to get a shot in the butt". i think i am going to look into one of those dog seat belts, but i have a feeling he would find a way outta of them pretty quick, LOL.

[schteve_d]

If that's the case (him being excited), what worked for Buddy was to take him in the car all the time (not less). If I was running to the store for milk, I'd take them, and all sorts of other meaningless errands and Bud soon figured out the car wasn't always so damn exciting!! If the only place you ever take him in the car is somewhere that he is terribly excited to go, then of course he will be excited to be in the car, you need to make it a menial task (in my humble opinion).