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Reactive Dog -Only In The Car


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No incidents, no accidents or frights of any kind, so it's a mystery.I've told him NO...and tell him to LAY DOWN...and he won't, not even for a treat. He is laying down after a while, but reluctantly and still whines incessantly ...and then gets up again and repeats the process.

Mmmm...maybe he gets motion sick? I sure wish our fur babies could talk.

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Mmmm...maybe he gets motion sick? I sure wish our fur babies could talk.

...don't I know it! I've thought of the motion sickness...my black lab had her space in the back, with a dog gate up, separating the cargo space and the seats. she got in willingly, and was excited to go on a trip..but as soon as the car started and was in motion, she curled up and slept most of the way. If she didn't, she looked out the back at where we just were, and that seemed to quell any sickness she felt.

 

I just ordered a gate for my SUV. The dogs will be back there, and we will see how that goes. Right now, tethered or not tethered, they are a danger to themselves as well as to us. Kitchee has started to screech (his is high pitched at the moment, lol!), just to add to his brother's whining...but you can tell he does not know WHY he is whining, just that he has to join and do as Wyot does. So, now, they both try to climb into the front seat! It'll figure itself out, I'm sure..but WHEW!!!

Edited by KittynDoc
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Maybe consider taking Kitchee for a separate ride occasionally so this doesn't turn into an automatic habit for him. Just a thought.

 

Thank you! I love all the wonderful support here...it really feels like a family...

 

We'vetaken Kitchee on rides by himself...and he is starting to be more active- peeking his little head over the seat hammock and being a little more vocal, lol! The last time he was being stepped on by Wyot, and I just took him on my lap and he curled up and went to sleep...

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  • 2 weeks later...

Well....just came back from one. Finally put the divider in the back and the two of them have the entire back of our SUV...he whines insanely and still dives, but at least it is further back from us. It seems he really feels stress at not being able to control his environment- ie. when we have deer in our field, he runs pretty close perimeter by them, but herds them out and doesn't go any further than our boundaries....so, I assume that is the stress he feels in the car.. Kitchee just stares at him, keeps quiet, or joins him in a stray yip or yap..but when I say quiet..he goes quiet. Not so Wyot. I do not know what to do about his situation, as we've tried every scenario, and training, etc...I'm at al loss. I do not yell at him or tell him to stop, as that only makes his stress worse.

 

I hope we will eventually figure it out, or he will mellow. Thanks for asking!

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  • 1 month later...

Sounds to me, he just doesn't like riding in the car. Just like being out in the field and watching to make sure everything is safe...he chose that job. Just maybe his other job is to make sure your home is safe while you are away. He is definitely trying to tell YOU something. Not all dogs take to riding in a car. I have one. So I decided to leave him home, and not stress him out. That is apparently where HE wants to be. It is his job he chose, so I listened to him. He doesn't feel left out, because he is doing his job. He is happy there and it makes me happy that he is happy. Just a thought.

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Maybe this might work. This is NOT a medication taken internally. It's dog pheromone, the kind let off by mother dogs to calm their pups. Worth a try.

 

https://www.adaptil.com/us/Products/ADAPTIL-Travel

 

Also at the same site is a helpful instruction guide to help get the dog used to the car.

 

https://www.adaptil.com/us/Dog/I-WANT-TO-HELP-MY-DOG-WITH-TRAVELING

 

I would purchase it and then use it while following the helpful guide. There are other products here, including a collar with pheromone. Interesting site.

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Thanks for your thoughts! Problem is he LOVES the hikes and destinations that we go to...it's getting there that is the crux. He is in his glory running trails, and yesterday was our first real big hike of the season, and he was excellent! Recall was amazing, and Kitchee just followed him and also came back when called. The woods, bogs, ponds, creeks and hills are when both of them are in their element- jumping over, climbing, running, dodging, chasing and drinking from the creek, then coming over and getting their hugs from me when I sit for a water bottle break. If I left him home, he would miss all that. Next will be trying to see if we can fit crates into the back of the car. Perhaps being in a safe place may help...

 

I am in upstate NY, in the Catskills, vikea01...

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  • 4 weeks later...
Well....just came back from one. Finally put the divider in the back and the two of them have the entire back of our SUV...he whines insanely and still dives, but at least it is further back from us. It seems he really feels stress at not being able to control his environment- ie. when we have deer in our field, he runs pretty close perimeter by them, but herds them out and doesn't go any further than our boundaries....so, I assume that is the stress he feels in the car.. Kitchee just stares at him, keeps quiet, or joins him in a stray yip or yap..but when I say quiet..he goes quiet. Not so Wyot. I do not know what to do about his situation, as we've tried every scenario, and training, etc...I'm at al loss. I do not yell at him or tell him to stop, as that only makes his stress worse. I hope we will eventually figure it out, or he will mellow. Thanks for asking!

 

Have you tried a crate/covered crate in the back of the SUV?

I like the pheromones idea also.

Windows cracked seems to help some - maybe it is changing visual stimulation to nose focus?

 

Coffey gets car sick - he used to overstimulate with people near the car. After he calmed down a bit he would look out the back window on rides.

I got a different vehicle (an Explorer) and the dogs stay in the backseat.

Now he gets carsick on rides over 2.5 miles. I think its the change from the smoother ride of the car to the bouncy back seat of the SUV/truck frame.

The back window is farther away so he doesn't sit backwards.

The back window is farther away and we are higher up so he doesn't spaz out when kids or people go by us faster than a walk.

I need to buy some memory foam to put on the seat under the seat cover to shock absorb a little bit.

 

I can understand what Wyot's antics look like mostly. Coffey did similar in the car but not "to" cars so it was less often.

Coffey gets tethered with seatbelt and has unhooked himself in his spazzing.

I can imagine it is extremely frustrating!!!!!!!

 

We have done some nosework / search training with Coffey to train him to focus with his nose.

I am not sure if that actually helped his car overstimulation, it seemed to help in the old car a bit.

 

The nosework/search training was done in the house then graduating to outside (less distractions to more distractions).

We stopped after a month of training a few times a week (half hr sessions multiple searches) but really need to get back to it.

 

Have you tried anything like that?

 

I would be lost if I couldn't pop the dogs in the vehicle and "go".

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Thanks for the suggestions! I think that Wyot is in complete protection mode, as that is his stance when we go outside for potty breaks and exercise in the back field behind the house. Kitchee runs like a maniac, and Wyot "watches", standing at attention, nose in action smelling the air, looking around, making sure Kitchee is fine, and us as well. He and Kitchee end the session outside with a chase and run through an obstacle course (my garden, rocks, stumps, etc.), and jumping (which Kitchee looks like a total kangaroo) through the tall grass. He probably feels his job isn't being done right in the car, is my guess, and crating is the last thing I will try, but he HATED being crated in the car when I had tried it previously when he was about 11 months old or so.

 

But, it does NOT stop us from throwing them in the car and just going on our next adventure, because that is where Wyot is in his glory, running the trails like an expert and "showing" Kitchee the ropes in the woods. We love it!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Wow, vikea01, you must have a sixth sense...just the other day, for test running his wagon, hubby took just Wyot, and let him hop into the back seat...and NO shaking, whining at all...still jumping a bit at cars, though, but not like he used to. Then we took both dogs (funny how Kitchee went to the back hatch, and at first didn't get going in the back seat)...and Wyot was great!! Maybe being in the back, apart from us made him calmer by appreciating that we let him into the back seat again. I don't know. Maybe it's a switch in his doggie brain, because he'll be two in October. Whatever it is, we are grateful!!!

 

Thanks for asking!

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I'm so glad to hear that! Sometimes patience prevails (although we go crazy being patient)!

 

Yes, absolutely!!!

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