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Anxious Dog In The Car?


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Argg.  I'm stumped on this problem D:!

I've been trying these methods and none of them seem to work.  (Yes, I stay consistent)

 

Jelly has a problem in the car :l...  Nonstop barking/whining  I try to take her everywhere I go so she can get used to  "car rides are not only play time" and I've been doing this for about 4 months now a few times a week.  I just drive her to get groceries really quick.  Leave the windows half down and go in and come out and go home.  

 

The problem isn't the car though.  I make her sit before going into the car and I don't care how hyper she is, I wait until she's calm (so sometimes I basically stand outside my car for 5-10 minutes)

and then I let her go into the car and she immediately lays down while I put her seat belt on.

 

If we're just sitting in the car, she's quiet.  I could just sit there with her for 10 minutes and it's completely quiet except for her loud breathing.

This is usually short lived because as soon as I leave my subdivision, it's cry/whine/bark city.  

 

I've tried ignoring her completely and it doesn't stop her from being loud and obnoxious.  About 4 times a month I take her on an hour drive to a park or my family's house in another city and she does her annoying thing the entire car ride.  (Usually on the way home she's more quiet)

 

I've tried the "Quiet" command (she knows it and does it well inside the house) but in the car it's very short lasted.  She's only quiet for around 30-40 sec sometimes less before she's loud again and I have to say the command again and so on. (Which is a drag having to say Quiet every 30 seconds)

 

I've also tried treating her and lots of praise every time she's quiet and yeah... doesn't work.  She'd be quiet and after I feed her the treat she'd be back to her usual self all loud.  So no more treats in the car :l.

 

 

 

Anyone ever had this problem or having any suggestions on a fix?

 

I don't mind her being loud and obnoxious but when it's family road trips -- my family is not as laid back as I am.

Which is why I've been trying lately to get her to cooperate.

 

I don't know if it's being she has a lot of energy or she's anxious or nervous or what.

Even today, this morning was a 3 mile run and a 30 minute walk before we left for the drive and she was still soooo loud.

(Also to add on -- I'm pretty sure it's not a fear of the car in motion either because after a dog park play date, on the way home she'll just sleep and be extremely quiet or just lay in the back and chill.  Either that or she's just too tired to attempt to annoy me :P)

 

Any advice would be great :)  

 

 

 

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OK so something is setting her off once you are driving. (I'm not going to suggest it's your choice in music :P)

It could be she is sensitive to some sound or vibration going on in the car, (probably outside of YOUR hearing or ability to sense)

However it's annoying / uncomfortable to her.

 

Only real way is to drive her in someone elses car and see if she repeats the behaviour.

 

Perhaps try Kalms an hour before the journey

(for her. . . not you. . . well maybe both:P)

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Oh.  I hardly listen to music in the car :P. (Haha at least you didn't say she was crying about how badly I was driving :P!!!... actually that may be a possibility... jkjk T_T)

and I have driven her before (not recently) in both my parents' cars and my brother's car.  Quiet as soon as we begin to leave out subdivsion/street if I remember correctly.

 

I've tried rolling down the windows for her to peek her head out and she will quiet down and poke her head out but when she comes back in she resorts back to barking.

 

Since I'm around her the most, on road trips when I'm not driving, I would hope she would be more quiet with me but she isn't lol.  Nothing much I can do to soothe her :( (that i know of)

 

And what is Kalms if  I may ask o_o

Music? 

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my Tanna is the same, roundabouts are the biggest triggers or when we slow down going into towns etc. On holiday this year I had her in the floor- well in our big car and she was mostly much more settled, her problem is that she just wants to be with us all the time. Strangely though she is fine when we leave her at home.I am also interested in ideas as I get totally covered in hair if she sits at my feet. Last time when I got out the car I looked like a yeti.

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It's just the car ride in general that sets her off -- Unless of course I let people in the car and Jelly's already in it, she'll go ballistic for some attention but if you ignore her for 10 seconds she'll settle down and go back to barking/whining lol.

 

This weekend I plan on doing a lot of training with her and the car -- just a day of actual training coming in and out, driving and stopping the car and try to pinpoint the cause.  Extremely determined to find out what's causing her to act this way and hopefully she'll either learn to be quiet in the car (if it's just excited) or I'll find a way to calm her nervous/anxious self if it be that issue.

 

Will keep you guys updated on how things turn out tomorrow!  (Might start Sunday though since tomorrow morning is a husky meet up in my area and usually after it, she's completely dead the rest of the day -- probably will try a bit in the morning before we leave though!)

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I had a similar problem with our Yorkshire Terrier who would whine from the moment she got in the car to the moment she got out.  We eventually established that if she was held by a passenger in their lap she was a lot calmer.  The effect is similar to that provided by the thunder shirt which has been used in recent years to help relieve anxiety in  dogs and cats

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Thundershirt-Anxiety-Coat-Dog-Grey/dp/B0029PYC3K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1381558759&sr=8-1&keywords=thundershirts

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Thanks Lee I will maybe get that item eventually (spent about $100 on jelly in the past week just for laughs and giggles -- don't wanna push my limit :P )

 

 

As for an update on Saturday morning:

 

She was quiet for about 20 minutes into the ride then she became her usual barking/whining self (So I can't really tell what triggered the reaction.  She did start when we got onto the freeway/around more cars...

 

At the park she was great, had a bunch  of fun and we stayed for about 2 hours or so.   On the way home she was actually pretty loud.  I thought maybe she had to use the bathroom because she was farting a lot (-______-!!!!) but I stopped somewhere and she didn't go at all but after we got back into the car she became quiet again until the ride home...

So... I can't tell what triggers these events as you can see they seem to be completely random.

 

:l 

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I don't keep the windows down on the highway . She seems to quiet more when I roll down the windows though.

Anywho. Day 2:

(Since I can't really stop on. A highway -- we were supposed to go to a park today but every time she throws a fit I will stop the car and just sit here)

[note: trying to combine the "quiet" command as well as pulling over and stopping as soon as she makes noise. -- though I'm not exactly sure dogs will get the point of loud = no play]

Anywho I had to pull over as soon as we left my area and I've been sitting in the car for 20 minutes and counting lol. Still whining and crying as well as yawning (yawn from stress/anxious?) still just going to sit here for the time I usually take her out which is for an hour. If she doesn't quiet down by the time the hour is up then we're just going to go home and I'll cross off this method off the list

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I wonder if a PB-filled Kong will help. Or does she have a favorite toy? Some dogs hold on to their favorite toy like a child and their teddy bear :lol:

 

I've also heard about a theory that says dogs are intrigued by the objects they see moving backwards from the car window. This theory makes sense IMO especially when the dog has a high prey drive. Like huskies. Dogs with high prey drive are built to chase anything that moves fast. And the trees outside the car window is moving really fast (backwards) from their point of view so they're barking because they want to catch those trees but they can't. 

 

Try to drive really slowly just to see if she's still whining :)

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Most of the time if I give her those long lasting treats she'd most likely be quiet in the car.  (kong, deer antler, etc) 

Also -- I think I'm a big factor(?!)  If I leave her in the car and go inside a grocery store or anywhere she's completely quiet or at least that's what I see.  And when I sneak back to see how she's reacting to the situation, she's usually either just sitting in the car calmly or just laying down.   I'm trying to figure out what am I doing then to cause her to be anxious when I'M with her (not sure about other people yet since I don't allow other people to drive her somewhere by themselves) 

The only variable that doesn't work is ME.  (or so it seems) 

 

 

1. It can't be the car itself because if I leave it on and leave her in it, she's fine.  On the way home for the most part (after a little exercise) she's fine.

2. I don't think it's the movement of the car because yesterday I was just cruising slowly before she started acting up again.

3... forgot the other variables I took into account

 

but the only variable that isn't constant is me?  Though I can't tell how she can sense my energy/body language from me just driving and ignoring her.  I'm usually tense when I'm driving but that's just me being paranoid because people here have terrible road rage. 

Anywho I have a feeling it's me that's the problem :L

 

 

 

I guess we can always try a frozen kong -- and keep giving it to her when she's quiet and slowly get off it if she can STAY quiet without it.

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where does she travel?  in the book (trunk) or on the seat? maybe switch and see if that helps?

I have a compact car so there's no trunk where I can see her like most SUVs .

 

She sits in the passenger seat in the back.  She used to sit up front with me (but my parents thought she would be a distraction while I was driving) as well as she would still bark in the front seat.

 

I also thought of the possibility that she didn't like her seat belt so I took it off and drove around the block but it didn't help either.

 

:(.  Most likely will try the frozen kong that mydiamond suggested tomorrow.  :)

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you being anxious is a pretty good guess IMO. Huskies are really masters of emotion exploitation :lol: do you still feel nervous about other drivers if you sit on the passenger's seat? If not, why not conduct a small experiment and let somebody else drive the car while you sit up front and Jelly on the back? :) if turns out she stopped whining, great! Good reason to ask people drive you around LOL

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Ah.  That made me remember -- We drove to another city about an hour and a half away from my house and my parents didn't like me driving long distances and I brought Jelly and even when I sat WITH her and she would still whine.  If I remember correctly, less whining but nonetheless to the point where my mom and dad were annoyed :P.

 

But!!!  I did the suggestion you gave about the peanut butter kong and it worked -- temporarily lol. 

As soon as she looked outside I could tell she was about to go nuts so I just gave the quiet command and she stayed quiet (but I could tell she was VERY excited) until I parked the car to which she gave a bark to be let out (but I didn't let her out until she calmed down of course)

 

 

Maybe I should be adding more since I only put a small scoop.  I hardly ever give her pb kongs anymore though since they're so fattening :P .  (at least for humans they are)

Anywho -- I'll take her for a short drive tomorrow just around the block with a small kong and see how she does.  :)

 

Thanks for the tip, Liv :D

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eeeeeek are they??

 

Well, I'm not sure for dogs haha.  It's just that dogs can eat so much in so little time whereas I can only eat a small spoon before getting sick and thinking about how many calories I just ate :P .

I would just assume so if I half fill a kong with peanut butter :P!!!

 

 

Update:  Today we went to the park and I gave Jelly her kong.  Was quiet most of the way aside from when she randomly looked up and outside and whined a bit before going back to eating.  Only downside was the car smelt like peanut butter :P.  Other than that -- she was great :) .  Stayed at the park for 3 1/2 hours and I thought she would just go to sleep in the car but she ended up NOT being quiet as usual and barking every once in awhile before i told her to be quiet. (The quiet command worked much better on the way home -- Wouldn't have to repeat the command until every 7-10 minutes or so)  So all in all I guess it was a good day :)

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  • 2 weeks later...

Update: Well, I e-mailed a trainer referred to me by a friend and he said I shouldn't reward her by taking her to the park and I should focus on structured walks (which I do nothing but that)

So -- I guess I might just stop taking her to the park and just continue with our "Structured" walks for now -- at least until I can get a grip on her behavior in the car issues.

Car rides are now only going to be meant for her just riding along for errands and no fun :( .

 

Oh well.  Hopefully I can fix this eventually x_O!  Or otherewise find 700 USD  to get him to help her :l.

Arg.  It sucks lol.

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You could try telling her NO in a very firm voice when she starts barking or whining. Maybe saying "no" instead of "quiet" would tell her that her behavior is unwanted rather than too loud or something? With my husky, if he's doing something bad, I look him right in the eyes and say no in a firm and low voice and it usually works. 

 

You could also try bringing along some of her favorite toys maybe so she's distracted? That worked for me when I first got my puppy. 

 

Let me know how it goes! Good Luck! 

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You could try telling her NO in a very firm voice when she starts barking or whining. Maybe saying "no" instead of "quiet" would tell her that her behavior is unwanted rather than too loud or something? With my husky, if he's doing something bad, I look him right in the eyes and say no in a firm and low voice and it usually works. 

 

You could also try bringing along some of her favorite toys maybe so she's distracted? That worked for me when I first got my puppy. 

 

Let me know how it goes! Good Luck! 

 

beep beep newcomer detected! Brace for welcome posts!

 

:welcome: to Husky-Owners Anika :D 

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Well, I'm not sure for dogs haha.  It's just that dogs can eat so much in so little time whereas I can only eat a small spoon before getting sick and thinking about how many calories I just ate :P .

I would just assume so if I half fill a kong with peanut butter :P!!!

 

Try a peanut butter/pumpkin mix. Not pie pumpkin, just regular old pumpkin. Add maybe a teaspoon of peanut butter to the pumpkin, mix, fill the kong and freeze. Not nearly as fattening and will keep them occupied a bit longer.

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