My Dog Refuses To Get In The Car…What Should I do?

While I personally have never had this issue with any of my pets I am always looking at puppy articles and came across this plea. “I thought I could handle this behavioral issue with some practice, time, and lots of positive reinforcement but it’s not working. Please help??”

My Dog Refuses To Get In The Car…What Should I do?

Over time, try to get both front paws inside car, then slowly over time, entire dog in car. PRAISE, PRAISE, TREATS, TREATS, LOVE, LOVE, NEW TOYS. Make everything as fun as possible to your dog. If dog doesn’t get in today, I’d say let it go for today, (dog does not get the new toy, btw, leave the toy in backseat) and try again tomorrow. Keep trying this every day.

This process may take just a few days or few weeks. Many factors play a part in how quick or slow this process is and can vary depending on the dog. I know my lil Rosie is scared of almost everything new so I just have to be patient and show her that it’s ok and give her lots of encouragement.

If regularly exercised at the end of a short car drive, most dogs are very keen to leap into a vehicle and get going. But that is no comfort when your dog still won’t get in the car!

We’ll look at the reasons dogs refuse to get in vehicles, and at how to fix this

The most common causes of a dog’s fear of riding in cars: …

• Your dog has never been taught how to jump into the car or she may be in physical pain (senior pet) get a ramp or steps
• The only time your dog has been in a vehicle was to leave his mom and siblings and/or go to the vet.
• Your dog traveled on a long transport during a critical developmental stage.
• Your dog was scared while riding in a vehicle.
• Your dog gets carsick.
• Your dog is a sensitive soul and needs a bit of time and understanding.

You may or may not know where this fear originated from, but the good news is that the treatment is pretty much the same. How long it takes to overcome the fear will vary from dog to dog, and it depends on the depth of the dog’s fear or phobia.

When you take her to the car, simply give her a treat for standing near it until you feel ready to ask her to jump into it. Hopefully, she will have regained some confidence and feel like trying. If not, keep working at it until she is not afraid.

Helping the dog who is afraid of car travel

With dogs that are just plain nervous about riding in cars, you can help them overcome this fear. While you are working through this program of counter conditioning, don’t take your dog out in the car at all.

Start by opening up all the doors so your dog won’t feel trapped once inside. Use treats and praise to coax your dog into the car. … One can hold the dog on a leash on one side of the car while the other lies across a seat from the other side, using treats and a happy tone of voice to encourage the dog to get inside.

Next begin by feeding your dog all his meals in the back of the car, with the engine switched off and the doors open. Lift him in or lead him up a ramp if you have to, to begin with.

TIP: Feeding him several small meals a day rather than one big one will speed up the process

If he is capable of jumping, by the end of the first week, he will probably be willing to jump into the vehicle for his food. At this point you can shut the door while he eats.

After a few days where the dog is happy to jump in the car for his meals, start to briefly turn the engine on and off again when he is half way through his meal. A couple of seconds is enough.

Feeding your dog with the engine running

If he is reluctant to finish his meal when you do this, leave the engine off for a few meals and then try again. Once he is willing to finish his meal after hearing the engine switched on and off, you can start to increase the time the engine runs for.

You can see where we are going with this. Soon the dog will eat his meal in the back of the car with the engine running.

Then you can start to move the car a few feet forwards. Just briefly to begin with. Then stop the engine, give the dog a little more food in the car, then get him out.

Now start to turn on the engine and drive a little way before stopping and feeding the dog.

Build up their confidence in being driven slowly and steadily until you can drive all the way to his exercise area. At which point the walk will be his reward. For many dogs, their daily walk is the highlight of their week.  Nothing else matches up.

Make The Car Fun

A kong stuffed with food and frozen will help to keep a puppy or older dog happy on a long journey and they will soon learn to sleep away the miles on longer journeys if all trips are made pleasant ones.

For many dogs, their daily walk is the highlight of their week.  Nothing else matches up.

In all honesty, most dogs’ lives are quite boring.  The day often begins by watching people get ready for work and school. Followed, for many dogs, by several hours spent entirely alone.

Later they get to see people cooking tasty meals, most of which they don’t get to share.  So life is long stretches of dull, punctuated once or twice in every 24 hours by a meal of kibble, which is gone in less than a minute.

Except for those walks. Walks are a huge big deal if you are a dog.  Walks mean, getting out and about, sniffing amazing smells, running with the wind in your ears, playing. I’m surprised they want to come back home at all.

Amazing snacks

If you want to change the way a dog views something then think of the most amazing reward you can offer him. FOOD – and more than likely it’s your food. The idea is to get them to associate the car ride with tasty food and change his idea of car rides. Over time you can taper off on the big rewards and just offer them a small piece of cheese or dog treats.

Reassurance And Carsickness

• Don’t take pup with a full tummy
• Drive short distances to a fun places
• play soothing music
• someone to ride with
• give them anti nausea or ginger

The one thing that has helped every carsick dog I ever cared for? As soon as they started to look a little green behind the gills, and especially at the first sign of drool, I pulled over, took them out of the car, let them get their sea legs and then carried on. Be prepared to make a lot of stops.

For Long Road Trips You Should Travel Practice

Traveling with a dog is not just tossing some stuff in the car and pulling out of the driveway. There are some things that you have to prepare for well in advance before deciding if a road trip with your dog is a good idea. 

Start small and build up your dog’s car rides. Start with nearby daily short car rides to work or the park. Then gradually build up to hour-long car rides to fun places like to a lake or another park. Usually, within an hour from any major city is a nice mountain, river, or lake that would be a great day trip. If your dog has not been on many long car trips, make a point to knock one or two that last 5 to 10 hours in duration.

As a human you know what you are undertaking, you understand how much time will be spent in the car, the ever-changing climates and scenery, and the new noises and smells that will be encountered. Conversely, your dog lives in the moment, it does not think ahead. It cannot anticipate that it will be in a long car ride.

Treats	Dentastix	jerky treats	peanut butter dog treat
Toys	Ball	Rope	frisbee

Mental, Emotional, and Physical

Your goal should be to make travel fun for your dog. Before getting in the car, make sure the dog is properly exercised and a bit tired. A great tip: the day before you go on a long trip, treat your dog to a full day of doggy daycare. Not only is it good for the dog, but it allows you to load up the car and clean the house without a dog underfoot. While you do your thing, your dog can play with dog friends all day (perhaps add on a bath or spa time). Get all the things you need to be done without stressing out the dog, and the dog is good and tired for the car ride the next day. It’s a win-win situation.

Once you hit the road, take regular bathroom breaks so your dog can stretch its legs and sniff a new state. Treats should be a regular reward for being a good carpal. Keep things fun to make sure that your four-legged companion will always want to hop in the car for the next leg of the adventure.

What about YOUR dog??

Do you have any special tips or techniques on getting your dog to ride with you? Share your thoughts in the comments box below!

“9 Tips and Tricks For Anyone Traveling With A Dog”

Your dog is your best friend, so don’t leave him home when you travel

It is important that you don’t try and get a dog to jump into a car if jumping may harm him or cause him pain. Let’s take a quick look at some dogs who should never be asked to jump. It’s natural for a dog to want to jump on beds, furniture, and it’s no different for Dachshunds. However, unlike other breeds, jumping can be physically dangerous for Doxies. It’s natural for Dachshunds to want to jump. They are an energetic breed who often like to draw attention to themselves. I have dachshunds but I can’t convince them to read this article.