Can anybody in the wide world of canine lovers offer my wife and I some advice?
About 18 months ago, we became foster parents to a lovely West Highland White Terrier, and she has proved to be a splendid, lovable companion. However, she has one rather irritating habit... whenever we try to take her out in our car, she barks constantly, which gets very frustrating, stressful, and even dangerous. We have her in the rear of the car, and my wife seems to think that she may be barking because she wants to get into the front with us, however this is probably illegal, not to mention dangerous too.
We have tried ignoring her, but to now avail. Even on long journeys, we have had constant barking for over three hours, which has sadly meant that we try and avoid taking her out anywhere at all now. It's a pity, because we would love nothing more than to be able to take her out 'normally' like other dog owners, for a day at the beach, or a walk in a park, or etc.
Mitzi is ten years old now, and we don't know much about her first eight years before us, but she probably didn't go out in a car maybe? Is she even too old to change this habit even?
Any advice on how to keep our bundle of noisy fluff silent whilst driving would be fantastic and much appreciated!
Keep going with the splendid magazine, and we look forward to hearing from you soon,
Many thanks,
Paul and Beverley Thompson, by email
Vicki Milner, Canine Welfare Trainer at Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, says…
Dear Paul and Beverley,
Many dogs, for a variety of reasons, do not like travelling
in the car. This can manifest itself in several ways, including, refusing to
get into the car, barking or whining constantly, panting, pacing or generally
acting the clown. All of these symptoms are signs that your dog is actually
afraid of the car or the motion of it. The cure for this problem involves
changing your dog’s perception of the car from a negative one to a positive
one. There are few things you can try to help overcome her barking behaviours.
Utilise food that will take a while for her to finish such
as long lasting treats or food toys. At first you will want to get her used to
these in the home, once she is happily entertaining herself with the food item
move to the car.
These steps should be practised once or twice daily and
after a while your dog will soon start to associate the car with pleasant
things. It is vital that you do not rush your dog, only move on to the next
step when the previous one has been perfected.
Ask her to get in, putting her in the normal position and
give the food item, wait for her to settle with it and reward any quiet
behaviour. At this stage you will have all the doors open. If she starts to
bark ignore the behaviour wait for her to be calm then bring her out and start
again once quite.
Once she is comfortably eating the chew and not barking
close the doors and move into the driver’s seat but don’t take it any further.
Build up so that you are stationary but the engine is
running
Start taking very short drives with her.
Continue this process with one or both of you in the car
varying the length of the journey
When she gets out of the car make sure she receives
something rewarding such as food, attention or a walk but this will need to be
once she is quiet.
Some other things that you can try:
Remember that your dog may have built up a bad association
of travelling to unpleasant places such as the vet’s etc. Some dogs find this
hard to forget. So you would need to start taking your dog to perhaps a person
that your dog likes or perhaps drive a short distance to the local park.
Some dogs feel safer if they can’t see out of the window.
The use of a travelling cage secured in the car with a towel draped over the
top, to restrict the view, can often help them feel safe.
It is not advised that dogs travel up front with you. Some
dogs travel better in the boot of the car compared to the back seat if possible
try changing positions in the car as this can help to reduce the behaviours
that have already developed
An oval dog bed with a soft blanket in it can sometimes help
dogs to feel safer. It can reduce the likelihood of them being thrown off
balance whilst the car is in motion. The blanket should be full of comforting
and familiar smells.
Hopefully this should all help to reduce her vocal tendencies
in the car and ensure that you all have more pleasant car journeys in the
future.
