crazy in the car

[gingersnap]

Hello all-

 

I have a pet BC who is a year and a half old now. He is a great dog in many ways, but we have been having a real problem in the car that seems to be getting worse lately.

 

When we first had him as a small pup he was quiet in the car and relaxed. Then he started to get wild and run around and bark at the cars. We got him and his "pack mate" (non BC) each seatbelts. Spencer was ok in it at first, but then he started twisting himself all around trying to catch the cars, accompanied with barking. Then he started undoing the buckle of the car seatbelt.

 

Now we have him in a crate (one he is very used to and likes) while in the car. He was ok in it for a while, but in the past few months he has become unbearable. The noise is deafening (he has retired the bark and moved on to a loud yelping sound) and we cannot pinpoint what it is that upsets him so much.

 

We stabilized the crate to make sure it's not moving, that didn't help. We cover the crate entirely so he can't see (not to worry, we got him a fan so he's not too hot) but this only helps a little bit. I suspect it must he the actual movement he experiences inside the crate because he will usually quiet down if we are on a straight road or highway.

 

He doesn't respond to any type of correction when this is going on.

 

Clearly we don't take him on rides just for the hell of it, but there are times he does need to ride in the car- usually because he is going to the park or to swim, something fun for him. He tends to be quieter on the way home, but not always.

 

His "pack mate" on the other hand is a total angel in the car and usually sleeps or just looks out the window. He thinks Spencer is crazy.

 

I have tried rescue remedy in the past for other issues with my other dog, but Spencer doesn't seem to respond to it. I am not closed off to using natural mild things to calm him down. I just saw some motion sickness stuff for dogs in a catalogue...could it be motion sickness? he NEVER throws up.

 

any advice would be much appreciated!

[leahluvsherpups]

I have a car freak as well. He just goes nuts and slams himself into the canopy windows when cars go by. It seems that the more I've taken him out the better he's getting about it. I would also like to hear if anyone has conquered this behavior.

[Allie+Tess&Kipp]

Tess will lunge at cars if she is sitting up in the car and they go by us really fast (either passing us on the highway or if we are parked at the ferry terminal waiting line). I tell her to lay down. She has a really reliable "down" so that is what works for us.

 

Also, I have a divider in the back of my car now that I have a second dog, and Tess sits on the side without the cars going by (mostly just two-lane roads here). Kipp likes to just stare out the window, so that's what he does unless I tell him to lay down.

 

I prefer the dogs to be laying down when I'm driving because someone once threw something at my car when they saw the dogs ("Hey dog!") and that really freaked me (and the dogs) out.

 

I recently got two of those shade things for the car and that also blocks a bit of the motion/movement going by for both dogs, plus giving them more shade when we are out and about (we get in the car nearly every morning to go to the trails for our run).

 

Tess gets a bit carsick or stressed, I think. She sometimes is really drooling. She has never liked being in the car. Kipp, on the other hand, I can't keep OUT of the car.

 

Allie + Tess & Kipp

http://weebordercollie.com

[muddy bob]

Crates are great. I don't always use them with older reliable dogs. But they are nice for the young screwballs.

 

muddy