New behavior

[lance]

The last 3-4 times Bandit ridden in the car, he is good for about 30 minutes. Then he starts getting upset....barking, hyper, whinning, excessive jumping around from front to back. He has ridden in car every day for 4 months prior to this recent behavior. I'm at a loss. Not sure why this is happening now.

[MaggieDog]

Any changes in the trip? Scary things that happened? New, less fun destination, that is more than 30 mins away?

[lance]

Erin, < Any changes in the trip? Scary things that happened? New, less fun destination, that is more than 30 mins away?>

 

There are 2 different routes we take to Oceanfront. One being more scenic. (dog park is 10 minutes beyond Oceanfront) He has exhibited odd behavior going both directions.

 

Scary things....yes, Bandit gets freaked out when a motorcycle passes. The behavior is same or similar, but lasts shorter period and not quite as intense. He calms down shortly. There are no motorcycles in sight when he goes bonkers now. For no aparant reason. He is unable to calm down.

[Sue R]

Your description of Bandit's behavior doesn't *really* tell me whether he's happily excited or fearful and worried (although this seems to be what you feel he is experiencing). It does tell me that he's riding loose in the car, and that is a concern for a number of reasons.

 

In an accident, an unsecured dog is like any other unsecured object - ready to go flying through the air, into the windshield, out a window, into your head, etc. He is more likely to be injured or to cause injury, or to be lost, if he isn't properly secured.

 

Additionally, if you were in an accident or otherwise required emergency aid, if Bandit were in the car (and particularly if he were afraid and barking or growling), emergency/police aid might feel compelled to dispatch him in order to render aid to you. That's in addition to the possibility of him getting loose and being lost or hit by a vehicle.

 

A dog might not leave your side during normal activities but, in the fear that follows an accident or other frightening situation, even the most devoted dog might go into flight mode and be lost, injured, or killed. And, if he stayed with you, he could be perceived as a threat by attending personnel.

 

SO...for many reasons, Bandit and any other dog should be secure when in a moving vehicle. You can use a secured dog crate or a quality dog seatbelt harness (and these have been covered in previous threads so a search should find them for you - there are "useless" ones as well as ones that are sufficient to protect your dog, and simply leashing a dog to control him in the car is just asking for a broken neck).

 

That said, a crate or seatbelt harness would prevent Bandit from jumping about in the car and might lend a feeling of safety to an otherwise concerned dog (like a crate in the home provides a safe "den" retreat).

 

With Bandit already jumping about, I would probably opt for a crate arrangement (make sure you secure it properly) rather than a seatbelt harness as he might tangle himself. If he is anxious because of vehicles and other things he can see through the car windows, a proper crate might limit that and help reduce his anxieties.

 

My dogs have been secured with harnesses for a couple of years now, and we haven't had tangling or other issues. They are used to wearing them and even put their heads into them when it's time to "buckle up" because that's the only way they go anywhere.

 

The seatbelt harnesses also secure the dogs while I am entering/leaving the car, loading or unloading stuff, parking downtown, etc. They help me in teaching my dogs proper "car manners" and to wait to enter and leave the car on my command only.

 

We had a "close encounter" with a large deer, going 70 mph in my van on a crowded highway last fall. The dogs were on the opened bed/bench seat in the center section, secured by their harnesses. No flying through the air, no injuries, no upset - just safe dogs, no harm, and no panic. The van was totalled, by the way.

 

Just something for you to think about.

[Bukka Red]

Something similar happened with Bukka. I got him when he was a little under 3 Months old. He was very calm in the car. Then, one day when he was about 7 months old he became a spaz. He would whine, pant, and act as nervous as can be. It was quite shocking, and annoying. At first I thought he was nervous (It really looked like he was nervous to me). But it turns out it was excitement. He started focussing on all the cars on the road. He would pant and whine and go from side to side in the back seat. He would see a car, quiet down, start giving it the eye, and lung just a little at it, and bark, as it passed. Living in a rural area he would be anxious and excitied until we passed another car. That and construction Barrels.

 

It was like someone just flipped a switch. It was really anoying! The only time I corrected him was when he barked (it was usually in my ear). It was one of those things we learned to live with.

 

Oh, we have made some really long road trips that I thoguht would desensitize him. No such luck. I thougth the trip from Fairbanks, Alaska to Fayetteville, Arkansas would do it. By the end of the third day he was mellowing out. On the fourth day he would even lay down and nap in the car! After one days rest in arkansas he was back, full throttle.

 

Brad

[mrsjordanjr]

My sister's first BC used to do that too. We finally got to the point of having to crate him so that he wouldn't jump into the front seat and cause an accident. He just enjoyed watching anything pass by but in the crate he couldn't see so it kept him quite on trips. I would only recommend crating to anyone now because there's enough distractions with cell phones and the like. Yes, you may be attentive when driving, but the guy passing you by might not be. So, crating is definately a safety feature.

 

My father wanted to try something else for a while and it worked for a time, but it really wasn't all that necessary. He would have my sister put a leash and training collor on her dog and correct him through the crate. We had a wire cage at the time. He wouldn't bark though because he couldn't see much at that level anyhow. But if you have someone along with you in the car and want to try having them correct him while you're driving, you could try that.

 

I just don't think it's going to help keep him calm though.

 

I know other people who have gotten drugs at the vet to keep their dog calm on trips. I don't know if I'd go to that extreme.

 

I wonder if other breeds of dogs experience this as much.

[lance]

Thanks sue,

Everything you said is true. I go back and forth carrying crate in car. Or using a harness and leash. When crated in car he will have barking spells. LOUD! I bought a spray bottle yesterday to use with water when he barks. Guess I'll try useine crate all the time now in car to see what happens.

[lance]

Thanks also to Brad and Ann for their info.