My German Shepherd loves the car. He loves to look out the window
and will sometimes stick his head up front to let me scratch his neck. He
loves to go for a ride. My Dobermans, however, hate the car. They go
into immediate down-stays and will not move until the engine is off. They
simply do not care for the motion of the car. Each dog is different. But a
lot has to do with early learning.
If you have a puppy, take him for car rides whenever possible. be sure
he is secured with a car harness or placed in the back seat. Make it a
pleasant experience (no drag racing). And talk to him from time to time
telling him he is good. If you have a passenger, have that person pet the
puppy to comfort him. Always refrain from feeding or watering the puppy
several hours before traveling. You'll be glad you did.
An older dog with a car phobia can sometimes be cured with behavior
modification exercises. Begin by feeding the dog near the car. Over the
course of several days, move the dish closer to the car until you are
finally feeding the dog in the back seat with the door open, motor off.
Next close the door. The next step is to go back outside and feed the
dog near the car with the motor running. repeat the same procedure until
the dog can eat in the car with the motor running. You can now try short
drives while your passenger offers food treats and praises and pets
your dog. We are counter conditioning the dog through reinforcement
training. Do not rush this procedure. If the dog is very afraid of car travel,
these exercises can take weeks or even months. Be patient
