Training your dog to ride in the car: part 2

Jt Clough Training Your Dog To Ride in The Car San Diego Dog Training

When asked why you got a dog these days, many dog owners reply, “so she could go everywhere with me.” The disappointment happens early when you find out that your dog doesn’t know how to behave well enough to go everywhere with you and speaking regular English doesn’t seem to get through as a way of training your dog to mind any good manners.

In Training Your Dog To Ride in the Car Part 1 the first steps to getting your dog calmly to the car are laid out. Refer to the story link as a refresher.

Once you get to the car with your dog the importance of remaining calm sets the stage for the ride to come. The first thing you should do is have your dog sit and hold a sit while you open the car door. Not only does this promote a calm demeanor before entering the car it also establishes not jumping on the car and leaving paw prints or worse yet, scratches. Your friends and neighbors will greatly appreciate this as well.

You should not move forward to getting into the car until your dog is holding the sit while the car door is open. Dogs do what works. Be patient. Use what works for your dog in the beginning to train the act of calm to the car. If it’s a treat or verbal praise, give the treat or praise reward as soon as your dog sits and settles. If your dog should jump right back up, go back to the beginning and get a calm sit. Once sit and calm are together, and that may only be for a couple of seconds the first few times, then let your dog get in the car by using a term like “load up” or “get in the car”. Whatever term you use consistently go with it. Note that a treat is NOT the only way to train your dog and if you are having difficulty with this method it may be time to see a professional trainer for some added help.

Next is where does your dog ride? Since reality training is where most people live there are two ways to cover this subject.

The first being the safest way. Load your dog into a kennel or crate. This usually requires that you have done some prior crate or kennel training and your dog is familiar with spending some time in it. If your dog is new to a crate or kennel you will need to spend some time familiarizing your dog to it. A few suggestions are use something to entice your dog inside like a treat or toy. If your dog is one that is a bit hyper or fidgety use a Kong to entertain your dogs mind and physical being for a period of time. A Kong is a great training tool because you can fill it with goodies which will buy you time with your dog to stay occupied and calm. See article Dog Toys: How to Use A Kong

You can use basic obedience as well to keep your dog calm in the crate while in the car. Sit or down is your friend in this instance. If your dog is trying to be rowdy in the crate and won’t settle down tell your dog to sit or down and once your dog complies reward by putting a treat through the door and/or use your praise as a reward. The goal is to make this a normal procedure. Only reward your dog for being calm. This again, requires some time and patience if you have a dog that is a bit wild in the car.

The mistake in this method is often timing. Timing the reward is key. If your dog gets the reward whether it be praise or a treat in the moment that rowdiness, barking, or anything other than calm is happening, you are rewarding for that behavior. Make sure to only reward for being calm and to be patient enough to wait until that behavior happens.

The second way is to have your dog ride in the car unrestrained. This may not be the safest as a dog without a “seatbelt” or crate can be a danger to you as the driver as well as end up injured in the case of an accident if they are not secured. However, that being said the reality is many people do drive with their dogs loose in the car.

If your dog is riding loose in the car and you have a dog that needs a little extra help to stay calm you may want to consider having another person to assist you and the dog in the beginning. If your dog has a tendency to move about, bark or is anxious in any way assistance is the only safe way you can do this type of training.

Use something as a marker for your dog to sit on like a small dog bed, pillow, or folded blanket. It is best if you have practiced this outside the car in areas of your home, yard, etc so the concept is not completely foreign to your dog. Use a term like “place”, “spot”, or “park it”. Practice having your dog get on it and stay on it. Just like how to get your dog to the car calmly or getting your dog in the kennel, reward your dog the moment calm happens. The moment your dog tries to get off the spot, go back to “sit” or “down”, require calm and reward with pet, voice praise or treat. Again, this may take a bit of patience on your part at first.

Now take this exercise and move it inside the car. You may need some assistance and/or many practice sessions where you never even drive the car away. You are looking for calm and practice being calm.

If your dog has practiced being quite wild in the car for quite some time, it may take some time to create a new habit. Many people don’t have the patience or the timing to create this new picture but once it’s done life with your dog becomes so much more satisfying. For additional help, methods, and information contact K9 Coach at 760-436-4364 or find more specific video training at www.gotrainyourdog.com