Need advice for travel anxiety
Basically I'm looking for pointers, input, advice, etc. as to how to deal with Stellie's travel anxiety that started around 5 mo of age she is now 11 mo. with no apparent cause. She is not bothered by thunderstorms or fireworks but goes bonkers when traveling in stop and go traffic. Envision a dog with road rage and that's Stellie.  She barks incessantly until we get on the highway and will at some point settle down until we run into a traffic jam, have to get off at our exit or forbid I have to turn the wipers on. Any of these events causes the barking to renew until we get out of the van at our destination. Due to how she reacts to the wipers (lunging at the dashboard and snapping at them) she rides in her crate (that is secured to prevent sliding) for both of our safety. I do not raise my voice or yell at her when she is barking and when she does quiet down for even a moment I'll praise her and give her a treat. She also has toys that are left in the crate as to be "special" for our rides. I've tried short trips around the block and a lavender calming spray to no avail. Our trips are not limited to going to the vet but to do fun things as well. There is an event I would like to attend with her mid month but it is a 600 mile round trip.  Not sure at this point if we should even attempt this. Whether we attend or not, I want to help her with this issue and deeply appreciate any input. Should I go to the next size bigger crate? I currently have a large and she's 74 lbs. and perhaps cover the top to limit her view but still allow air to pass through freely? Has anyone with a sheepie in full coat have success with the Thundershirt for travel anxiety? To top things off I have to be careful about medications for she has a MDR1 mutation and I prefer to err on the side of safety again for both of us.Sorry for being long winded. Other than this issue Stellie is a good dog and we couldn't be happier with her. |
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| I haven't dealt with this personally, so others may have better feed back than I. When we got our girls, we lived 2 blocks from a dog park. We trained them to be good in the car based on some suggestions we'd read in books- I really recommend (as silly as it sounds) Puppies for Dummies for anyone with a new pup. Anyway, the book said to do short car rides, a block, a half block, whatever, to get them accustomed to riding in the car easily. Otherwise, the only time they go for car rides is to the vet, and then they associated the car with something that may be scary for them. So even though it was close, half the times we'd go to the park, we'd drive there so that the girls associated getting in the car with the wonderful treat of an hour at the park afterward. What if you go back to square one? Get in the car, drive to the end of the street, and drive back. Have someone with your dog in the back seat (or maybe you be there, and have someone drive for you) and you can give your dog a distracting command like "Watch" with you being the focal point, or "Leave It" when they begin to get excited, making sure to treat your dog when they follow your command and don't go nuts. Gradually lengthen the car trips; when your dog goes nuts, go back to the shorter trip. Do that until you are sure that they can handle it without barking and getting overly excited. |
| Alison's advice is good. If your dog is really scared start off by treating them for even getting in the car with doors open and engine off. It can take a long time to build confidence. Speak to your vet and make sure it's not motion sickness causing the problem too. |
| Good advice! Motion sickness....feed 2 ginger snaps before driving off. Ginger settles the tummy. My problem is keeping the dog OUT of the car, she wants in all the time. When I come home, I let her in and drive from the front gate into the garage......60 feet of fun times? Of course when we do drive outside of the gate, it isn't always to the vet, we have been known to go to a drive in for tater-tots for her. Harry used to sit and watch out the front window the whole time, felt like a driving instructor beside me. MO, the motion crazed sheepdog, would herd all the cars as they passed, not fun. |
| Firstly, thank you for the tips and suggestions. I ended up not going to the event for I had come down with a touch of the flu the day before I was going to leave. Even if I was able to go my plans were to leave my girl at home as she just wasn't ready and I didn't want to push things. Update... I think I may of finally hit upon something that works! It has to be tested a few more times but so far I'm doing a major happy dance!  In short ended up covering the top third of her crate and blocking her view of the wipers but we were still having barking in the stop and go traffic of shorter duration. Then last week I made a 80 mile trip with her. When we got off of the expressway and was in the offending stop and go traffic she started the barking. Have no idea what prompted me but I reached back and quickly tapped her crate twice and while doing so firmly said "No." Instant quiet. Next bark two taps again with no command on my part and there was instant quiet. We actually made it through a few stop signs with no barking. Yesterday I was going out to pick up her food she gave me such a look I thought "what the heck let's give it a try." So off we went there was one bark on the driveway-two taps and one on the street again two taps and with immediate quiet. There were a couple of other instances during this trip but the taps stopped it! We even ran into rain and I had to turn on the wipers and there was no barking. I'm beyond thrilled with this break through. I'm taking her out today for more practice. |
| Somebody being a pack leader? |
| Covering the crate with a sheet worked really well for our senior rescue dog, Sassy. But it never got to the root of the problem. Since your dog is so young, working to get her calm in the car will prove very helpful throughout her life. What if you need to travel in a car that will not fit a crate? One of the best resources I've found is this little book: "Fired Up, Frantic, and Freaked Out: Training the Crazy Dog from Over the Top to Under Control" by Laura VanArendonk Baugh. Control doesn't happen overnight but eventually dogs will get it. It does take patience and persistence. |
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