Jumping and barking while riding in car
I am new to the forum...I recently got a 1 year old spayed OES. She loves to go for rides in the car, however once we start moving, she starts jumping and barking at every thing that we drive past. I have had other dogs in the past including OES but none of them ever behaved like this. Sometimes I am afraid she will go right through the roof, she jumps so hard. Any suggestions to calming her down?? |
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| Good luck! My dear sweet gentle CHummie is a complete nutcase in the car. She works herself into quite a frenzy. I've been working with a dog behaviorist nd he recommends using a citronella bark collar but I haven't managed to try it yet. I'm supposed to get her used to it in situations where she is barking but before she loses control and I just havent figured out how to do that yet.
My solution in the meantime: earplugs.  |
| Ah another car herder. MO does that.......bark, bark, bark, clunk (head hitting rear window); bark bark bark, clunk. I have two methods: put her in the car with 5 other dogs so she can't move (throwing arm between front two seats so she doesn't move forward.......or two, putting her into a wire crate for car trips. You will have to tie them down so she doesn't dance it around the car. Throwing a towel over the top to block the view also helps. Praise when she's quiet. Eventually they get the idea........or sorta get the idea. MO is 7 and still has the urge to herd traffic. |
| Bunker is the same way, back and forth, back and forth, Barks if she sees another dog, barks when you drive thru puddles. Barks at the Drive thru speakers (so they know she's there so she gets the cookie). It is usually out of know where and it scares the Crap out of you. |
| Not a barker in the car, but Bosley always tried to climb into our laps...in the front seat! What worked for us, and could probably work for the jumping around in excitement, is to buy a seat belt.
We got a "large" size for $14.95 at Walmart. It is great. It is like a harness on the dog, and you latch it to the seat-belt clasp thingy. You can make it long or short, depending on how much freedom you want your dog to have. The dog remains attached when you open the door, and it has a metal ring to attach the leash on BEFORE releasing the dog. Well worth the $14.95. |
| Drez loves riding in the van, and she used to "herd" as well. But only trucks, no cars. If a truck passed us, she'd head-butt the window trying to get at it. After finally realizing she wasn't able to get out, she's settle down and stay put. Silly sheepies!
Chris |
| Sasha doesn't bark as much as she has this high pitched whine that seems to be endless as we are driving. So far nothing has worked,it's like she is deaf over her own sound to any commands in the vehicle. The worst part is if you dare to leave the vehicle for any reason...even if others remain in the vehicle. The high pitch squeall becomes the most desperate cry/bark/moan. As though she will just DIE if you don't come back.lol. |
Wow! Y'all are making me really appreciate what good riders my pups are! 
They load up (with some assistance, of course) and then lie down and ride. Once in awhile one of them will sit up & look around, but that's it. They're excellent in the car. |
The idea of a harness sounds great. I've look at them in Petsmart and wondered if they work. Daisy once barked at a older lady standing on a corner and startled the poor woman so bad she fell! I try to keep the windows up but dang there's little I can do when the top is off my Jeep and she goes for it.  |
| I couldn't help laughing at all these stories! My first sheepie, Toby, was very big, 100lbs + and he was a challenge for me to walk or take in the car which he loved. He wouldn't sit anywhere except in the passenger's seat and spent his time lunging at everything that came towards us. Lucky we weren't killed! I bought a harness after he crashed into the windshield and broke it with his head. He calmed down with time and became my navigator when we drove cross -country. Don't despair. |
| The harness is definitely worth the money. As we take our dog on cross country trips, we decided to invest in one for his safety, as well as ours. Sometimes I don't put it on Oscar when taking a short trip to the groomers (bad Sheepie Mom, bad Sheepie Mom!), and he is much more anxious, constantly pacing in the back seat. When he wears the harness, he just lays down, popping up only occasionally, just to settle back in again. No noise, no fuss. Best twenty bucks I've ever spent for the peace of mind.
Good luck! |
| I am so glad to read that someone else has a sheepdog that behaves like my Bella in the car. She is 2 and started this behavior when she turns 1. She loves to ride, but will lap the windows non stop, I have a suv and she is in the back with a divider. She also barks and will smack her head into the window. I thought of muzzeling her to stop the lapping of the windows. She literally soaks her self with saliva. I asked the vet a bout this behavior but they had never heard of it before. |
| I've tried the muzzle. Chum manages to bark loudly even with it on! Her whole mouth gets completely soaked and then she starts to breathe heavily with her nose (like panting but through her nose). It is a tiny bit quieter, but seems very stressful for her so I stopped using it. |
| You all have me in tears! I'm picturing all these antics of your sheepies in the car. I'm so grateful that Annie has car manners. Once we get in, she sits or lays behind the driver's seat, never the passenger seat. She's content looking out the window hoping it will automatically roll down. She will stick her head out as long as we're not going over about 35 mph as she doesn't like that much wind in her face. She'll often lay with her head on the arm rest too. Most of the time I forget she's even back there until I see a big white head pop up in the rearview mirror. |
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