How to Train Your Dog to Behave in the Car
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Introduction
Are you blessed with a hound that is a happy traveller?
Unfortunately, not all dogs are good in the car. They may exhibit bad behaviors such as chewing the seats, barking at passers-by, or whining.
For example, imagine the dog who cries constantly and poses a distraction risk to the driver. Worse still, the dog can barely travel round the block without drooling heavily and then losing his breakfast all over the backseat. This makes it almost impossible to take pleasure trips to the park and adds a whole new layer of stress to routine vet clinic visits.
Sometimes these behaviors are a reflection of deep-seated issues that need working on, such as being anxious, over-protective, or bored. Some dogs misbehave in the car because they associate the vehicle with feeling sick or it might be they once had a bad experience in the car which makes them fearful on board. However, with time and patience, it's possible to create new, positive association with travel to turn things around for the better.
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Defining Tasks
Behaving well in the car enables travel to fun places (for the dog's benefit!) safely, without distracting the driver. To achieve this requires a mixture of training and practical considerations, such as restraining the dog in transit.
The ultimate aim is to have the dog travel in a relaxed manner, so that he feels content to settle down and sleep for the duration of the trip. Depending on your dog's earlier travel experiences, this may take considerable time and retraining or be relatively simple.
Key to success is recognizing the challenges faced by the dog, and then putting a plan in place to overcome this hurdles one by one, until the dog behaves well. For those dogs with the worst problems, you may need to avoid car travel while you rebuild the dog's confidence. For others, the answers could be as simple as taking the dog for a good walk ahead of the journey and providing them with a chew toy en route.
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Getting Started
To do the job properly rather than paper over the cracks, requires you to list how your dog misbehaves in the car, and then analyze their behavior to look for triggers. For example, the dog that gets stressed just getting into the car needs to learn new, happier associations with travel.
To get started you will need:
Adequate travel restraints for the dog
A food bowl and treats
A favorite toy
A spray bottle containing water
Time and patience
Medications to prevent travel sickness
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The Travel Restraint Method
Most Recommended
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Most Recommended
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Safety first
Knowing the dog is safe and won't interfere with your ability to drive is crucial, and allows you to ignore bad behavior and stop rewarding it with attention.
Travel pods
For toy or small dogs, consider a travelpod or dog booster seat. These are a car restraint that raises the small dog up slightly so they can see out of the window. This can reduce motion sickness and help the dog to settle because they can see where they are going.
Invest in a travel harness
Travel harnesses are available in a wide range of sizes from small to giant dogs. The dog wears a special harness which attaches to the car's seat belt system. Look for a crash-test certified harness (Top tip: Some unscrupulous manufacturers state their harnesses are 'crash-tested' - What they fail to add is they were tested and failed...so be sure the harness has crast test approval.)
Grills or dividers
For larger dogs that travel in the cargo area, get a sturdy metal grill that confines them there.
Travel crates
Consider a crash-test approved crate for transporting medium or larger dogs in the cargo area.
Build acceptance of the restraint
Whichever method you choose to secure the dog, get your pet pal used to it first. This could mean wearing the harness indoors or sitting the dog in the travel pod while giving them rewards. Only once you are sure the dog is happy, take them on the road.
The Undo Bad Memories Method
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Effective
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Park the car
Take baby steps, start with the car parked and engine off. Open all the car doors so the dog won't feel trapped, and scatter ultra-tasty treats on the back seat. Give the dog as long as he needs to find the treats (never force him - walk away and try again another day if necessary) then praise his boldness.
Feed him in the car
Once he is happily jumping in for treats, close one or two of the doors and start regularly feeding his meals in the car.
Start the engine
Once he accepts eating in the car, switch the engine on while he eats. Praise his calmness.
Out of the drive and back
Now he's happily eating meals with the engine running, reverse out of the driveway and then back in.
Short pleasure trip
Finally, only once he shows no sign of stress with steps 1 -4, go for a short drive round the block. Ideally, if there is a park or field at the end of the road, drive there and take the dog for a game so that he realizes the car is a way of making fun things happen.
The Curtail Howling Method
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Effective
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Rule out stress or anxiety
For the inveterate howler, first rule out the possibility he is nervous, anxious, or stressed. Do NOT use the following technique on a stressed dog but use The Undo Bad Memories Method instead.
Equip yourself
Take a friend along for training purposes. Equip them with a spray bottle containing water.
Respond to the howl
When the dog starts to howl, have the friend immediately spritz the dog's face with the water and say a short, sharp "No".
Repeat
The dog will likely fall silent, so continue your trip. Each time the dog starts to howl, repeat the same action of spritzing and saying "No"
Phase out the spray
Keep the spray to hand, but start issuing the "No" slightly in advance of the spritz. This gives the dog a chance to quiet, without getting a shower.
Written by Amy Caldwell
Veterinary reviewed by:
Published: 10/06/2017, edited: 01/08/2021
More articles by Amy Caldwell
Training Questions and Answers
Husky
Husky
1 Year
Question
0 found this helpful
0 found this helpful
Husky refuses to sit still and will continously bark and whine while in the car. He will go from the back row to the front and cause safety issues for the driver by walking over them or barking and attempting to bite. He will walk over any and all passengers and will only bark louder when you tell him to stop. He will not listen to commands like sit or move back at all and we have to physically move him in order for him to not be in a position where he does not hurt himself or others.
April 10, 2022
Husky's Owner
Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer
1133 Dog owners recommended
Hello Elias, First, pup absolutely needs to be using a doggie car harness or crated while riding, to physically keep pup and the rest of those riding in the vehicle safe. I recommend desensitizing pup to the car and slowing the overall process down. Start by simply feeding beside the car while its off, then feeding treats along the runner with the door open, then inside the car with it still. For at least a couple of weeks practice the Down Stay command on the middle seats' floorboard or seats (if a row seat). Gradually move to practicing with the car in the driveway but still while on - don't turn on in the garage for gas breathing reasons. When pup is completely relaxed in the car and can do a solid down-stay, recruit a second person to drive or train, so the driver can only focus on driving. Have the person training enforce Down, while the driver simply pulls out of the driveway and back in When pup can stay relaxed during that (which will require a lot of repetition before pup relaxes then too - once pup sees that the driving is boring through repetition), then drive down the block and back. Gradually increase the distance and level of excitement as pup improves, only moving onto further distances or more exciting locations once pup can stay relaxed at the current level of training. If pup is reactive/aggressive toward things outside of the window, opposed to over excited or nervous riding in the car, I recommend hiring a professional trainer. https://www.youtube.com/user/TheGoodDogTraining/search?query=reactivity%20car Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
April 11, 2022
Cash
Yorkshire Terrier
3 Years
Question
0 found this helpful
0 found this helpful
My dog go crazy when he is the car he barks and act like he is afraid he and lick the window crawl at the door and wants to lay under my legs while I am driving
March 23, 2022
Cash's Owner
Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer
1133 Dog owners recommended
Hello, I recommend desensitizing pup to the car and slowing the overall process down. Start by simply feeding beside the car while its off, then feeding treats along the runner with the door open, then inside the car with it still. For at least a couple of weeks practice the Down Stay command on the middle seats' floorboard or seats (if a row seat). Gradually move to practicing with the car in the driveway but still while on - don't turn on in the garage for gas breathing reasons. When pup is completely relaxed in the car and can do a solid down-stay, recruit a second person to drive or train, so the driver can only focus on driving. Have the person training enforce Down, while the driver simply pulls out of the driveway and back in When pup can stay relaxed during that (which will require a lot of repetition before pup relaxes then too - once pup sees that the driving is boring through repetition), then drive down the block and back. Gradually increase the distance and level of excitement as pup improves, only moving onto further distances or more exciting locations once pup can stay relaxed at the current level of training. I would also desensitize pup to wearing a padded harness - if pup isn't already used to a harness, and have pup ride clipped into another seat with a doggie car harness for everyone's safety. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
March 23, 2022