Riding In The Car Quietly

[Hayley Thompson]

Hey guys,
Looking to get some insight into this, help help help!! When Riley was a wee pup she loved riding in the car, one day she got car sick and then after that she would become very talkative in the car and fixated on when a car passes us, she'll jump up and look out the back window. I've been working with her going on short drives, long drives and her talking is getting much better. I started off when she was quiet I would feed her as many treats as she would take (I also noted to take her on a half empty stomach and didnt go on long drives at first when I was feeding lots of treats so she wouldnt get car sick again, and she hasnt since that first and only time!) so that has gotten much better, she will still "talk" a bit on the beginning of a car drive and it will generally shortly disappear and usually is non existant on the way home.

Yesterday after a long day of swimming and playing at the cottage she was so tired on the way home, and I told my boyfriend I really wanted him to try to distract her from being fixated on the cars as they pass and give her treats at that time. She usually would time it perfectly so she would take the treats just in time to get to the back window to look out. He then started getting a handful of treats and quickly giving her one at a time while cars were passing, so she was watching the cars and getting treats. My thinking is when she sees a car passing she thinks its amazing and she will look to us to get treats! We also started asking her for a sit in the back seat and she is generally too excited and will not relax, she has started sitting for a quick moment on command in the back seat!

Basically what I'm wondering is do your dogs have this problem or had this problem and what exactly did you do to overcome it? She could care less about cars passing our house when she is outside and will not chase our cars when we leave the driveway. I'm thinking since she is a border collie when we are going in one direction in the car and an oncoming car is passing us she gets excited with her "herding mentality" thinking they should be going in the same direction as us and all the cars should be staying together? Does that even make sense?! lol

If there is any other ideas besides ingoring her talking and immediately treating on quiet, you guys can think of I would love to hear them. Or if you used this method and had success could you share it and give me confidence that there is a light at the end of the tunnel!! lol

With Riley positive association training has worked with her in the past so I'm hoping what I am doing will be working...

 

[Dodge]

Hi,I ve seen Victoria Stilwell black out the windows all the way round,with curtains at the front.The cutains would be open untill the dog would bark,as soon as you here a bark,close the curtain and say quiet when the dog stops barking. They clock on quite quick,if I dont bark,I get a nice view . . . I bark,I get to see nothing at all may be worth a try and when he has learnd to stay quiet you can take take the curtain down and gradually have the other windows unblocked again,hope this helps

 

[Hayley Thompson]

This is the BEST idea/advice EVER Dodge!! I am ridiculously excited right now! Ugh, how will I get through the work day?!?!? I literally read it with wide eyes and a dropped jaw and was like why didnt I think of that!!! Eeeeeeeeeee!!!!

 

[Dodge]

ooh your welcome,I just read my post back . . . christ the spelling mistakes are aweful and I called your girlie a "he",sorry
Hope your day will pass quickly,xx

 

[tx_cowgirl]

Great post Dodge.

My BC Mud used to be super crazy in the car when we first adopted her. If in the backseat, she would race across the seat, bouncing off of the windows. She's not a vocal dog, so no talking, just smacking the windows and running a relay on the backseat. If in the front seat, she would spin repeatedly and hit the window or windsheild. I did a lot of self-control exercises and did a lot of work with distractions to help improve her focus. Then I tested her in various areas with low, medium, and high traffic. As soon as she got in the car, I asked for a sit stay--sit so she knows when she gets in the car, she's supposed to sit and be still; stay so she would stay in her seat while I walked around to get in the driver's seat. Then off we went. If she broke her sit, I would tell her to sit again and reward her for it. This wasn't the absolute best method to use, but at the time I couldn't think of anything else. Nonetheless, now she gets in, sits down on her own, and is very well behaved in the car. No window smacking or spinning. She is a drooler, cause she's excited to go for a car ride, but she is well behaved.

Dodge's recommendations are great and for a while, look at car without barking/look away from cars=food like you've already done is also really good. If you combined these two methods I'm sure it would work great!

 

[Hayley Thompson]

Thanks for the advice tx_cowgirl. I was worried at first when she became so excited in the car that it was fear and anxiety, but even the mention of going for a car ride and when I put on her no pull harness (which we call her bra lol) she will start whinning at the door if we are not out their ASAP, and the minute I open the can door she is in and ready to go! Also when we return home from a drive if I open the backseat door she will get out but if I dont shut it right away behind her, she hops back in and its a struggle to get her back out!

 

[Hayley Thompson]

side note: do you all have trouble "training" your significant other on how to train your dog? Grant has no problem showing off all of Rileys tricks with friends that come over, but he gets so frusterated in helping me train her and understanding the psychology that I try to use with her.

When we had a mini break through in the car the other day when Riley was so tired, he was in charge of giving her treats when I was driving, and the first time Riley took treats from him while watching a car pass and didnt jump to look out the back window, Grant was so excited! It was like a lightbulb finally went off in his head understanding how the distraction and positive association could work to get her to behave in an acceptable way!

So sad/funny to say but sometimes I have to laugh at Grant the same way I laugh at Riley, they both get so frusterated when they dont understand and cant figure something out, but once that light bulb goes off, it sticks and they instantly get it lol Like Daddy like Doggy!!

 

[jackienmutts]

Really great advice above. I did see the VS episode, and thought it was great advice - cuz those dogs were NUTS in the car, and almost caused an accident!! I think a combo of the above would really help a lot.

So sad/funny to say but sometimes I have to laugh at Grant the same way I laugh at Riley, they both get so frusterated when they dont understand and cant figure something out, but once that light bulb goes off, it sticks and they instantly get it lol Like Daddy like Doggy!!

Did you ever think of getting some chips or something, and that clicker, and clicking and tossing him a chip or a pretzel when that light bulb goes on and he finally gets it?? I know, it CAN be frustrating when you're trying to train, and someone else is just kind of doing it 'their' way, cuz, well, ho-hum, it's easier, or it worked years ago, or they just don't get what you're doing. *sigh* We joke around all the time in class about using the clicker and chocolate, chips, etc on spouses, roommates, kids, friends, you name it. Our trainer occasionally, clicks and tosses a chocoate to someone in class when they have a "lightbulb moment" --- it's fun!!

 

[Hayley Thompson]

hahaha I love it!! Its so true too...at least now my defense is "well who taught her how to sit, lie down, stay, beg, bow...blah blah blah...obviously my method has been working...what did you teach her??!" lol He is great for helping though, but not great for listening to my advice on ignoring certain behaviours, hes too eager to see the final product without putting in the work...maybe ill start "charging" up the clicker for him and treating him tonight!!

 

[tx_cowgirl]

YES, the significant other can sometimes be an issue. I have to give it to him, he is very receptive to what I ask him to do in order to teach whatever I'm working on, but I do frustrate him. I looooooove training, whether it's a trick or a problem, I just can't get enough of it. I have to be really careful not to over-use my boyfriend, as he's not super crazy about it like I am. Try not to make your bf a prop in your dog training. My boyfriend is wonderfully patient with me (LOL) and puts up with me using him for dog training sometimes. I've gotten looots better.

He also likes to intentionally sabatoge my training sessions, once in a while. Honestly it's funny; he chooses the better times to do it. Mudflap really, really loves him, so if I'm asking for a stand-stay or something sometimes he will taunt her and try to get her to break it--which works a lot, because she loves to break her stay to go play with him. But most of the time, he's great about helping out with training.

 

[fly30]

Riley is a border collie and, as you pointed it out yourself, has a well developed herding instinct. Therefore, I'm sure the best way to teach a herding dog to herd for his human mate and not for himself is to learn how to heard properly. I go herding from time to time with Fly and I never have any unwanted herding behaviour from her. And though she sometimes wants to herd birds, it's always under control and she looks at me before any move forward. She actually learnt how to control her instinct by herding sheep with me, and I discovered her world and I love it.

 

[abby_someone]

Fly,
How do you train herding? (without sheep and a herding friend to help?) Although, I do have chickens...

 

[fly30]

I don't have any sheep nor a friend who has some either. I found an association in my area where we can pay for each day session and learn with a skilled person. Once you have learnt with someone who knows what he's doing, you may be able to practice with your chickens, but not before.

 

[abby_someone]

Thanks Fly! Great advice. I will look for someone who knows what they are doing. I do know that they usually start puppies on poultry for herding competitions, usually geese or ducks though. Maybe chickens are to "flighty"?

 

[DuncansMom]

I bought a dog "seat belt" harness from petsmart (not very expensive) and it has really helped Duncan. He really likes wearing the harness in the car because it stops him from being jostled and I think he finds it comforting. The harness doesn't let him jump around. He used to be vocal, so I said "NO" whenever he was whining, and said "Good Dog" when he was quiet. I could do this easily while driving, without looking away from the road. He has gotten much, much better. We also drive to to same dog park every day around 10am and he knows and enjoys the routine.
When my husband is in the car, I have him sit in the backseat next to Duncan and pet him when he is quiet.

 

[fly30]

Can't answer you on chickens. I think they start young dogs on poultry 'cause it's less frightening for them and they don't want to put them off. However, there is no real point in wanting to start too early. The dog needs a minimum maturity. We started with Fly on sheep when she was 8 months old and it was just ok. They can start at any age after that.

If you decide to start herding activity with your border collie, it's the best gift you can offer him. That's what he was born for

 

[fly30]

Regarding sitting in the car, that's where Fly stays :

I also use it in the house (though it stays open in the house) and she likes it. And once in the car, I find it reassuring as Fly may not jump on my head if I brake suddenly and, in case of accident, she won't be escaping from the car. I find it more secure. Most of the time, she sleeps when travelling.

 

[Hayley Thompson]

It's funny how dogs get into their routine eh DuncansMom...I swear Riley knows the roads to take to go to different places! I can almost bet money on an exaggerated hhrrrmmmm from Riley everytime we take a turn on a new road.."Ugh mom, my friend Lucy lives down that road there...where do you think you are going!?!"

 

[Hayley Thompson]

I have a dog hammock thingy that goes across the entire back seat, so she isnt able to get into the front seat, but I have been thinking about picking up a seatbelt for her to keep her more secure

 

[tx_cowgirl]

I also use seatbelt harnesses, just for their safety. I got Zekers used to being in the car, but not all aspects of car rides until about a year ago. He used to duck and try to climb in my lap everytime we went under a street light, overpass, or drove by 18-wheelers. 50 pound dog trying to lay in your lap while you're driving down the highway....yeah. Lol. Poor Zekers. So I got a seatbelt for him to avoid that, but still had to have him sit right next to me without freaking out for being in a scary place and so far away(one seat) from Mom. Now, a little over a year later, he can sit happily in the passenger seat or backseat with his seatbelt harness and no longer ducks for all those things, doesn't stress at all and just enjoys the ride.