# at my wits end in a car



## biancasmom (Jun 24, 2008)

I am at my wits end when Bianca is in a car with me. I put her in her carseat and she just barks NON STOP. Its a loud high pitched bark punctuated by some low growls. She does not do this if my mom drives her places (then she just whines a little) 

Yesterday I had to take her to petsmart to be groomed and it was snowing really hard. Im scared to drive on snow so I was concentrating really hard and the entire time she barked and I had a really bad headache by the time I got there.

Ive tried ignoring it, hoping she would give up.. I did this once on my way to my parents which is about 30 minutes from where I lived. She barked the entire way!

Ive tried telling her NO! in a low voice just like i did when I was first training her to stay in her playpen all night at home. It worked at home, it did not work in the car. Ive even tried barking back at her. That quiets her for a minute and then she starts up again.

Ive given her treats so that the carride is a pleasurable experience.. In fact on the way home from the groomers yesterday, i gave her a flossie.. she dropped it on the floor after 5 seconds and just kept barking. 

When she younger and it was warmer out.. i think i spoiled her. (and i know this is dangerous) but I used to hold her as I was driving.. I would let her get up on my left arm by the window.. Even then she was very nervous. She did not bark but she would whine loudly a lot.. well back in August, i realized that i couldn't do that anymore because in the winter when it snows, i need both hands on the wheel, so I bought her a seat. Ive even tried without the seat and her just sitting on blankets to see if it helps and it does not.

Does anyone have any suggestions besides not taking her in a car and drugging her?

janie


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## deedeeb (Feb 17, 2008)

I donut know if its a safety issue but what about putting her in her carry bag and put that on the seat? maybe having less visual stimulation will calm her?


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## biancasmom (Jun 24, 2008)

QUOTE (DeeDeeB @ Jan 26 2009, 01:46 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=713622


> I donut know if its a safety issue but what about putting her in her carry bag and put that on the seat? maybe having less visual stimulation will calm her?[/B]



Ive actually tried that too. Ive even tried putting her in the back seat in her seat, in her bag and just on the seat.. she does the same thing. 

I dont understand why when she is with my mom, the most she does is whine.. although my mom has only driven her a couple of times and it was usually at nite when she was going to watch her at her house for me. When i drive her its during the day... 

the funny thing is, she gets excited to go "bye bye". In fact, if i tell her we are going "bye bye" and then go to the bathroom, or go into another room, she gets mad at me and follows me and barks (not incessantly.. just like a few hey mom what are you doing i thought we are going bye bye)

and once we get to whatever our final destination is.. she has fun.. whether it be my friends house, or petsmart.. she has gone to more fun places than not fun.. We've only driven to the vets about 4 times.. and we've driven to the groomers 2x and ive made sure to take her to petsmart when not going to the groomers too.. so she doesnt associate that place with bad things...

when it was warmer out, i also would sit in the car with her.. like if i went to the grocery store with a friend, i would stay in the car with the dog and make her stay in her seat.. When the car is not moving she still barks.. but eventually she settles down and would chew on her bone.. 

i dont think its a motion sickness because she doesnt get dizzy or anything ( my previous dog,a pomeranian used to get car sick when she was a baby and you could tell.. her head would start moving in circles and then she would throw up) 

I swear that this is more of a spoiled bark.. like Bianca is telling me she wants to sit on my arm or my neck and no where else.. but even then when i used to do that, she would whine a lot.. 

i dont know.
janie


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## noskival (Aug 25, 2008)

Koji does the same thing (well almost)...he whines very loudly from the minute we get in the car until we finally get out. He also gets excited if I say "wanna go for a ride?' so I'm not sure what his problem is. I've tried a carrier and also a doggie car seat the he gets harnessed into, which he willget himself completely tangled up in. My trainer said we should sit with him in the car, while it's running, a couple of times a day to desensitive him but it's so cold out that it really isn't any fun. Let me know if you have any success stories... :smpullhair:


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## bellaratamaltese (May 24, 2006)

Have you tried a squirt bottle? Mine hate being sprayed so if I get any barking in the car, they get squirted. It usually makes them be quiet, although I've been lucky and haven't had many car barkers!


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## biancasmom (Jun 24, 2008)

QUOTE (BellarataMaltese @ Jan 26 2009, 02:37 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=713659


> Have you tried a squirt bottle? Mine hate being sprayed so if I get any barking in the car, they get squirted. It usually makes them be quiet, although I've been lucky and haven't had many car barkers![/B]


hmm i havent thought about a squirt bottle.. Bianca would probably like it tho 

Im wondering if a bark collar would be too extreme?.. maybe one that emits a sound or squirts something in her face.. i dont want to shock her.

janie


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## lilguyparker (Aug 16, 2007)

I wonder if she's barking and whining cause she just wants to be with you. In that case, she may have developed some car ride anxieties and feels safer if she was in your lap. Dogs are very intuned to us. So, if you're feeling anxious or anticipating something negative (like her cries or barking in the car), they sense that and feed off of that. Parker gets anxious whenever I get anxious...like if I'm lost, or I'm cursing at another driver....) This sounds silly, but try some calming signals...like yawning and blinking. I would not try to soothe her by saying, "that's ok," etc because that would reinforce her anxieties. 

Besides systematically desensitizing her, I would also try playing calming or relaxing music in the car. I've done that with Parker, and it works (unless I'm cursing at a driver). I would first introduce the relaxation CD in the safe, comforts of home. If you cuddle with her, then play the music at that time. Then take a very short car ride with her, but get that music playing right away.


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

I would put her in a crate in the back seat for her safety. 

Victoria Stillwell has done this "black out" on her show a few times. She blacks out all the windows. When she starts opening it, if the dog barks, she closes it again. You could easily give that a try with a sheet over the crate. 

I suspect the barking is from anxiety, especially since she couldn't even chew a bully stick. Practicing just going out to the car with it off and eating in it with the door open (even feeding her meals there) can help. Eventually move up to the car being on. Then very short rides (10 ft) keeping her attention on her yummies. Most dogs that are anxious in the car respond very well to slow desensitization.


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## jazzmalt (Feb 6, 2007)

Miko is somewhat anxious about car travel too, but like your Bianca, he’s always really excited to go for a ride anyway. I’ve decided the excitement isn’t about going for a ride, but about wanting to be with me, rather than being left at home by himself. 

After spending a lot of time studying his car behavior, one thing I’ve learned is that there’s a lot more logic to it than it first appears. The three places Miko travels to most often are to visit my sister, (which is his most favorite thing in the world to do), to the vet’s office (which he hates) and to the groomer (which he isn’t happy about, but it’s not as bad as the vet). When he first gets in his car seat and we’re on the road he’s perfectly fine, and he calmly watches out the window to see if we take the turn-off to my sister’s house. If we do, then he knows we’re going to his happy place and he stays perfectly content until we get there. If he sees that we don’t take the turn to my sister’s, then he realizes he doesn’t know where we’re going. He immediately starts shaking as soon as we pass the turn, looks miserable, and shakes all the way to wherever we’re going. When we’re done with wherever we go and he’s back in his car seat for the return trip home, he contentedly curls up and takes a nap until we pull into the garage. He knows he’s going home, that’s a good place, so he’s happy and peaceful about the car travel that takes him there. The bottom line for Miko is that he gets upset if he doesn’t know where we’re going. That’s all there is to his behavior. It’s hard to believe they can watch the road and know certain routes or turns, but Miko has shown me that they can. I don’t know if it’s from smells or sights, but Miko gets it right 100% of the time, so he’s convinced me.

I just thought of these patterns when you mentioned that Bianca doesn’t bark when your mother drives Bianca to her house. Could that be because when your mom is driving her, this is the one time she knows beyond a doubt where she’s going, and knows that she likes that place? Does Bianca’s barking taper off at all when you’re on your way home and get closer to your house, so she again knows where she’s going? 

As far as any solution, I can only offer what’s helped Miko do better with time. I tried the treats, the desensitization techniques, the firm “no”, and the reassuring “it’s okay”, but none of these impacted the anxious shaking behavior. The best results I’ve had with him were when I moved him from the front passenger seat to the rear of the car and totally ignored him. Now when I peek at him in the rearview mirror, I can see that he’s a lot less upset. Apparently he’s much less anxious when he thinks I can’t or won’t do anything about it because I’m out of sight and out of reach. When we’re at a stop light, if I physically turn around and look at him or speak to him, he will start shaking. So I just take peeks in the rearview mirror. :wacko1:


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## pammy4501 (Aug 8, 2007)

QUOTE (BellarataMaltese @ Jan 26 2009, 11:37 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=713659


> Have you tried a squirt bottle? Mine hate being sprayed so if I get any barking in the car, they get squirted. It usually makes them be quiet, although I've been lucky and haven't had many car barkers![/B]


This is exactly what I do. Mine hate the spray bottle so much, now I just have to pick it up and show it to them, and they stop whatever they are doing!


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## biancasmom (Jun 24, 2008)

i do talk to bianca in a pleasant voice and do not show any anxiety or anything.. in fact when we first get in the car I will be very pleasant and in a conversational tone i will tell her where we are going and who we will see.. like if we are going to my friend's house i will say.. we are going to Penny's and you get to play with Emma. and you will see the kids and Penny and Kevin..i never say Its ok its ok in a soothing tone because i know that feeds into it. She doesnt seem to calm down when we are almost home.. in fact.. she almost gets worse when she sees we are home.. and when i am ready to get out of the car. i will call her to me and allow her to jump into my arms.. and if i sit there for a second she starts whiining and shaking and is just ready to be out of the car..its especially hard when i go to my friends house bcause not only is she ready to be out of the car, but if their dog Emma is outside and bianca sees her, she is so excited.. she will almost jump out of my arms.. and usually im carrying her dog bag (which has her pee pads, etc in it), my dinner (cuz i go over there after work), a drink.. and in the snow.. i am struggling to maintain my footing while bianca is trying to get down.. i have never tried a crate covered.. but i have put her down on the floor in her bag where she couldnt see anything and that was worse.. she sounded hysterical until she could see something again..

i guess i will just keep trying.. and hopefully as she grows older she will just get used to being in a car.

janie


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## lilguyparker (Aug 16, 2007)

QUOTE (biancasmom @ Jan 27 2009, 12:21 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=714158


> i do talk to bianca in a pleasant voice and do not show any anxiety or anything.. in fact when we first get in the car I will be very pleasant and in a conversational tone i will tell her where we are going and who we will see.. like if we are going to my friend's house i will say.. we are going to Penny's and you get to play with Emma. and you will see the kids and Penny and Kevin..i never say Its ok its ok in a soothing tone because i know that feeds into it. She doesnt seem to calm down when we are almost home.. in fact.. she almost gets worse when she sees we are home.. and when i am ready to get out of the car. i will call her to me and allow her to jump into my arms.. and if i sit there for a second she starts whiining and shaking and is just ready to be out of the car..its especially hard when i go to my friends house bcause not only is she ready to be out of the car, but if their dog Emma is outside and bianca sees her, she is so excited.. she will almost jump out of my arms.. and usually im carrying her dog bag (which has her pee pads, etc in it), my dinner (cuz i go over there after work), a drink.. and in the snow.. i am struggling to maintain my footing while bianca is trying to get down.. i have never tried a crate covered.. but i have put her down on the floor in her bag where she couldnt see anything and that was worse.. she sounded hysterical until she could see something again..
> 
> i guess i will just keep trying.. and hopefully as she grows older she will just get used to being in a car.
> 
> janie[/B]


Hang in there. It's frustrating, but it's even worse for your baby. Each dog is different, so you have to play around with what works best for you and your baby. Relaxation CD worked for me. When my boy was going through this phase, I knew I had to be calm and not raise my voice or use any method that would exacerbate his anxiety. The way I saw it was, he was very anxious, scared, and confused. So, I had to figure out a way to reassure him that hitting curbs and getting rear ended doesn't always have to happen while riding in a car. 

I do not think that your baby will get used to it or grow out of it. If anything, most dogs will get worse over time. So, it's really important that the undesirable behavior is corrected now than later.


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## princessre (Dec 23, 2008)

Our pup stopped barking after we filled a coke can with coins and shook it for a couple seconds whenever he barked. After a few times his sensitive ears decided he couldn't take the punishment  , so now he only barks when there's a stranger at the door.


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

A note about aversives...

While many people use them for nuisance barking with no problems, aversives are inappropriate for any situation in which the barking is due to anxiety. 

For example, this is why I no longer like citronella collars. Put on a dog that was thought to be nuisance barking. Worked a couple of times. Then the dog went into a panic, barked through the collar, and broke out of its crate. Imagine being anxious, then being squirted with water while you are anxious...will you feel more calm or will this lead to an increase in your anxiety.


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## PreciousPrince (Feb 27, 2006)

Give Parker's mom's suggestion of soothing music a try. I'm reading a book right now called Through a Dog's Ear and the writers made some CD's for dogs, and they have one just for driving. Here's the website if you want to check it out: CD


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## princessre (Dec 23, 2008)

If you have Bebel Gilberto in your music library, try playing that too. I don't know an animal that doesn't calm down with Bebel. :biggrin:


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## binniebee (Sep 27, 2007)

QUOTE (JMM @ Jan 27 2009, 04:21 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=714361


> A note about aversives...
> 
> While many people use them for nuisance barking with no problems, aversives are inappropriate for any situation in which the barking is due to anxiety.
> 
> For example, this is why I no longer like citronella collars. Put on a dog that was thought to be nuisance barking. Worked a couple of times. Then the dog went into a panic, barked through the collar, and broke out of its crate. Imagine being anxious, then being squirted with water while you are anxious...will you feel more calm or will this lead to an increase in your anxiety.[/B]


I agree. Midis is terribly anxious in the car, so I would never do anything to upset him futher! But I really believe he suffers from motion sickness rather than just anxiety (I think the anxiety is caused by motion sickness, not the other way around in our case). In fact, we have used various routes to get to and from my family's home in West TN just to avoid the more curvy, hilly routes and found that this really works wonders. It doesn't matter if he's in a kennel (although I think that makes it worse for him) in a car seat (where he can see out) or in my lap if I am not the driver. The motion of the car seems to be the problem. If we can go easy on a straighter, more level route rather than the curvy, hilly route (which is about 20 miles shorter!) he is much better. He doesn't bark in the car, though (that would be really nerve-racking in an enclosed vehicle trying to drive!) but he is just not happy and usually throws up. I always give him half a Dramamine and no food before we leave on our 3-hour drive. I feel so sorry for him because I know he'd rather stay in his kennel at home alone rather than go for short rides with me to, say, the bank drive-in. I wish this weren't the case, but luckily he really likes his kennel and goes into it happily anytime we tell him to. I guess we're lucky there. But obviously he can't stay at home when we make the trip to my family. So, on we go with the Dramamine and car sickness. 

Cyndi


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## biancasmom (Jun 24, 2008)

QUOTE (JMM @ Jan 27 2009, 05:21 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=714361


> A note about aversives...
> 
> While many people use them for nuisance barking with no problems, aversives are inappropriate for any situation in which the barking is due to anxiety.
> 
> For example, this is why I no longer like citronella collars. Put on a dog that was thought to be nuisance barking. Worked a couple of times. Then the dog went into a panic, barked through the collar, and broke out of its crate. Imagine being anxious, then being squirted with water while you are anxious...will you feel more calm or will this lead to an increase in your anxiety.[/B]


thats true.. thats why i havent gotten one yet.. i had been considering just a collar that emits a high pitched sound in the house for when she barks at me for my food.. but thats another story..


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## biancasmom (Jun 24, 2008)

QUOTE (BinnieBee @ Jan 27 2009, 08:52 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=714438


> QUOTE (JMM @ Jan 27 2009, 04:21 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=714361





> A note about aversives...
> 
> While many people use them for nuisance barking with no problems, aversives are inappropriate for any situation in which the barking is due to anxiety.
> 
> For example, this is why I no longer like citronella collars. Put on a dog that was thought to be nuisance barking. Worked a couple of times. Then the dog went into a panic, barked through the collar, and broke out of its crate. Imagine being anxious, then being squirted with water while you are anxious...will you feel more calm or will this lead to an increase in your anxiety.[/B]


I agree. Midis is terribly anxious in the car, so I would never do anything to upset him futher! But I really believe he suffers from motion sickness rather than just anxiety (I think the anxiety is caused by motion sickness, not the other way around in our case). In fact, we have used various routes to get to and from my family's home in West TN just to avoid the more curvy, hilly routes and found that this really works wonders. It doesn't matter if he's in a kennel (although I think that makes it worse for him) in a car seat (where he can see out) or in my lap if I am not the driver. The motion of the car seems to be the problem. If we can go easy on a straighter, more level route rather than the curvy, hilly route (which is about 20 miles shorter!) he is much better. He doesn't bark in the car, though (that would be really nerve-racking in an enclosed vehicle trying to drive!) but he is just not happy and usually throws up. I always give him half a Dramamine and no food before we leave on our 3-hour drive. I feel so sorry for him because I know he'd rather stay in his kennel at home alone rather than go for short rides with me to, say, the bank drive-in. I wish this weren't the case, but luckily he really likes his kennel and goes into it happily anytime we tell him to. I guess we're lucky there. But obviously he can't stay at home when we make the trip to my family. So, on we go with the Dramamine and car sickness. 

Cyndi
[/B][/QUOTE]

i would think that this could be the case with Bianca.. except that she is fine in the car with my mom.. so i dont think thats it.
janie


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## vjw (Dec 20, 2006)

Two suggestions, but it's going to take a little training and time:

1. Start from the beginning and condition Bianca to view car rides as a positive thing. Here's a link which explains how to do this:

Canines in the Car


2. Train Bianca to not bark when you give the command. You can use whatever command you'd like. The command "shhhhh" with my finger over my lips is natural for me, so that's what I use. Some people use the command "quiet". 

Karli has gotten yappy and I'm working on this with her. She'll stop barking when I tell her, but she's so cute - her little body still wiggles (I can tell she's trying really hard).

Here's a link to a three page article on barking by Nick Dodman, a veterinary behaviorist at Tufts:

Barking



Good Luck!!




Joy


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## Kutsmail1 (Dec 26, 2007)

Zippy isn't a whiner, or an anxious barker, but she does like to talk to any car that pulls up beside us. Years ago, i did use a crate in the car with my first malt. She was easy to travel with except for the whining. The crate worked fast, and was easy.


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