# Screams in car - help please



## ROGERSMOM (Jul 16, 2016)

Roger is 15 weeks old. We have him 4 weeks. We drive with him every weekend and he stays in his travel bag on my lap - he can't stick his head out any hole because he is so little when I unzip the slot he climbs out. He's ok.
Here's the problem. When I drive with him alone I belt his travel bag next to me. There's mesh all over he can see me and hear me speak. He HOWLS & SCREECHES. I don't think he's afraid of the bag, he hangs out in it sometimes. Is there something he might enjoy traveling in better? Perhaps he's anxious in the car? A thunder jacket. I read put treats in. I will take any help. Thank you


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## Smtf773 (Apr 8, 2015)

This became Edward after he was 7 months old. I took him to doggie day care everyday since he was about 5 months. All of a sudden he became unruly in the car. He would bark, scream, howl, scratch in the bag, etc. I would wait in the car for him to calm down before we left. Gave him treats. Praised him. Zip him up and he was fine until the car went into gear. Then good golly miss Molly!


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## mss (Mar 1, 2006)

Hard-sided crates are really safer, and an airbag going off in the front could hurt a dog in a soft carrier. Maybe try a different type of crate--get him used to a hard-sided crate in the back seat. Do it gradually, maybe just hang out with him in the car, in the crate, without turning on the engine. Then turn on the engine for a few times. Give treats all the time you are hanging out with him. (If he gets queasy or carsick when the car is moving, then don't feed him when you actually get moving.)

I had one little dog that did a lot better on the floor of the rear passenger area. 

Good luck!

P.S. Is there anything else different when you drive him alone? Are you always going to the vet, perhaps?


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## ROGERSMOM (Jul 16, 2016)

thank you - would be great if i had a back seat, that's why at first i put him on floor - felt it was safer. again, when we both travel he is fine in bag on my lap. I havent tried traveling with him when I'm in the city with car with back seat. I was wondering if he would be able to climb out of one of those doggy car seats that's supposed to be safe and belted in back or will he climb out of that as well. He's up to a beasty 3.8 lbs now


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## lydiatug (Feb 21, 2012)

The floor is definitely safer...your lap is probably the worst place you can transport him. If that air bag deploys, he's not likely to survive, and it doesn't always take a big crash. 

Getting him used to being in the car is your first step. Take it slowly and train in baby steps, each step until he gets comfortable with it. 

I started training Georgie to her airline snoozer months before our first flight and she was perfect. First with treats to get her to go in alone, then leaving it out for her to explore on her own, then closing, then walking on the carpet, then tile, then outings and on metal bleachers, over sidewalks, etc. Everything I thought we might encounter on our travels...all with short periods of repetition and reward.


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## edelweiss (Apr 23, 2010)

Some dogs can't stand to be confined so an open booster seat in the back seat with a safety harness & belted would be a good try. When Lisi was younger she was awful---I can't tell you how bad it was. She does fine now & in the booster especially... . but I could not use a sleepy pod with her! Yikes!


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## LOVE_BABY (May 5, 2015)

*Heres what worked for me*



ROGERSMOM said:


> Roger is 15 weeks old. We have him 4 weeks. We drive with him every weekend and he stays in his travel bag on my lap - he can't stick his head out any hole because he is so little when I unzip the slot he climbs out. He's ok.
> Here's the problem. When I drive with him alone I belt his travel bag next to me. There's mesh all over he can see me and hear me speak. He HOWLS & SCREECHES. I don't think he's afraid of the bag, he hangs out in it sometimes. Is there something he might enjoy traveling in better? Perhaps he's anxious in the car? A thunder jacket. I read put treats in. I will take any help. Thank you



The same thing happened to me when my boy Baby, was a puppy. What I did was simple & worked for us, perhaps try doing as follows: After placing your dog in the bag & strapping him in give your dog a small food treat, j{just a tiny bit dogs don't care about size of the treat as long as they get one}.

If you make multiple stops during an outing and you will be taking your dog in and out of the bag make sure to give a treat each and every time he goes into the bag taking care not to forget. Your dog will probably soon happily anticipate going in the bag {and receiving his treat}. 

After a couple of weeks of doing this my dog did a complete turn around and began to LOVE going inside his seat in the car! We continued giving treats when placing him inside his car seat for about 2 years. He is about 4 now and going for rides in his carrier inside of the car is still one of his all time favorite things to do. My dog no longer needs the treats in the car, he started loosing interest in them & rejecting the treats, and so now he rides in the car happily with no treats. Good luck!:thumbsup:


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## LOVE_BABY (May 5, 2015)

p.s. Incase you are interested in a very safe car carrier/seat for your dog you might like the type I have for mine. I have the a 'sleepy pod' for my dog, www.sleepypod.com , several of the models have been crash tested by Subaru and survives crash tests. You can watch the videos of the crash tests using crash test dummy dogs on the website. Sleepypod zips up & your dog is safe inside. There are several models. For a puppy I would buy the large size so your dog can grow into it. I like the original sleepypod {round shape}, but they also have other rectangular airline approved models which you could also take on a plane if needed. They are pricey but I consider it an investment in my dogs safety.


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## ROGERSMOM (Jul 16, 2016)

Thanks everyone. I purchased the open seat and I tether it to his harness. I put food and a nyla bone in it and he's fine now. Usually even falls asleep. He doesn't do well confined.


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## Steph_L (Jul 20, 2015)

Also, if your car does not have a back seat then it may have a way to turn off the passenger air bags or a sensor that if he's light enough on the seat (by himself) the airbag won't go off. Airbags in the front of the car are only designed to protect full grown adults, thats why children (and pets) shouldn't be in the front seat. Many cars with only a front seat have the option to turn the air bags off. At least my dad's truck is like that and our sedan has a sensor.


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## LOVE_BABY (May 5, 2015)

ROGERSMOM said:


> Thanks everyone. I purchased the open seat and I tether it to his harness. I put food and a nyla bone in it and he's fine now. Usually even falls asleep. He doesn't do well confined.


Glad to hear it -thats great!
And like certain men, 
the way to get to them is sometimes through their stomachs lol! :w00t:



Steph_L said:


> Also, if your car does not have a back seat then it may have a way to turn off the passenger air bags or a sensor that if he's light enough on the seat (by himself) the airbag won't go off. Airbags in the front of the car are only designed to protect full grown adults, thats why children (and pets) shouldn't be in the front seat. Many cars with only a front seat have the option to turn the air bags off. At least my dad's truck is like that and our sedan has a sensor.


Good point Steph 
about airbags! :thumbsup:


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