Does anyone know about dogs?

Question

My dog keeps howling and barking in the boot of the car whenever we go out anywhere. It's become a real pain and is starting to get distracting. Does anyone know what I should do to keep her calm and stop crying whilst driving?

Answer 1

Dogs howling,barking or crying in the car can be a mixture of emotions.Your dog may be fearful of the car and reacts by howling and barking,it could be she even suffers with car sickness.If you take her out for a walk every time she's in the car then it could be excitement as she's desperate to get out and play.If you live close by to walks etc then walk there instead of driving,dont really take your dog out unless you have to.For anxeity or car sickness theres alot of herbal tablets that are given before a long journey to help calm them and prevent sickness.Also try walking her before you go for a long journey,this will help her relax,perhaps give her a few toys to chew on aswell.Good luck.

Answer 2

Sounds crazy, but Try cracking ALL the windows in your car alittle. Her ears might be hurting her.and thats why shes howling, or barking to let you know. If you only open one window,, it will vibrate and hurt her ears worse! or blow the a/c or plain fresh air through the ac on her face if possible. Alsom Try taking some distractions with you,, like chew toys, milkbones, rawhides, etc, something to keep her busy while your driving. Also if your playing music , or playing it too loud, that could be bothering her ears.too. Or shes just plain out spoiled and trying to test you.. If none of that works, just try plain out ignoring her. Their Just like having another child! , maybe after awhile, she'll notice that its not bothering you and she'll stop. Don't talk to her, pet her, nothing! and see how she acts. But don't give in! Totally ignore her. If all that doesn't work, then well, I guess her butt will have to stay home. but I know how it is! I take my dog EVERYWHERE pratically. If shes not throwing up, you know shes not carsick, so thats not the problem. Put her to the test and let her know its not acceptible! If all else fails,, it Sounds cruel, but get one of those muzzels you can buy at Petco, Petsmart, etc.. I think they make some that are for barking only, so that their not so tight.. ! Maybe if you do that a couple times and she sees what will happen if she barks in the car, she may stop!! Its worth a try!! Good luck!! Email me and let me know how it goes if you don't mind!! ;)


By the way, don't want to sound dumb,, but what is a boot in a car?? I hope your not talking about the trunk, or hatchback area.Do you mean the back seat,??

Answer 3

I see dogs sitting in their owner's car whimpering, barking, growling and generally going insane waiting for their owner to come back at shopping centers and the like.

Now, I am not saying you have ever done this horrible thing to your dog, but I just thought I would mention that some people do, and that is one reason why a dog might not like going in the car.

Another reason might be because your dog does not feel secure and/or has had a bad experience getting thrown around in sharp turns and sudden stops. It really is a good idea to put her in a dog crate if possible, or at the very least if she is a larger dog there are restraints that attach to the seatbelt that help keep your dog from flailing around.

My dogs adore going for rides with me. That is because I only take them in the car when we are about to do something fun. Yes, my dogs LOVE their vet, lol! But that is not the only place we go. There is a dog park about 20 miles from where I live that I take them to about once a month. I also have taken them on a few family trips when we went camping, awesome fun! When it gets really hot in the summertime, I will take them with me to the Dairy Queen for a small cone, even though I know it's not so great for them, it is still a wonderful treat and everyone at the Queen pays so much attention to them.

So,
1. try limiting the car trips (at least at first) to necessary trips
2. don't leave her alone in the car
3. gradually take pleasure trips with her, where she knows fun is going to happen
4. Crate her or restrain her in the car for stability and safety.
5. Talk to her, soothe her, assure her it's okay.

Answer 4

this is probably a symptom of a bigger problem revolving your relationship with your dog.
in my experience everything about dogs comes back to the pack higher archy, and where they percieve themselves in it. wierdly, the higher up they are in the pack, the more insecure and hence difficult they become including bad behaviour.
i would suggest not focusing on this particular problem (it won't work) and focus on the whole problem ie. your dog's position in the pack. for a secure, happy dog, he must know that with out doubt he is the bottom onf the pack and is not expected to make any decisions for himself or anyone else.... that all these decisions will be made by you, and you decide when food, attention and love are given to him. any drive he has to climb the pack ladder is purely sexual, and since you don't have a sexual relationship with your dog (at least i hope not) you shouldn't have a problem with not only making this clear to him, but enforcing it consistantly and fairly.
tips on enforcing pack order include: don't look at the dog when you enter or leave the room; don't give attention when he asks for it, only give it when he is being good; make sure that you enter the house before him every single time... if there is a family, he is last to enter. if he has aged a bit, you can kick start this all with being inconsistant about feeding, making it clear that you are incontrol. where family is involved, make sure that they all treat the dog along these guidelines, and that you make sure that the whole family are higher on the 'recieving attention' scale that he is.
once you have this all mastered, single comand words will start to work eg. 'quiet', 'stop', 'sit' but make sure you use that same word given to each situation... otherwise he will be confused!
good luck!!!

Answer 5

OK... u should probably try getting a muzzle... That will quiet ur dog. If you would rather not do this then if there is someone in your car with you, like a small kid or just someone that the dog likes, then try putting the dog next to them... usually dogs only whine when they want attention and love. Another thing you could try is, putting a toy in the back seat, or wherever you put your dog in the car... But the only one that is most likely to work, is the muzzle.

GOOD LUCK!

Answer 6

Do you have her in a crate in the car or is she loose? Crating her might calm her without taking any other steps. And have you established dominance with the dog, in general? That is a priority. When you have established your alpha-ness, and you are driving and she starts barking, command "QUIET". Say it authoritatively and as loud as necessary.

If she rides loose in the car and you can't command her to be quiet, you might have to use a crate as negative reinforcement. Have a crate or carrier in the car, and a blanket to cover it for darkness. When she starts barking, stop the vehicle and immediately banish her to the dark container and refuse her any attention for a while.

Answer 7

I'm not sure what part of your car is the "boot," but I'm going to guess it's the back. Usually, dogs bark because their either saying "hi" to everyone, or they're telling them "this is mine, back off." If you can, buy a seatbelt harness and put the dog in the front seat. Controlling the dog and using treats should help her to calm down and be a better passenger.

*side note* My husband says to use a muzzle.

Answer 8

You should always take her on a long walk before you bring her in the car, especially if you're going somewhere far, if not just make sure she's mentally tired. Then you should bring her in the car when you're not going anywhere and stay next to her for a while until she's calm. It might take a while, but she needs to get used to it.

Answer 9

Your dog is probably scared of riding in the car. Try sitting in the back with her for a few minutes BEFORE you start driving. Try and soothe her and show her that she's safe. Then try driving a short distance with her in the car. If she starts barking, stop and soothe her again. Over time this MIGHT help.

Answer 10

There is a spray on the market call DAP, it is a pheremone that helps to calm dogs and get them to relax. Try spraying this onto a bandana and then but the bandana around his neck when in the car.
This should help him relax and stop barking and howling.