Holiday is part black lab/golden retriever. She is just so heavy to pick up and then I feel guilty forcing her in. She pees half way in which is no picnic and when she is inside she sits on the floor between the two front seats scared to death. Any other time she is happy to be with me including sleeping at night in my bed. We are very close and I want to be able to take her places with me. I would appreciate any advice here. Thanks!
2007-08-07 18:02:21 · 13 answers · asked by SweetRoll6 1 in Pets ➔ Dogs
Holiday? What an AWESOME name!
Do you only put her in the car when she's going to the vet? If so, she's already made the connection between the car and being poked/prodded/injected etc. What you need to do is teach her that "go for a ride in the car" usually means something GREAT!
As some of the others said, it's a good idea to load her into the car and give her treats while she's in there, even if you don't go anywhere. Try that for a few days. Then, put her in, give her a treat, and drive somewhere ... even just a short distance ... give her lots of praise (Good girl, Holiday ... SUCH a good girl! YES you are!!!) A few days of that. Then, same routine, but end up somewhere FUN ... the pet-store, the park ... treats and praise ... if anything negative happens (she pees or cries or shakes in terror) don't acknowledge it ... keep your tone of voice happy!
Pretty soon, she'll be looking forward to the car rides! Most important thing is to make getting in the car an EVERYDAY thing for her, and once she understands it's NOT going to be a painful experience, she'll accept it.
And here's a tip for making those (dreaded) vet-trips less scary for her ... explain the situation to the vet or the front-desk staff at the vet, and ask if you could bring Holiday in a few times, just to say hello and have her ears scratched and have a big, happy fuss made over her! Maybe she could sniff around the waiting-room, step up on the scale, and check her pee-mail on the shrubs outside the vet-clinic? Trust me, they WILL say it's fine to do this. She'll soon learn that the vet-clinic is an okay place to be. And afterwards, it's off to McDonald's for a double cheeseburger! (or whatever really junky, horrible treat that she LOVES best ... hey, she earned it!) And lots of praise because she was sooooo brave!
Good Luck ... if the advice you find here doesn't help, please ask your vet for suggestions. I think this is a pretty common problem, and should be resolved fairly easily!
2007-08-07 18:37:49 · answer #1 · answered by * 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, try getting her in the van without going anywhere, once she's inside, praise her and give her treats. Teach her that the van is a good thing. Put down towels or a mat on the floor to try to keep the pee of the floor of your van if you want, she pees cause she gets scared and nervous, kinda like how some dogs will pee when excited. Just get her in the van a few times (or more) and praise her and confort her till she stops being so scared of just the van, then take her on short trips, gradually building up how long she is in the moving vehicle. She might not even take to the van after that, some dogs just don't get along well. But that's about all you can do.
2007-08-07 18:13:01 · answer #2 · answered by darkeyesdrinking 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I think it's a nursing strike and I think it's very normal. The best thing to do, if you want to continue nursing, is to wait it out. As you said, he's gaining weight. So you know he's not starving. He will likely get plenty hungry and take the breast again when he's ready. I want to tell you that both my sons did this. One did it at almost 9 months and one did it at 11 months. It only took a couple of days and then everything was back to normal and they ate again. (And the reason he's refusing formula is likely that it doesn't taste good after all the yummy breast milk he's had.) If you're still worried, then go ahead and contact your doctor. But also contact a La Leche League leader or a lactation consultant. (Doctor's don't always know about breastfeeding!) And sometimes you have to go with your own gut as a parent.
2016-05-21 04:11:36 · answer #3 · answered by halina 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
she's a lab so maybe try a treat inside the van. take her on short trips to fun places, even if you normally would walk there. such as the park or a friend's house for a playdate. if you can't coax her in with a treat, you might at first have to force her in. but if she finds out it's not just the vet she's going to but fun places she will eventually be eager to go with you. make it a very fun and exciting thing. make it a daily occurance if you can, so she is consistanly working on this for days. the more this happens and is a fun thing the more likely she will be eager to jump in and go bye bye. also she might be afraid of jumping into the van. try using a wide board or ramp and see if she will walk up that. put some favorite toys and other familiar things in the van to help her feel more secure. good luck!
2007-08-07 18:11:53 · answer #4 · answered by cagney 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Entice her with treats. Start by training her. Place a treat at the edge of the door to the van, let her eat it, then set another a couple more inches inward, and continue this until she gets into the van. Praise her and give her a lot of happy pets and speak in a tone that she responds to excitedly. Have someone drive the van around while you sit with her to console her if she starts getting nervous. Reward her and distract her with a treat every so often and more praise. Return home and do the same over a course of a few days.
2007-08-07 18:14:29 · answer #5 · answered by Anuolf 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
She needs to stop associating getting in the van with going somewhere terrible. That other suggestion, of putting her in the van and not going anywhere is a good one. Every day, take her for a walk, and incorporate getting into the van, sitting in the van, and getting out of the van after a few minutes, is a good start. Part 2 is getting in the van and driving somewhere fun, like a park, and getting out, running around the park, getting back in, and going home. Part 3 is getting a travel crate, putting her in the travel crate, not going anywhere, making it a normal part of your daily walk, soon she will accept that getting in the van and the travel crate is a normal thing. If she starts to associate it with going to the park, she will start to want to get in the van whenever you open up the van door.
The way to get her used to going places with you is to take her places. She will freak at first, but as it becomes an everyday thing, she'll get used to it! It's the changing of your routine to make it an everyday thing, that's the first big hurdle. Once you clear that, she'll always be ready to go.
2007-08-07 18:16:47 · answer #6 · answered by enn 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Like the person said about putting her in the van and give treats and lots of praise and let her back out of the van giving lots of praise again, do this a few times.
But before every time you put her in the van take her for a good walk.. empty that bladder of hers so the accidents are less apt to happen.
Next have her get in the van give treats and lots of praise, start the van, give treats and lots of praise, shut it off and let her out of the van with lots of praise. Do this a few days.
Then get her in the van, give praise and a treat, start the van more praise and a treat, drive around the block, when stopped back at the house with van running give praise and a treat, shut it off and get her out.. more praise. Do this a few days.
Gradually driving further and stop at her favorite park and go for a nice walk/run giving lots of praise. Drive home again lots of praise (gradually reduce the treats as well.)
Find a park farther from your home to drive to so she can have new smells and adventures that she associates with the ride.. rather than the vet's office.
2007-08-08 01:46:38 · answer #7 · answered by mairin 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Practice loading her up every day. When she gets in give her a treat. Its kinda like teaching her a trick. I have a lab right now that will not jump in the back of the pick up so i have to lift him in there. And then when its time for him to come out he wont jump out. Alls it will take its practice. Also some dogs love going for a ride and others just hate it. It just depends on the dog. Hope this helped you!
2007-08-07 18:09:46 · answer #8 · answered by DogLover 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hi,
Getting your dog used to riding in the car can be a frustrating experience. They need to know that it is not just for going to the vet. I have a website and there is a page all about getting your dog used to riding in the car. Check it out, it might help.
http://www.standardpoodlesusa.com/Traveling-With-Your-Poodle.html
2007-08-08 02:01:45 · answer #9 · answered by shrsandy 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
some dogs are very afraid of traveling by vehicle. does she get car sick? most dogs will grow out of this with more frequent trips in the car. try just getting her in the van and not even going anywhere
2007-08-07 18:06:20 · answer #10 · answered by a_denikey 3 · 3⤊ 0⤋