Help in the car

[Chris]

Hi guys wondering if anyone has any ideas on how I can help Ty's emotionally state when he sees a dog as we drive to work to try and stop the bark and lunging.

So far we have the back window and side windows totally blacked out to reduce his viewing of dogs we go past. I have the back of the seat raised to try and stop him from lunging forward as a few times he has ended up in the back seat. I also got a curtain made that if I'm quick enough I could pull a string and the curtain would block off the view and reduce the barking, this hasn't worked so great because there was no way to pull the curtain back unless we stopped and got into the back to reset it and on a warm day it got to hot over the back to have it totally covered over for long.

I realize all these methods are just mangement and not dealing with his dog fears or emotions at the time but trying to drive a car and have a GSD barking and lunging is VERY distracting and it's not good to turn up at work with a head ache from the noise in such a confined space. The only thing to help to a degree is reducing his viewing area.

Over time I've tried throwing treats, 90% ended up all around the car and he wasn't interested anyway, I've spent the last 2 months praising him every time he sees a dog but I really don't know if he even hears me.

The problem is I can't stop driving and do some pushing, all I can do is praise but I'm just not seeing any improvement.

Thanks for any ideas

[Russell]

Not sure if this will help but have you tried applying "box training" ideas to the back of the car. You could give Ty more experience laying down, when excited, in the right place. He might be then more likely to lay down when asked, while you're driving.

Russell

[Chris]

Hi Russell

Yes I do the box training and it's going well. Sadly Ty's reaction to dogs to all fear as he got beaten up between 5-7 weeks in his litter and it's like he thinks every dog is going to 'get him'. I'll keep working hard on the downs with the box work but his fear is very intense and will be a very big thing to overcome.

[cliff]

Lenny also gets very excited when we pass someone or he sees another dog-- but not everyone. I wish i could figure what it IS that he doesn't like. Smell? Posture? Some joggers, nothing. Others, Grrr. And not all that excited, so i just roll up the window or ignore until we pass. If we're stopped, giving him a good tug on the collar and getting him to "SIT!" works for a while. (He hates reflective vests. The other day he wouldn't stop barking at a cop directing traffic at a construction site. We both smiled. Oddly, cops usually like dogs.)

It's interesting because he had great fear of cars (throwing up, shaking) when we first got him, but Anne trained him out of it in very small steps: she sat with him in the car and read a book. After about a week she started the car and fed him when he was quiet. Next, rolled down the window. Then backed in and out of the driveway. Short trips. You get the idea. It took about a month, but now he MUST have his ride every day.

I'm not sure of the specifics (Neil?), but some kind of incremental approach may be useful. I'll try it too! Good luck.

[jojo]

I'm new here, so perhaps not the one to give advice, but this at least can't hurt.

I'd go for a long walk, play fetch-tug, pushing, everything and have the dog be worn out from fun times and than take him for a drive where he's sure to see another dog, but maybe from a distance- set it up with a friend if you can. While I haven't had a problem like this, when I anticipate a problem situation I try to get rid of Remy's energy before we go in.

I'd also maybe have someone else drive, so you could give the dog your full attention, and know what's going on. I know, sometimes you don't have 6 friends waiting in line to help you train your dog, but if you can get 2 people to help, your praise method might be more effective if the dog had less energy to deal with and if you were focused on the dog when you praised him, not the driving. Sorry that neither idea isn't more practical.

[Alec]

You may want to set up a call so that you don't do more harm than good.

I am going to throw out possible things to try. I don't know if they will work but perhaps additional work outside of the car will help inside the car. Does the dog become aggressive when walking down the street? If so, have you had success redirecting him to you for pushing?

You mentioned throwing treats at him but as you indicated if he is that charged he isn't going to care. Maybe try fasting him along with the tug/fetch mentioned by jojo before you go on a drive, and when he barks shock him with a choke or pinch collar (make sure he doesn't see you do it) and praise at the same time while give him a extra tasty treat. Hopefully he will associate his nervousness with the shock and come back into the harmonic group mood.

Like I said though, it's probably best to try to get a call into someone with a lot of experience.

Good luck.

[Chris]

Originally Posted by jojo

I'm new here, so perhaps not the one to give advice, but this at least can't hurt.

Hi Jojo and welcome to the group and thanks for some ideas.

I always give Ty a good workout with tug and fetch before we head off to work in the car but his fear of all dogs is such that the sight of one sets him off.

Good idea re setting friends up but sadly most doggie friends have slowly disappeared over the last few years as they just didn't want to be around Ty even though if they'd just understand his emotion state and work with me in time he'd be friendly with their dogs. Sadly a large black GSD that is barking and lunging at another dog doesn't go down well.

The other day I had a long chat with Neil and something he said really opened my eyes to that fact that Ty going 'off' like he does is Ty telling me he can't cope with the stress right now. Man it made me realize I was looking for a fix for everything straight away when he's not at the stage of dealing with it. So that night I totally closed the curtain I'd had made so there is no way he can see another dog and wow the peace and quiet and no stressed Ty. I hope as I work through the NDT and understand it better and Ty learns to deal with his stresses better I'll be able to open the curtain in time.

[Chris]

Originally Posted by Alec

You may want to set up a call so that you don't do more harm than good.
Good luck.

You don't know how good an idea that is Alec and that's what I ended up doing, ref my thread on Phone consultation.

And as per my message to Jojo traveling in the car is peaceful now it's real nice to arrive at work without a charged up stressed dog

Thanks for your ideas

[jojo]

Makes sense.

I know I've pushed poor Remy to fast before, it's hard sometimes to realize. Luckily he is very forgiving and more resilient than he first appeared when I adopted him. But he might be less reserved now if I had made some wiser decisions earlier on.

[Chris]

I'm the same with Ty, if only I'd made wiser decisions earlier on. Maybe that's why we end up with these wonderful forgiving creatures, to help us learn from our mistakes and move forward from there.