Help! My dog wont get in the back of the car any more.

[undeterred]

My 5 year old malamute aussie mix has decided he doesn't want to get in the back of my minivan any more. This is a problem as I really don't want him riding in the seats closer to the front.

He's been jumping in the back on his own for 5 years. (He also jumps fences, jumps into other peoples cars, and jumps on top of the doghouse at doggie day care, so I'm sure its not a physical problem. He LOVES to jump.)

He started acting reluctant about 6 weeks ago. I was able to encourage him with treats for a couple of days. Then one day I had a flat tire in the pouring rain. I had to take apart his area of the car and put it back together - not when he was around. But I didn't have it all put back in place the next time he got back in and it rattled. This was in October. He seemed to be very averse to it after that even though I have put his rug and blanket back on top of it.

For a while I tried encouraging him to get in the back but then allowing him to ride on the seat if he refused. He always refused. He never gets in voluntarily.

For a while I have been picking him up and putting him in the back. Sometimes I tempt him with sausage and I end up picking him up and putting him in the back. Over the holidays he had two long drives in the back of the car and he settled down. But today when I picked him up from daycare and put him in the back he actually tried to throw himself back out. He's done that a couple of times.

I don't know why he does this. He even does this in the morning when he knows he is going to doggie day care or to the park. It would make sense that he doesn't want to leave these places, but he has always been eager to go there.

He's a big dog and I'm tired of picking him up. But mostly I just don't have a clue why he suddenly became averse to getting in the back of the car and what I can do about it.

Any ideas?

[OnyxCollie]

1. A similar thing happened with one of my dogs.

She stepped on a manhole cover that rattled under her feet.

She doesn't feel safe anymore and now she avoids manhole covers (or anything similar) on the ground.

I've given up trying to get her to get over it, so I anticipate her reactions to oncoming obstacles.

Is there any other way to get your dog in the car?

[undeterred]

2. It took me a few weeks to realize he

wasn't just being obstinate. He's a fearless dog so it was hard for me to imagine him being unwilling to do something he'd already done so many times.

I can either pick him up and put him in the back - which is a little rough on my back - or let him sit in the seats.

I really can't pinpoint when it started, but taking the spare tire out of the back just jostled up his riding space and its never been the same again.

[TorchTheWitch]

7. Is it possible that there is still something rattling

or vibrating in the back after you took out the spare tire that he can still either hear or feel? For some reason he still feels uncomfortable riding in the back of the car ever since you took apart the back space where he rides to get that tire out. It doesn't seem to be anything about actually jumping in that disturbs him but something about having to be in the car at all that's making him unwilling to jump in anymore.

I'd check out that spare tire area and make sure that everything is secured down tightly so that nothing is rattling or vibrating that he can sense. Isn't there also other stuff like a jack, tool kit, leg wrench, etc. in that space along with the spare? All the cars I've had also had that kind of stuff in that space along with the donut tire. Actually, what I'd do is take all of that stuff out and put it up front in the car or even leave it at home, make sure the spare is screwed down tight then take him for a couple of rides and see if he feels more content in the back and goes back to being willing to jump in on his own again.

I went through something sort of similar with my first dog when I had a little Honda that he had to ride in the back seat since there just wasn't enough room for his big self in the passenger seat when I transfered a box of junk from my old car into that one and put it in the "way back" area behind the back seat (it was a hatchback, so there was no trunk and instead was a smallish back area instead). He was fine for months with that box of stuff in the back, but suddenly he didn't want to get in the car anymore and kept turning around trying to get away from the door opening so that I had to start actually picking up his back end and "walking" his front end into the car.

I finally figured out what the problem was when we went to the park and I went into that box for his water bowl that was an old metal kitchen mixing bowl, but it had slipped and was pinging against one of the metal clamps on the end of my jumper cables. So, when I put his bowl back in after his drink I made sure that there wasn't any metal things to hit against each other, and after a couple of more times riding in the car he was fine with climbing into the back seat on his own again. Eventually, I went through that box of junk and got rid of about half of the stuff then used old towels to wrap the metal clamps on the jumper cables and his drinking bowl so that if they ever moved around again they wouldn't be making strange noises hitting against each other that he didn't like.

I'd try seeing if there's something still rattling or vibrating in that spare tire space that's bothering your dog while you keep trying to coax him back into being willing to jump in on his own again. Certainly, having to pick him up and put him in the car can't be much fun.

[undeterred]

8. Its possible but he doesn't seem freaked out once he is riding.

I was thinking back to when it actually started - he was weird about getting in the car a day or two before the flat tire, but he reluctantly got in.

I was driving down a major street and a city bus pulled up along side my car. There was an ad on the side of the bus with a picture of a man on it. My dog started barking at the picture and since it was a red light, he barked for about 20-30 seconds and then I pulled away. At the time I thought it was funny- but clearly he was afraid and to him it looked like a big man right outside the bus next to the car window. Very threatening. I wonder if that has anything to do with it.

Its hard to know what they are thinking and our reassurance doesn't seem to do much.

[TorchTheWitch]

9. It sounds like the bus might have been the culprit

Either the photo of the big man or the noise or the smell or the people on the bus or something. Though he seems ok once he's in the car he might be a little on edge while he's in there, and his refusal to get in on his own anymore might have more to do with him not wanting to have to confront another scary thing like that bus again on a car ride. He may be showing no big outward signs of not liking the rides anymore, but have you noticed that he doesn't seem as relaxed on the rides or enjoying them as much, or that when you get back home he's eager to get out of the car? My dog was just balking at getting in, but once he was in he seemed resigned, and I never picked up on any real signs of distress though looking back he just didn't seem to enjoy the rides as much as he used to while his metal bowl was clanking against the jumper cable end, and suddenly he was practically leaping out of the car when we got back home.

Hmmm... I guess all you can really do is keep working at trying to convince him the ride is fun and coaxing him to jump back in on his own. I guess you could also try covering the side windows, too, so he won't be agitated with whatever he can see out those windows. Try getting him excited about taking a car ride and have the back end open and ready for him to jump in, and just zoom outside with him when he's all happy, dash straight to the car and see if he slams on the brakes or keeps going and jumps in. You could also try having him beside you for that dash and jump in yourself and see if he does, too. I've noticed with my dogs that those things they aren't so comfortable with if I make it seem REALLY fun and get them all excited and happy that's what seems to work better than anything else.

For example, Yoshi never had any problem with taking pills until right after he had his neutering surgery. Suddenly he was very visibly uncomfortable about taking pills. I don't know why... maybe while he was needing to have them at the vets office whoever was giving them to him might have felt a little anxious about opening his big face full of teeth and plopping one in. So, to get him over that I really worked at getting him all excited and happy that he was about to have a "pill" that was really just a tiny bit of food and rub his face, tickle his lips, etc. acting like it was a wonderful game and then just opening his mouth and plopping in the little bit of food as if it was a pill still acting like it was all a big party and then make a huge happy deal about his having done what I wanted... YEAH!!! What a good boy you are taking your pill!!! Yahoooo! After doing that a number of times for several days he was ok with me opening his face again and plopping some little bit in the back of his throat for him to swallow.

With me I notice that if I'M feeling anxious or concerned or serious it just makes the dog more wary and when trying to encourage him I end up just making it worse because he senses that. I don't know, maybe approaching things I want to fix with my dog and the ones that came before him it's really me that gets more relaxed and happy by making an exciting game out of it, and that transfers to the dog.

[2theleft]

3. The only way I know is slow and easy and positive reinforcement.

Can you get in the back, while holding your dogs leash, have something VERY yummy...his most favorite treat - roast beef, chicken, whatever. Coax him in while gently pulling on the leash. DO NOT FORCE HIM IN, just gentle tugs to encourage. If he puts front paws up to smell/get treat, give him some, tell him how good and brave he is. Keep at it. If he is not interested, hang out for a few minutes while being very calm, like it's no big deal. Try once more. If he still isn't interested, call it a day, do something that he can be successful at - sit, down, whatever, praise him. Try again the next day. It can take MANY days to re-train them once they've been spooked. Patience is really all you can do.

[undeterred]

5. I've been working with bacon-liverwurst

which he LOVES. I thought he would just get right in for it but he just stops - he wants it but will not jump in for it.

I think I need to be even more patient... So this is going to take a while.

[mopinko]

4. can you feed him in the van?

work him and treat him in the van while it is parked. then while it is running but parked.
work on "off". this gives him a word that means- hey stupid, how many time do i have to tell you that dogs ride in the back?

[undeterred]

6. thanks, good idea