Travelling with dogs!

[rkwpjv]

Can anyone suggest any "humane" ways to keep dogs quiet in the car? I love travelling with the dogs and they love being with us but we have issues with the dogs yapping the entire time.


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[GraemeL]

Obedience training.

I love dogs and have had them all my life, but they have always had obedience training. It's not difficult or time consuming and it can benefit dogs of all ages.

[oldmate]

Obedience training.

I love dogs and have had them all my life, but they have always had obedience training. It's not difficult or time consuming and it can benefit dogs of all ages.

X2
Even our small typical PITA little white fluffy dog had training, and both of ours travel fine. Our staffy has traveled in the car from he time we got him, and the Maltese, she was a pound puppy so has taken a bit of work, but 2 years n she is good.

[TOPNDR]

Neither of ours yap, just good luck I reckon as they missed out on the obedience training.

The little one should be called Houdini, because he squeezes through the gap beside the cargo barrier into the main part of the Cruiser.

[Kit_e_kat9]

car

Well there is your problem.  Buy a ute and put them in a proper made dog box.

Obedience training.

x a ga-zillion-million-ty.  Well trained dogs are very happy dogs with very happy owners.   

Crate training is supposed to be a good thing (I hear) but a well trained dog doesn't need confinement in my humble opinion. 

When training all emphasis should be on the good behaviour only.  Reward the dog when it's "quiet" and it will soon learn that "quiet" is good because it gets reward - use a word eg: ssshhh / quiet / Oy / and then reward - draw out the length between the word and the reward ... soon enough they associate the word with the peace and harmony and eventually you'll get it in the car.

Lots of stuff on Utube in this regard ... but I'll find the link of the bloke that I think makes it easier ... and he's got a video for everything concerning training.

Practise - Practise - Practise.  Consistency - Consistency - Consistency.  Patience - Patience - Patience.  Love - Love - Love.

Good Dog.

Kit_e

[GraemeL]

rkwpjv,

As I said earlier, obedience training is the best way to go, you will be very surprised at just how easy it is and how quickly your dogs will respond.

But in the interim, you could use a collar that is designed to activate when the dog barks, my son has used one on his dog and it has worked a treat.
http://www.thedogline.com.au/_blog/Barking_Dog_Collar_review/post/Tritronics-bark-limiter-collar/

[chester ver2.0]

Another no no i see is the ones that pack the car in the morning this makes the dog hypo and then you throw it straight in the car and expect it to keep quite

I always used to take mine for a massive run before going in the car on any trip and this seemed to quieten them down a hell of a lot

[BernieS]

You could try these guys http://www.barkbusters.com.au/
Had some assistance with a previous Border Collie we owned. He hadn't been obedience trained. The training worked well and only took a few hours. Of course you need to continue the training and repetition yourself until they "get it".
But like the others have said socializing and obedience training from a very young age is best. Our current border collie went everywhere with us from 8 weeks of age and he's a very social boy, loves meeting new people and having them throw his Frisbee. When he gets in the car he just settles down and goes to sleep, until we stop the car and sometimes that can be for 4 hours or more before the first break.

[Bill]

Well there is your problem.  Buy a ute and put them in a proper made dog box.

Nothing wrong with putting them in the back seat of a car, or (as in my case) harnessed into the back seat of my dual cab.
I'm lucky in that my little one just hangs his head out the window the entire trip and my bigger one curls up on the seat and sleeps the entire trip.
Very rare that either one barks.
Bill

[dazzler]

Mix 1 part citronella with 10 parts water and put in a spray bottle on a fine mist.  Everytime it barks a small spray in their direction with a single command like "NO", "STOP" or even 'APPLE'.  You are not drenching its face just enough so that it gets enough to distract it.

You MUST do this EVERYTIME it barks and DO NOT pat it and say good boy.  Make it wait and then praise it.

I laughed myself hoarse on the Bruny Ferry yesterday with this couple with a border collie in the back seat that barked non stop the whole way.  Clowns.

PS: Before the soft dog owners start rambling on they are dogs.  Dogs are animals and will do what they are told. They are not little people, they are not your four legged child, they are a dog.  And yes, I grew up on a farm.   

[Memem284]

Some dogs are harder to train than others. I've had dogs all my life varying from corgis to kelpies, cattle dogs to Bernese Mountain Dogs and currently have a staffy/kelpie X. All well behaved and a joy to have around.

I did once have a maltese and he was a rescue dog with a lot of issues. All my other dogs could go off lead and be well controlled. Max, the maltese, was ridiculously untrainable - would attack anything that looked like a dog - wouldn't even sit, let alone come - and would get car sick - A NIGHTMARE! I never gave up on him and he eventually successfully lived along side 2 other dogs. I just had to make sure he was always on the lead and gave him travel sickness tablets when travelling. He lived with me for about 4 years until he died from a tick and I know he loved me and he would give me that look of thanks for being rescued and loved. He regularly came with us when we travelled for horse comps - I just had to "manage" him differently to the other dogs. 

They all deserve a chance but it is unfortunate that some people don't have the skills (and common sense?) to successfully train their dogs.

[Dice]

Mix 1 part citronella with 10 parts water and put in a spray bottle on a fine mist.  Everytime it barks a small spray in their direction with a single command like "NO", "STOP" or even 'APPLE'.  You are not drenching its face just enough so that it gets enough to distract it.

You MUST do this EVERYTIME it barks and DO NOT pat it and say good boy.  Make it wait and then praise it.

   + 1 except I use vinegar in the water they hate it, I use the word quiet and have the bottle set on stream( you dont have to get up close to them this way)  say the word eg: quiet then spray soon the word will be enough as they will anticipate that they are going to get sprayed next every now and again you may need to bring out the spray again.

[Kit_e_kat9]

Nothing wrong with putting them in the back seat of a car, or (as in my case) harnessed into the back seat of my dual cab.

I know you know it was Tongue In Cheek Bill.   

I have both ... no drool or barking when in the (designer) dog box ... and still much dog hair and occassional drooling whilst harnessed in the car. 

Either way my dog dosen't bark.  Like yours she loves the wind in her face until she falls asleep. 

Kit_e

P.S.  I say "ah ah" and she knows she's doing something she shouldn't!

[Jenko67]

we travel with three border collies.... 2 are just fine and after being excited (with no barking) they generally settle down and go to sleep, our old girl loves the car and might howl with excitement for a bit but then goes to sleep.... we went down the coast last weekend without the dogs and it just wasn't the same..... we had the windows up with the AC on....

[Taz64]

I'm a big advocate for training domestic animals.  It doesn't matter what breed/type of animal it is, if you want to live alongside it harmoniously, it must be trained.

Having said that, my belief is the "training collars" on the market are simply a money grabber by the companies aimed at lazy animal owners  .  It doesn't take a lot of time each day to train a dog using commands, firmness and love and yes old dogs can learn new tricks.  I've been doing it most of my life and the dogs see the training as an opportunity to please their master and receive attention.  Training a dog to 'speak' or be 'quiet' is easily completed with about 15 minutes of dedicated time per day without resorting to spraying oil or vinegar in their face/eyes. 

A trained animal makes life much easier for their owners and other community members they come into contact with.

3 rules of training; consistency; repetition and always finish a training sessions on a positive.

[GraemeL]

   + 1 except I use vinegar in the water they hate it, I use the word quiet and have the bottle set on stream( you dont have to get up close to them this way)  say the word eg: quiet then spray soon the word will be enough as they will anticipate that they are going to get sprayed next every now and again you may need to bring out the spray again.

No wonder they hate it, spray some in your eyes and see how you get on.

Spraying stuff into their face should not be done for obvious reasons. There are other ways to control your pet that don't involve pain.

[Kit_e_kat9]

I found that link for you rkwpjv ... this guy talks alot, but his methods are patient, caring and rewarding to watch.

Click Here --> Zac George's Dog Training Revolution

Please enjoy.  He's got tips and hints for all types / breeds / levels of training.  And he's a crazy dog person, which really shows - he loves dogs.  But if you ever watch him with his 3 collies ... you'll understand what he does and that it does work!

Kit_e

[Dice]

No wonder they hate it, spray some in your eyes and see how you get on.

Spraying stuff into their face should not be done for obvious reasons. There are other ways to control your pet that don't involve pain.

I dont spray it in their face just in the direction of the dog the smell is enough of a deterrent its also diluted i put about 3 capfuls to a 750ml spray bottle,and I have been sprayed in the face with it,it isnt pleasant but I wouldn't say it was painful.
   Another method I have seen used is getting a choke chain when the dog barks throw it at their feet(try not to hit them with it) . and use your word at the same time,approaching them and telling them to be quiet is going to be interpreted as a reward as they will stop as soon as you start approaching they soon associate the barking with you coming to them and the problem increases.The negative response from you has to be immediate not after you have moved to them as chances are they will have stopped by the time you do the correction,therefore they associate the correction for being quiet and not the yapping.

[Bill]

I know you know it was Tongue In Cheek Bill.   

I have both ... no drool or barking when in the (designer) dog box ... and still much dog hair and occassional drooling whilst harnessed in the car. 

Either way my dog dosen't bark.  Like yours she loves the wind in her face until she falls asleep. 

Kit_e

P.S.  I say "ah ah" and she knows she's doing something she shouldn't!

Oh ya the hair is unbelievable!!
Plus they have yet to learn to wipe their feet when they get out of the creek run across the mud and jump in the ute...
Bill

[Nay-DMAX]

Ours are on the back seat of the ute but once the canopy is on they might go in the back more perhaps, the seat has a seat cover and then the dog seat hammock over the top, the older one is an amazing traveller as she has been in the car most of her life with a fair amount of trips under her belt not just camping.  The younger one 9 months is still very good in the car but with a pup they take a bit longer to settle and sort out who is laying where lol, but a sit down or lay down does get an immediate response most times and all of this is training and taking them in the car as much as possible.  I know that doesn't help the noisy in the car, how often are they in there and have they been travelling since pups?

[Bunyip]

Our dog has been a traveller ever since we got him. Loves the car, just like the kids he goes to sleep after a few minutes.

Training is important, we have trained ours to go to the toilet on command, makes life a lot easier when you are travelling.

Bunyip

[albany_nomads]

As other have said....Obedience training.
I have a couple of dog obedience training certificates at home that reads
"This is to certify that John Grant has passed puppy and junior dog obedience stages  with Dylan"
I question the wording with the teacher with a smile and he said..... "half the task isnt training the dogs BUT its training the owners" 
John

[dazzler]

No wonder they hate it, spray some in your eyes and see how you get on.

Well I have been sprayed with capsicum spray seven times and still turned out sweet as baby jesus. 

[evolution]

Dazzlerer, you haven't been teasing Fuji have you?
OK Hijack over.

Cheers
Evo

[gclan]

If training doesn't work, you could try DAP(Dog Appeasing Pheromone). It's supposed to be natural and calming.

I haven't tried it yet, but I saw it at the vets yesterday and thought the collar version might work for my dog.

Good luck