3 Tips for Getting Your Dog Into the Car
Dogs can sometimes be nervous or afraid of car rides but there are 3 important things you can do to prevent or reduce their uncertainty.
Make sure that car rides are fun! If every car trip ends at the vet’s office or groomer’s then it is understandable that your dog may be reluctant to go on car rides. The majority of your dog’s rides should end somewhere fun, such as the park, pet store, beach, a friend’s house, drive through, etc so that they associate going for a ride with a fun destination. You can also routinely provide a bully stick or puzzle toy to your dog when they are in the car to make going for a ride a predictably wonderful experience.
Teach your dog to hand target. The goal of this behavior is for your dog to touch their nose to your extended hand on cue. This is a very useful behavior for helping fearful dogs become more comfortable approaching the car. Once your dog knows the hand target behavior reliably you can practice near the vehicle. Present your hand, cue “touch”, mark (click or say “yes”) when your dog’s nose touches your hand then toss a treat away from the vehicle to reward the correct behavior and reset for the next repetition. Tossing the treat away from the vehicle takes some pressure off of the dog and allows them to eat their treat at a comfortable distance. You should vary your proximity to the car with each repetition, gradually working closer to the car. I recommend working in sets of 5 reps and taking a short mental break between sets for praise, petting or sniffing. As your dog’s confidence grows you can place your hand against the floorboard so that the dog is essentially targeting the side of the vehicle.
Teach your dog “Up” and “Off”. The goal of this behavior is for the dog to jump up onto a platform or object on cue and then jump off of the platform on cue. If this skill is in your dog’s repertoire, then you can use it to cue them “up” into the car. The first time you do this I recommend opening up all of the doors so that the vehicle feels less confining. It may help to have a family member standing on the other side of the car in the open doorway to encourage the dog in. Sometimes it helps if you get into the car and cue the dog “up” to join you. If at first your dog is only willing to put their front paws up in the car you can still mark and reward for that approximation. Remember to cue “off” and toss the rewards onto the ground outside of the car after each rep. When your dog finally decides to jump all the way into the car you should mark, jackpot reward with several treats, and shower them with praise. Then cue them “off”, toss a treat on the ground and do it again!
Taking a little bit of time to make a positive association with car rides and to teach approaching the car and getting in and out as a behavior can help your driving buddy feel comfortable and confident.
