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Writer's pictureThe Dog Classroom

Calm Behaviour in the Car

by Anne-Marie Mayes


Does your dog protect your vehicle?

 

Does your dog bark or growl when people or other dogs approach or are outside of your vehicle while your dog is in it?

 

It is natural that most dogs either guard a location or object at one time in their life.  Some dogs practice this guarding or protection while in your vehicle. To further explain why this situation happens, most owners have not trained or taken the time to get their dog comfortable with people approaching your car.  This may be due to when your dog first started riding in the car there were no issues and the reactive behaviour has slowly increased, or not having the knowledge or time to train the skills and desensitize your dog to people outside of the vehicle.

 

The tricky thing is that when you are driving, it is not the best time to be training your dog due to safety issues.  I have a few suggestions for keeping both you and your dog safe while travelling while also decreasing reactivity. I recommend having your dog safely restrained with either a seat belt, a barrier or kennel.  The advantage of a kennel is you are able to cover it providing a visual barrier so they are not able to see out of your car.  Another option is using a window shade so when your dog looks out the window the environment is blurred.  I also recommend having a special treat for your dog for when they go in the car so they are busy chewing instead of looking out the window.

 

Ok now let's train for when your car is parked.  I recommend that if you are talking with someone outside of the car that you get out of the car to have the conversation instead of encouraging the person to approach the car or look into the windows. If you show that you are comfortable with the person it will help your dog to relax as well.  If the person wants to greet your dog then bring your dog out of the car on leash practice a few u turns and then greet with a hand target.


When people stick their head or hands in the vehicle it is stressful for your dog as they do not understand seeing parts of people and not the whole person.

 

If you would like your dog to be overall calmer while in the car with people or dogs moving around outside of it, I suggest parking in a quieter parking lot. When you see a person or dog moving around outside of the car, then toss treats to redirect your dog or practice sits, downs or tricks to keep your dog preoccupied.  If you practice this regularly 3-5 minutes at a time your dog will get used to good things happening when others are around the vehicle instead of being stressed.

 

To add to your car training I recommend teaching a stay cue to use while you open the car door and are hooking up your dog's leash so they stay safe and do not launch themselves out of the car. When you encourage calm behaviour in the car, your dog will be more relaxed when you release them out of the vehicle.



A black and tan mixed breed dog in the back seat of a vehicle

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