# Refusing to get in the car for me!!!!



## Doodle (Apr 6, 2009)

For the past couple of weeks, Brady, who has just turned 2 years old, is now refusing to get in the car for me when we go anywhere. I know 2 year old's love to challenge, and I'm hoping that's all this is. We approach my car, I open the back door for him to hop up, and he won't budge. If I pull gently on the leash or nudge him gently from behind to try and get him moving, he pulls back even more. I've tried tossing treats into the car, walking away from the car with him and approaching from a different direction, walking around the other side of the car to try the other door...nothing works. I wind up having to pick up his front paws and put them on the seat, then boost his butt up. And this happens when we leave home to go out, as well as when we leave anywhere else to go home. As far as I know nothing has happened to traumatize him. I thought maybe it was something to do with my car, so I tried driving my husband's car for a couple of days..he did the same thing to me. BUT, when my husband has the leash and he approaches either car, BRADY HOPS RIGHT IN NO PROBLEM!! Anyone have any thoughts or suggestions????? Thanks!
Edited to add: We still attend obedience class every week, and we practice all the time at home, so that's not lacking. Also, I am the one who primarily handles him in class.


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## cubbysan (Mar 13, 2007)

Is he trained to the invisible fence?

My Brady was doing the same thing - took me a while to realize what it was. I many times already have the keys in the ignition, so the car is beeping telling me that the keys are there. Once I took the keys out, the beeping stops, and then he will jump in.

It must assimilate the sound somehow that he hears from the collar beeping.


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## RedDogs (Jan 30, 2010)

Has he changed about anything else?

I wouldn't see this as a challenge. 

He could be in pain. He could be feeling a bit carsick. He could have not enjoyed something else that happened. Any sudden change in behavior can be worth a vet trip. He might be good for your husband due to different reinforcement history/excitement level. My dog might be in pain and work well for x person and not y person... but the underlying issue still needs to be addressed.

Once you've ruled out a health issue... Take his food bowl out. Put a handful of kibble in it, set it in the car, let him get in and eat it. Have him get out, walk for a minute, then go back in, and feed him a bit more. Repeat until the meal is gone. In a week, he'll probably be jumping right in.

One of my dogs will NOT get in the car if she has to poop. I learned this the hard way.


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## Maxs Mom (Mar 22, 2008)

Well it could be a couple things. One thing I have to mention and I hope this is not the issue. Could he hurt?

When Teddi was young she would NOT get in the car. In fact she would start stressing and running ALL over not to let us catch her, in avoidance. We then learned she had HD. Of course she couldn't jump in, it hurt her. To this day she RARELY jumps in the car, but I have taken the stress away. I ask her to come close to the bumper, when she did I gave her a treat. Then I lift her front end, then her back. Reward her again when she is in the car. She is perfectly acceptable with this. Sometimes she hops her front end up for me. I highly reward her and help her back end now. I take it as a way of life for her. I don't think she hurts anymore (hip was fixed) but she remembers the pain. I ask her once to jump in, if she does not reciprocate, I move on to plan B. 

Don't put pressure on. Tugging will make the issue worse. See if you can teach the dog to come heel by your side, at the back of the car or by whatever door you want him to enter. When he does, reward, and help him in the car. Take away the pressure the better behavior may return. 

Did he ever have a bad experience in the car? Quick stop, hard turn? If you don't already, you may want to try having him ride in a crate. It is much safer and the dogs feel more secure. 

I am sure he wants to go, but something is bothering him. Don't make the effort of getting in the car a "chore" rethink the approach. 

Ann


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## Doodle (Apr 6, 2009)

cubbysan said:


> Is he trained to the invisible fence?



No, we have a chain-link fence.  



RedDogs said:


> Has he changed about anything else?


No, he is completely normal and unchanged otherwise. The trick with the food bowl I did when he was a puppy and was hesitant when learning to get in the car. Perhaps I need to re-visit that!  



Maxs Mom said:


> Well it could be a couple things. One thing I have to mention and I hope this is not the issue. Could he hurt?
> When Teddi was young she would NOT get in the car. In fact she would start stressing and running ALL over not to let us catch her, in avoidance. We then learned she had HD. Of course she couldn't jump in, it hurt her.
> 
> Did he ever have a bad experience in the car? Quick stop, hard turn? If you don't already, you may want to try having him ride in a crate. It is much safer and the dogs feel more secure.


I should clarify, Brady has never jumped in the car completely on his own. He has only ever just put his front paws up and then we boost his hind end for him. So he doesn't jump with his hind legs. He did used to get car sick when he was a very young puppy, but like most puppies, outgrew that by the time he was 5-6 months old and it hasn't been a problem since, even on long rides. And we do use a seat belt harness for him (can't fit a crate in my car).


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## Doodle (Apr 6, 2009)

I've also thought that maybe the way I'm boosting him up (vs. how my husband does it) is hurting him....I try to do it the same way.


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## fostermom (Sep 6, 2007)

Are you a bad driver? LOL

Just kidding. Danny goes through phases where he doesn't really want to get in the car. I think that if the other dogs weren't getting in, he would just skip getting in altogether. He has never been a "happy" rider. Until the last year, he wouldn't even lie down during a drive anywhere, unless he was really tired.


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## lgnutah (Feb 26, 2007)

cubbysan said:


> Is he trained to the invisible fence?
> 
> My Brady was doing the same thing - took me a while to realize what it was. I many times already have the keys in the ignition, so the car is beeping telling me that the keys are there. Once I took the keys out, the beeping stops, and then he will jump in.
> 
> It must assimilate the sound somehow that he hears from the collar beeping.


I think this is what is going on with Brooks--and I have to add with embarrassment, a worse thing associated with the invisible fence collar. My son started living with us recently and he likes to live the collar on Brooks while he is in the house. I have always removed it, and only put it on when he is going outside.
So the other day I was sure I checked his neck for the collar, but maybe I didn't . Anyway, after we get in the car and I start backing out, Brooks starts wheeling around in the back seat and I hear the beep beep beep of the collar. It was trying to stop the car, twist around and get it off him (but it took me about 30 seconds).
Now I know why he is balking about getting in the car.


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## Doodle (Apr 6, 2009)

fostermom said:


> Are you a bad driver? LOL
> 
> Just kidding. Danny goes through phases where he doesn't really want to get in the car. I think that if the other dogs weren't getting in, he would just skip getting in altogether. He has never been a "happy" rider. Until the last year, he wouldn't even lie down during a drive anywhere, unless he was really tired.


Geez, I didn't think I was a bad driver, but maybe he's trying to tell me something!! LOL! That's interesting about Danny. Brady has never been one of those dogs that gets overly excited about riding in the car (probably because he was sick so often as a pup), but he's never avoided it either. 

I did some training with him this afternoon. Went into the garage, relaxed, not rushing to get anywhere by a certain time so no pressure. I normally walk him on my left side, and when we open the back driver's side door, that puts him between me and the open door, so we did that first and he wouldn't get in. So I backed off and walked behind him to give him some space, and wouldn't you know he jumped up!!! I immediately rewarded him with some cheese that he didn't know I had (I wanted the first time to be all him and not because he knew I had "the really good treats"). Then he got out and we did it again, 5 or 6 times in all. Each time I opened the door and stepped back to give him more room and each time he quickly jumped up. Yeah, some of his motivation I'm sure was the cheese since now he knows I had it, but it made me stop and think. My husband also stands behind him, not beside him, to give him more room to get around the open door. I've also noticed as we've started to do our pet therapy work that he's hesitant about walking into tight spaces like when we're trying to maneuver around a patient's crowded room, so maybe this is the problem. He's a little claustrophobic???


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## jimla (Oct 9, 2008)

Our big boy Elliot balks at getting in our car. I thought he was having hip problems, but the vet said he was fine. He acts like he doesn't know how to place his back feet. Because he is so tall, he may be afraid of hitting his head on the roof of the car. I have had some success with putting a foot stool near the rear side door and encouraging him to climb in slowly. I will try the suggestion about standing behind the dog rather than at the side to give him more room.


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## fostermom (Sep 6, 2007)

Any time Danny balks, I step back from him and he jumps in, so you may very well be on to something. Fortunately, I have two other dogs who get in and he isn't about to be left behind!


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## Phillyfisher (Jan 9, 2008)

I will have to try giving Tucker more space to get in. He will resist if he hasn't peed and pooped before getting in the car. At one point, we had him trained to hop in the car. Now he won't do it. May have to try the dinner trick. I did notice he paces during our short trips and gets very excited if we go someplace he knows. On longer trips he will eventually settle, and lay down. He did have a couple of quick stops while he was in back, so I think that may be part of the issue. Now I make sure I try to drive slower and brake earlier for him. He will only ride in the back of our SUV. He hates the backseat of the car- I don't think he likes lack of stiffness of the seat bottom underneath his feet. I am very jealous of owners who have dogs that just hop in!


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## moverking (Feb 26, 2007)

cubbysan said:


> Is he trained to the invisible fence?
> 
> My Brady was doing the same thing - took me a while to realize what it was. I many times already have the keys in the ignition, so the car is beeping telling me that the keys are there. Once I took the keys out, the beeping stops, and then he will jump in.
> 
> It must assimilate the sound somehow that he hears from the collar beeping.


Have you noticed if your car is within 5-10 feet of the buried wire boundary that it 'brings in' the warning beep zone? I have to have the dogs collars off way before they get near the car to get in...


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## lgnutah (Feb 26, 2007)

Just getting into the metal car (which is parked within the boundary of his invisible fence) will make Brooks' collar start beeping.


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## cubbysan (Mar 13, 2007)

moverking said:


> Have you noticed if your car is within 5-10 feet of the buried wire boundary that it 'brings in' the warning beep zone? I have to have the dogs collars off way before they get near the car to get in...


 
It is actually the noise that my car makes with the key in the ignition. He reacts to the same as his collar. The second I take the key out, the noise stops and then he jumps in.

The funny thing is, the collar does not beep in the car. I have taken it off him in the car, put it on the dash board, and I never hear it beep, but if I walk to the boundary, with the collar in my hand, I hear it, and it beeps for a good fifteen feet before the shock. ( I have shocked myself testing it. )


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