roxy's mum Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 Hi all, I need some help with Roxy. Everytime I take her anywhere with me and I have to get out of the car she acts like a complete lunatic. It has even gotten to the point whereby when we get to training she starts to act like a lunatic at the thought of being left in the car…. Even though I won’t be leaving her in the car. It’s also very impractical for if I have to ever put petrol in the car when she is with me. This is also a very upsetting experience for both of us. As soon as I get out of the car the high pitched almost ‘screaming’, for one of a better word, starts. But as soon as I open the petrol tank and put the petrol nozzle in, she turns into a lunatic. She flings herself around and jumps against the inside panels of the car. It’s such a stressful situation for both of us. And I feel like I could cry when it happens. Don’t get me wrong though, it’s not just at the petrol station, it’s everywhere we go, that for some reason she has to be left in the car for a moment or two. I’m presuming I will need to desensitise her to the situation, but I have no idea where to start. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoemonster Posted March 23, 2007 Share Posted March 23, 2007 Maybe feed her dinner in the car while you are home? She's pretty food motivated isn;t she? Food in the car, she gets in, keep the door open at the start but you stay out of the car, then as she gets used to that start closing the door and standing outside it? Might be worth a try Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roxy's mum Posted March 23, 2007 Author Share Posted March 23, 2007 Thanks SM, will give it a try!!! Thing is, she loves the car.... it's just the thought of being left in it (away from home) that she hates. When I'm getting ready for obedience and packing things in the car, she'll go jump in and stay there quite happy, even while I go inside (out of sight). And being so food motivated I have tried leaving here with a treat (something she can chew on for a while), and I'll come back to the car and she hasn't even touched it. Ahhh, it's driving me crazy!! And her too, the poor thing!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nekhbet Posted March 23, 2007 Share Posted March 23, 2007 is she crated or belted in? What kind of car is it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoemonster Posted March 23, 2007 Share Posted March 23, 2007 Good point I have my 2 in harnesses on the back seat But then if she is ok with the car sometimes but not others it must be the unfamiliar place that botheres her Maybe take her for a drive to have her dinner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roxy's mum Posted March 23, 2007 Author Share Posted March 23, 2007 Maybe take her for a drive to have her dinner I was actually seriously considering this when you suggested feeding her in the car. Maybe I could take her dinner down to the local supermarket and feed her as I step out of the car…. Hehehe!!!! She’s currently belted in from a flat collar or harness. I have a Mitsubishi Mirage, and I either have her on the backseat or I lay the backseat down and she has the whole back compartment. I have a fairly short leash attached to the child seat anchor point, then attached to a flat collar or harness. When I get out of the car, she flings herself of the end of this. It’s just so awful, I feel like people are staring at me and must think I’m a really irresponsible pet owner for leaving her in the car. But it’s never been for more that 15 minutes, ie: to put petrol in, or to run into the supermarket to grab bread and milk for example. I’m at a loss on this one, and am currently trying to avoid the situation at all costs…. But it’s only matter of time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavmad Posted March 23, 2007 Share Posted March 23, 2007 Hi all,I need some help with Roxy. Everytime I take her anywhere with me and I have to get out of the car she acts like a complete lunatic. It has even gotten to the point whereby when we get to training she starts to act like a lunatic at the thought of being left in the car…. Even though I won’t be leaving her in the car. It’s also very impractical for if I have to ever put petrol in the car when she is with me. This is also a very upsetting experience for both of us. As soon as I get out of the car the high pitched almost ‘screaming’, for one of a better word, starts. But as soon as I open the petrol tank and put the petrol nozzle in, she turns into a lunatic. She flings herself around and jumps against the inside panels of the car. It’s such a stressful situation for both of us. And I feel like I could cry when it happens. Don’t get me wrong though, it’s not just at the petrol station, it’s everywhere we go, that for some reason she has to be left in the car for a moment or two. I’m presuming I will need to desensitise her to the situation, but I have no idea where to start. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank god! We have this exact problem!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I too would be very interested to hear peoples solutions re this issue. Our dogs go off their heads whenever I go to fill up with fuel as well and whenever I get out of the car just to go around the otherside of the car to get them out. It is getting very very annoying as sometimes they bark from the back right into our ear in the front!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavNrott Posted March 23, 2007 Share Posted March 23, 2007 (edited) . Edited June 7, 2009 by cavNrott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoemonster Posted March 23, 2007 Share Posted March 23, 2007 That doesn't help if you're on your way home from dog training etc, and need to get petrol though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavNrott Posted March 23, 2007 Share Posted March 23, 2007 (edited) . Edited June 7, 2009 by cavNrott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tonymc Posted March 23, 2007 Share Posted March 23, 2007 Roxy a few questions for you.Is she fine when your in the Car with her?When your away from the Car,what is her response when somebody else ventures near the Car? Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roxy's mum Posted March 23, 2007 Author Share Posted March 23, 2007 No it doesn't but it also doesn't take 15 minutes to get petrol. As I explained, it’s never been for more that 15 minutes Of course this is is not when it's hot, I would never leave her in the car for 1 minute when it's hot.... let alone 15 minutes. Unfortunately, it's not always practical to say 'never' leave her in the car.... I wish I could say that, but I can't!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roxy's mum Posted March 23, 2007 Author Share Posted March 23, 2007 Roxy a few questions for you.Is she fine when your in the Car with her?When your away from the Car,what is her response when somebody else ventures near the Car? Tony As soon as we pull into somewhere she thinks I might leave her in the car, she starts carrying on. I would presume she would bark at someone of they ventured near the car. I think it would depend on the situation though. Thanks for the help guys, I really appreciate it!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kavik Posted March 23, 2007 Share Posted March 23, 2007 Are you the only one in the car? What is she like if there is another person in the car as well? Will she play up if there is someone else in the car but you leave? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roxy's mum Posted March 23, 2007 Author Share Posted March 23, 2007 Are you the only one in the car? What is she like if there is another person in the car as well? Will she play up if there is someone else in the car but you leave? Yes she will still play up, but maybe not quite as bad. Happened a few weeks ago with a friend in the car, she was almost deafened when I got out the car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tonymc Posted March 23, 2007 Share Posted March 23, 2007 Sounds to me to be a form of separation anxiety. Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoemonster Posted March 23, 2007 Share Posted March 23, 2007 What do you do when you come back to the car? Do you ignore her? How is she going with being tethered now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roxy's mum Posted March 23, 2007 Author Share Posted March 23, 2007 Sounds to me to be a form of separation anxiety. Tony That's what I was presuming as well, but I'm not qualified to diagnose it, and didn't want to assume it would be. I'm glad to hear that other people think what my gut feeling was telling me. My question is now though, how do I desensitise her to the situation??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roxy's mum Posted March 23, 2007 Author Share Posted March 23, 2007 (edited) What do you do when you come back to the car? Do you ignore her? Yep, I ignore her.... and also try to ignore her when I get out of the car. I try to make it as fuss free as possible. But most times she's started carrying on before I even stop the car, in anticipation of me leaving. How is she going with being tethered now? I have tried it once or twice in familiar situations. She's never really acted up on this as I don't really leave her tethered anywhere, I just presumed she would due to the way she behaves in the car. I did tether her a few months back at the side of the house, still in view for the majority of the time, whilst I washed my car at the front of the house (this was when we were still allowed to wash cars) and she behaved wonderfully..... not a peep out of her!!!! Edited March 23, 2007 by roxy's mum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tonymc Posted March 23, 2007 Share Posted March 23, 2007 Roxy, does the Dog if left in the Car for a longer period attack the interior? Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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