Dogs who love to go bye-bye in the car

[Stacy]

I am just curious about how other people's dogs feel about the car. Katie doesn't mind the car. She rides nicely and has never gotten car sick. But sometimes I have to coax her to get in. She doesn't seem that excited about going anywhere.

But Ava *loves* going for a ride. She gets so excited and jumps in anytime the door is open. So I take her with me to as many places as I can. Sometimes she just rides to the bank and back with me. I know she didn't ever go for rides in her past life, so I'm not sure why she likes it so much. I mean, some of her rides end at the park, but some of them can't be that exciting for her. 

Does everyone else's dog love to go for rides? Or is Ava funny like that?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

JD loves to "go bye-bye in the car", as did the two dogs before him. And he also doesn't care where we go. Often it's the drive-thru at the drugstore or the bank, and he can't even have their junky cookies, lol. 

However, he cannot be left alone in the car for even 30 seconds, or he has panic attacks. He gets nervous if I just get out of the car to mail a letter. 

[Stacy]

Poor JD. It's no fun to be afraid. But I'm glad he gets to go places anyway. 

I was going to write a post asking people how they get their rescue dogs over these weird fears - like strangers. Ava does so well even in public as long as she can ignore them. But on the rare occasion people come to my house she's so nervous. She barks a lot and tries to hide behind me. I'm not sure how to explain to her that the strangers I introduce her to are good people. Then my question turned into a novel and I couldn't figure out how to make it shorter, so it's still sitting here on my computer!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I think you should post that discussion when you have time. Jack had a lot of fear issues when I first got him, but this isn;t the right place to talk about all of them and what we did about them, lol.

 For now, there is a group here related to fear and anxiety issues, although it seems mostly geared to severe anxiety issues. But you could take a look: http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/mentalhealth/forum?groupUrl=menta...

And there are also some related discussions in the old Rescued Doodles Group:
http://www.doodlekisses.com/forum/topics/will-my-rescued-doodle-eve...

[Stacy]

I'll check those out, thanks! And when I can figure out how to make my background and questions short enough that anyone will still be reading at the end I will post it! 

[Amy and Annabelle]

Annabelle loves going for a ride. Doesn't care where we go. She doesn't get to go that often in the summer, unless we are going somewhere besides running errands, where I have to leave her in the car. She is fine in the winter for 15 minutes if I have to run into the store for a few things. She just snuggles in her blanket and waits for me. She doesn't have anxiety leaving her in the car. We took the 4 hour ferry trip across Lake Michigan last summer. She had to stay in the car by herself. She did great. I think she slept the whole time.She was happy to see us, and didn't seem mad at us.  She does fine on long car trips, which is good, being retired we take a lot of road trips.

[Stacy]

They definitely get to go to more non dog places in the winter than in the summer. Around here someone will break your window to save the dog even if you've been gone 30 seconds. I'm glad that people are paying attention and I think leaving a dog in a hot car is a horrible thing to do. But if I've been running the air conditioner they aren't going to overheat in the 2 minutes it takes me to get a diet coke from the gas station. But I guess not all people look at their watch and run when they leave the dogs, so better safe than sorry. It just makes it harder to take them anywhere but the park.

[Frank & TeddyToyDoodle]

Teddy LOVES the car.  He even can (sometimes) pick it out among the others in the parking lot.

Short rides, he sits in the front seat or well.  Longer rides or on the parkway, he has his little Puppy Seat in the back seat behind the passenger side where he has a strap to make sure he can't jump out.  When I put him in the passenger seat and shut the door, I'd circle around to the drivers side -- and he would hop over to the driver's seat and plop himself in my seat !!  LOL  Lately, he has been staying in the passenger side as he knows he'll be re-located.

My problem is, when I leave him in the car for the short (2-10 minute) tasks I have to run, he barks incessantly when I leave even though by now he should know I'll be back shortly.  Hopefully, he stops it soon.

[Stacy]

Katie gets buckled in to the passenger seat, so she can't jump over. But when we get where we're going and I unbuckle her she jumps over to my lap so she can get out on the driver's side. Ava has a hammock in the back, because shes too big for the front seat. She thinks she fits, but she really doesn't. 

Funny story - Several times I've taken the girls to the park and Katie sits in the front and Ava sits in the back. Then when it's time to go Ava jumps in the front seat and refuses to get out again, so I just put Katie in the back. It reminds me of when my sister and I were kids and we had to take turns sitting in the front so it was fair. Apparently the dogs need it to be fair too. 

My dogs haven't ever barked at people while waiting in the car. I am happy about this, but surprised because they bark at everything else in life. 

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Try letting Teddy have a filled Kong or bone to chew only when you leave him in the car for those few minutes.

[Frank & TeddyToyDoodle]

That's a good idea....I'll get a Kong specifically for the car.  Sometimes I give him a treat if it'll be more than a 5 minute delay.  Usually, I'm just getting a sandwich at a place or coffee....or pumping gas (I'm not even away from the car and he still barks)....but the Kong idea is good, thanks Nancy.  Or maybe I'll keep a Bully Stick in a Ziplock bag (to keep it fresh) for a few weeks.  A treat or two would be consumed quickly, the Kong or Stick will at least last the few minutes I'm in the store or pumping.

[Kaitee and Orwell]

Orwell loves car rides, but he tends to whine sometimes especially if I change lanes and run over a bump on the road. He doesn't know what it is and I think is curious about it. He tends to freak out if he can't inspect something or if he doesn't understand something. He also can't just lay in the back with his seat belt on. He always has to put his head near my elbow on the console. I honestly feel he has a love/hate relationship with car rides because he is always excited to go, but I feel like he gets anxious at times. 

That being said, I can't leave him in the car alone. He really does not like it if he cannot at least see me and have access to me outside of home. 

[Lynda Kamrath]

My dogs love to ride in the car and I take the youngest with me everywhere because she cannot be trusted in the house or outside without supervision.  She can always find something to entertain herself.  We have dog sitters who also take her with them because she is fine in the car, but not at home or in the yard.  So, most of the time, we take all the dogs because it is unfair for her to go and them have to stay at home.  We shall see in the near future as they all have to go on a 10-hour ride with us to our new home in Oregon.  That will be a good test for them all.