oliwa

Snickers does not the idea of getting in the car. When she realizes I am going to put her in the car she does everything she can to get away and I am forced to pick her up and put her in the back seat. Once she is in she is ok...she lays down and goes to sleep. She used to whine, but she hasn't done that since Thanksgiving. Every time she goes in the car she goes to a wonderful place...my brother's to play with his 3 labs, puppy training to play, doggie day care to play, petsmart to play, etc. I know Bassets can be stubborn, but she's not getting the Premack principle and I don't speak dog.

Any suggestions? She is getting bigger and it's not going to be easy to pick up a 60lb Basset!

__________________
My Basset is smarter than your honor student.
YouTube: Snickers Is Smarter Than A 5th Grader
'Dog Whisperer' Training Approach More Harmful Than Helpful

vb3

Rosco pretty much drags me to the door when I say the words 'car ride'. I bring his bed and some chew bones/treats along. Maybe get some steps and lure her in there with treats?

Jaxsonperson

my Jaxson does the same thing...he absolutely HATES car rides. He whines for about 5 min and then he just lays down. I have to pick him up and place him in the car as well.

lvnMattie

Mattie loves car trips, you drags you to the car if you mention the word car. She loves taking a short trip or a long trip. She is the co-pilot for a little bit while in the car, but after a while she has to take a nap.

Nipsie

Beldin used to dislike car rides, he was more content to wait for me on the front step or asleep in front of the fire place - that was before the cross-country move.

I think a few thousand kilometers got him used to it though *lol* Especially since we've been here and pretty much everything is NOT within walking distance he's decided maybe car rides aren't so bad afterall.

Farmer has had a big help even more lately. Beldin wants to go anywhere Farmer goes, so if Farmer leaps in to the truck, Beldin isn't far behind.

Apogee

Daisy isn't a big fan of the car either. When she was little, she would bark nonstop for the entire trip - the entire trip. Now there's just a little whining at first, and she settles down after about 5 or 10 minutes. She settles down even quicker if she can stick her head out the window, but this time of year she doesn't get to do that very much.

I probably don't take her for rides as often as I should. She absolutely hates being left in the car alone, so I rarely take her on short shopping trips or when running errands. And during the winter months, there aren't many fun places for me take her. So she ends up just staying home most of the time when I go somewhere.

vb3

I forgot to add, Rosco and I are going to school in southern Illinois and our wife/mom lives in central Illinois, so there are two 3-hour road trips every week. Maybe it's just a matter of conditioning.

Mikey T

[quote]I know Bassets can be stubborn, but she's not getting the Premack principle and I don't speak dog. [quote]

I think you are make the wrong assumption about what she does not like. It is not the car ride she does not like as you say "Once she is in she is ok...she lays down and goes to sleep"

What snicker does not like is getting in the car. The two are completely unrelated. I had a dog that was the complete oposite. Couldn't keep it out of the car but as soon as it started moving was a hyperventilating mess.

As for a solution. some posibilities are
1. she does not like getting pick-up. and if you are having trouble lifting he bulk it could cause some discomfort doing so

2. She does not have the skills to jump in. I know most of mine I had to train to first go to the floor rather than attemp the seat from the ground leap. Keep in mind even if the dog is jumping in the house on furniture ,the bed etc that is higher than the gound to the seat of the car there is one big difference and that is the door sill. Which moves the takeoff point farther back and makes such a jump more diffcult.
Most bassets unless activily trained have a poor jumping style. That is they try and jump using speed and power from the front legs Which makes it very difficult to elavate. Jumping should be done off the back legs.

3. using a ramp/stairs can solve any physical inpediment.

4. spend time reward the dog for getting in the car only. That is spend time on train her to get into the car and not go any where but just to get into the car again.
In a clasic clicker training sense you are lumping the behavior of getting into the car with the entire car riding behavior when you should be splitting it up and working just on that behavior.

oliwa

Can't you take her to a pet store? I've heard that in some places Lowe's and Home Depot will allow you to bring pets. The corporate policy is 'No Pets', but I've heard individual stores 'bending' the rules.

That's what others had suggested, so on Saturday I tried using a super high value treat to get her near the car and she was not having that at all. Also, we pick her up all the time. Sometimes I pick her up and put her on my bed and sometimes I picked her up the other day on a walk when I thought a dog was off leash. She doesn't squirm or fuss at all...she sits contently in my arms.

I'll see if I can find a ramp or stairs for her to use. I think she could make the jump if she wanted because my bed is higher than the backseat of my car and she can jump on my bed if she wants to. The ramp/stairs is a good idea though.

I've had several recommendations to try this so I think this is where I am going to start.

__________________
My Basset is smarter than your honor student.
YouTube: Snickers Is Smarter Than A 5th Grader
'Dog Whisperer' Training Approach More Harmful Than Helpful

Mikey T

Given your clicker training backround rather than trying to lure you may be more successful shaping the behavior.


Keep in mind you are likely dealing with a fear reaction so forcing her is not going to work. Incorporating desnsitization and counter conditioning. with help get you to the point she becomes more coperative approaching the car but not necessarily getting in. Also be sure to give her a choice to be able to bail at any time and not force her. Forcing her will only cause her to resist more the next time.