Yes, I need *more* help...riding in the car...

[akhitt]

For anyone who doesn't remember, we've adopted an unsocialized, un-everything four year old female who is not currently living with us- yet. We've made what I think is great progress. She sits, waits, walks on a leash without dislocating my shoulder (thank you, Halti!). She ignores children on rollerblades and bikes while on our walks and tries to be friendly to the people who cross to the other side of the street when they see us coming. We did have one brief altercation with a fire hydrant, but she quickly decided it was a friend and rolled all over it. (Strange, but true!) She and my five year old son are still not best buds, but he needs more big dog socializing. She tries to get him to take her ball to throw it, but he's nervous still. We are making progress there, too, and he has been crowned "Best Tummy Rubber" and "Right Hand Man", the latter because she insists on walking beside him on our walks when he's with us, both a couple feet ahead of me. He's getting more comfortable as he figures out that "she likes me, Mom!" and that she's not the large nippy puppy that my sister-in-law's Golden (who was sent away to training camp and who's owners have no idea how to use the training they paid so much for!)
Our next big step is riding in the car. We've done it once, for a short distance, and she was *very* nervous about it. It took 15 minutes to get her into the back of the mini-SUV we drive, rewarding her with tiny cheese bits everytime she made a move closer to being up and inside, which isn't the problem. I'm happy to spend all the time I need to make her comfortable and confident. Then she clutched her "baby", a green caterpillar we bought her, the whole time. We thought she'd be more comfortable with her familiar baby with her, but she was obviously very freaked out and continued to be for a few minutes after we got home. Any tips on making the ride more fun? There are no windows that open back there, and I don't want her in the back seat near my son until she's comfortable with the car. This is our last big step before "Spay Day", June 4th, and it's very important to me that she's comfortable and confident with the entire process...being on the leash, riding in the car, going into the office to meet new people (our trial run should be next week, I hope.)I just don't want it to be a horrible experience for her. And, am I being *too* over-protective of her? My father keeps telling me to "throw her in the car, drag her to vet, get it over with!" Tell me, I can take it! Thanks, Amanda

[Sue]

Is your girl used to being in a crate? If so, I would use that. If you have an SUV there should be room, and she'd be safer that way too. If she's not used to it, you still have time to work on that. Most dogs, once used to a crate, love them and consider them their den. That would be my advice....

[Bevyvuska]

Rotties2uv, That is great advice!

When Tippsy was a pup, she went everywhere with us in the car. She Loves it. You say Ride and she just goes bonkers. Moose on the other hand came to us in a busier time in our life, so his experience with the car has been limited. So I have been doing just what Rotties said. I'll take him down to the park, or to one of the tennis courts to play ball. I even take him to petsmart. His biggest problems were with turns, but he has been catching on quickly how to deal with them. Also, he prefers the backseat, and Tippsy prefers the front, so that works quite well!

akhitt-

Wow, this rottie has found a good, attentive home, for sure.

all I can say about the car rides, from my experience with (2) rescues, is that it just takes time. Gradually they see that most car rides result in some really great fun, and they become less nervous.

One of my boys was so anxious at first that he would not swallow the entire car ride. The drool was incredible. That wasn't the worst of it; he usually would follow that uup with vomiting. We took him for alot of short rides, with the windows open so he could stick his head out (I know this is not good to do in the long run, but it did seem to help in thhe short term), and taking the curves very slowly so as not to make him nauseous. Now (after just a few months) he barely drools on car rides, except on the window (which looks like expensive frosted glass now).

Keep up the good work. Keep it happy! She'll come around!