Barking in car

[barryo]

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My rescue JRT has been with me 5 years and is extremely sociable and well behaved. The only problem we have is separation anxiety, not cured even after hundreds of hours conditioning every conceivable trigger, including various medications. Nothing worked so she's only left alone rarely and I've accepted she's not perfect.
The problem I am trying to resolve is barking in the car. She jumps into her crate, in the back seat, without any hesitation or anxiety. But when I start driving she stands and starts barking. When I tell her to down, she does, and stops barking, but after a few minutes or sometimes a few seconds she stands up and barks again. If I don't tell her to down she'll continue barking, usually for the whole journey. I reasoned that if I left her barking long enough she'd tire out and stop. Last time I tried that we had almost 3 hours non-stop barking.
I've tried multiple combinations of toys, treats, music, crate covered, partially covered, completely covered and no cover.
I've spent hundreds of £s, with two different behaviourists but nothing has made the slightest difference.
I'd be very grateful for any suggestions.

 

[curlydog]

Do you think it is excited barking (whee, we're going somewhere, hurry up so I can get to the fun part!) or nervous barking (let me out and cuddle me until I feel better)?

 

[barryo]

Definitely nervous and she pants heavily quite quickly

 

[JoanneF]

Could you safely have her crate in the front, so she is closer to you?

 

[JudyN]

I wonder if she has a little car sickness? You could try giving her a bit of ginger biscuit before the trip (there might be healthier dog alternatives) before setting off to see if that helps. Also maybe raising the crate up so she can see out the window.

My dog went through a few phases of car anxiety. What seemed to work was getting into the car with him, giving him a few treats, and getting out again, then doing the same but with me in the driver's seat, then starting the engine but not moving, then reversing a couple of feet and back, then reversing onto the road and back... gradually building up to short drives. It helped that he sat on the back seat and the nearby roads so quiet that I could drip-feed him treats while driving. I also knew that if he wouldn't take the treats, I was pushing it too much and needed t go back a few steps.

 

[Flobo]

Another option is a good seatbelt harness and maybe try her next to you on the passenger seat or on the back seat? You can also get canvas square car seats (not sure what they are called), they are like a high sided bed, for a bit of extra security. Obviously if trying her out of the crate, stay local!

 

[barryo]

Thanks all for your suggestions.
I'll try them out and feedback.

 

[BKayHol2]

Another option is a good seatbelt harness and maybe try her next to you on the passenger seat or on the back seat? You can also get canvas square car seats (not sure what they are called), they are like a high sided bed, for a bit of extra security. Obviously if trying her out of the crate, stay local!

It's best not to have dogs ride in the front passenger seat. In the event of an accident, if the airbag deploys, it can seriously injure or kill them. Much safer to keep them in the back.

 

[Flobo]

Fair enough, I never thought of that...
I don't like seeing dogs travelling in hatchbacks/boots either though in case you get rear ended... Back seat it is then!

 

[Laco]

I would try not using the crate and tethering her with a good harness, so she can move around a bit, but is secured. Speculating she may not like the crate while in motion, perhaps. Ours is tethered in the back seat and is fine as long as we are moving, but goes nuts when we stop. Since we adopted her when she was a year and a half, maybe she was left in a car sometime, or perhaps many times. I have asked her, but she won't tell. I keep telling her, I will never leave her in an unattended car, ever!

 

[O2.0]

@barryo if it is nerves on your dog's part, I would work on that aspect. The more you can help her relax in all areas, including the separation anxiety, the more that will transfer to the car. Do you have any relaxation protocols you follow? Have the behaviorists given you any routines to teach her to decompress and relax?

At the same time, try to figure out what is most comfortable for her as far as traveling. She might be happier in the crate, she might be happier tethered, you'll have to figure that out.

There is of course an ideal when it comes to safety, but for me at least, I weigh safety, likelyhood of the dog getting injured in an accident, and the dog's overall stress levels when traveling. If your dog is safe in the rare event of an accident, but giving herself an ulcer because of stress on every trip, I think I'd opt to lower the stress even though it might decrease the safety aspect. Sometimes you just have to weigh the cost/benefit. And as she learns to relax in the car, you can add in more safety measures.

My dog doesn't travel in ideal safety conditions. She rides in a soft crate in back, the crate is buckled in, but I don't zip her all the way in and she usually hangs her head and one paw out. She's still far safer that way than how she used to travel - in my lap, trembling in fear with her head buried in my armpit, so relaxed in a crate in the back seat is a total win as far as I'm concerned.

Oh and if for whatever reason your dog has to be in the front seat, on most modern vehicles you can turn the airbag off. Some even have a sensor that won't deploy it if there is not enough weight in the seat.

 

[curlydog]

Cerenia is a prescription medication for nausea, vomiting, and motion sickness. It might help rule out car sickness as a cause for the distress. You'd need to time the dose early enough that the pill is actually working when you start the car trip, and you'd probably want to try it on half a dozen or so consecutive trips to reduce the likelihood she's reacting to the memory of feeling car sick.