Barking in Van

[VictoriaSonny]

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Hi Guys,
Been a while since I posed!
My almost 9 month old puppy Sonny is brilliant these days, on lead, off lead, ball obsessed, no longer stays in a crate - getting on a right beaut!
I have changed my job and now am a delivery driver so Sonny goes to day care twice a week (which has done wonders for his socialisation) and comes out in the van with me twice a week. He’s a great passenger, harnessed up and seatbelt clipped to his harness, sleeps while we drive, we get out every hour together for a game of fetch and toilets if needed - he even comes to doors with me and sits and stays while I deliver. HOWEVER. One thing I need advice on.. Yes he sleeps on the double passenger seat while I drive, but the minute I pull up to a house, pull the hand break up, he does three spins (almost strangles himself with the seat belt) and barks so loudly. When I get out and go to the house, he barks because I’ve gone. If I pull up for example to stop and look at the house numbers, and don’t use the hand break, he doesn’t move - not a peep. It’s the hand break that sends him into this excitement frenzy as I’m guessing he thinks he’s getting out for a game of fetch. My question is: how can I train this out of him? He does it in the car too, if we go somewhere for a walk where we need the car, lovely passenger but as soon as that hand break goes up, he’s off on one. Is it excitement? Is is something else? Let me know your thoughts!

thanks xx

 

[JudyN]

Something that might work... go for a drive, stop, put the handbrake on, and then take it off and drive on. Repeat repeat, repeat till he no longer thinks that putting the handbrake on means he might get a walk.

Then start again, this time stopping, getting out, and getting in umpteen times, until that's boring too. And so on....

I'm thinking that it might also help to introduce a cue that you always use when there is going to be a walk/game. Possibly this needs to appear before you put the handbrake on, so it could be a word. It would be the equivalent of picking up the lead before leaving the house signalling that he's coming too.

You could also use the handbrake more when stopped in a queue, at junctions, and so on.