Nervous traveler!

[lots.nj]

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Hi,I have a 17 month old jack russell that has started to get really stressed out when he is in the can unless he is sat on someone's knee. I have tried to do as much as I can to make sure that he is well socialised and happy in most situation as I already have one very nervous dog. He was absolutely fine in the car and would travel in his create, most of the time sleeping or squicking away with his toy. Over the last few weeks he has started to get very stressed when he is getting in the car and then panting and shaking for the journey. This is aswell as starting to becoming jumping around loud noises. I got him a thunder shirt and some spray that goes in his create but nothing seems to settle him unless he's on someone's knee. Any advice on how to relax him would be fantastic.

Thanks in advance ☺

 

[gypsysmum2]

It sounds as if some sort of loud bang has startled him and he has associated this with car journeys. Noise phobia is very difficult to deal with because we cannot de sensitise dogs to them easily without them hearing the dreaded noise again at some point.

Most dogs want to go to a safe place. In his case it sounds like this has become someone's knee. This should be allowed because the calmer he is the more likely he is to learn. He needs to learn that the noises do not harm him. This means exposure to the noise but at a very low level that does not induce anxiety. Anxiety prevents learning. As soon as he is anxious he is not learning that the noise is harmless.

You can buy cd's with all sorts of noises on them. One that comes to mind is called Sounds Scary. The idea is that you play the cd so quietly that the dog does not react to the noises. Over a period of time that suits the dog you increase the volume and leave it like that until he is happy hearing it at that level. Keep doing this while allowing him to be relaxed enough to learn it does not harm him. If he gets stressed you need to go back a stage.

The cd could be started in the house and repeated in the car while he sits on someone's knee. Do not make a big deal out of it. Just stay calm and happy yourself so that this rubs off on him.

It may be that the cd does not contain the noise that worries him. If, for instance, it is the car door shutting that scares him then you need to de sensitise him to that while he is calm. Let him stand a good distance away while it is quietly closed. Bend down and let him get on your knee if necessary. If he is too scared then you are too close. Gradually get nearer and nearer. Over time let the door close a little louder allowing him to move away if necessary. My dog hates the pressure rush of the car tail gate shutting so we open another door to let out the pressure.

If it is another noise that has startled him, and he has associated it with the car, then he will need to be de sensitised to that noise. Sometimes it starts off with one noise and generalises to other noises. Dogs with a fear of thunder will often become fearful when it rains.

You could try Bach Flower Rescue Remedy and Adaptil to support him.