STILL very noisy in the car. Tried everything

[alixb]

I've just had Hope 10 months now. She is an awesome retired hunting dog, 7 years old. she is just brutal in the car. I have her in a crate in the back of my SUV. I have tried everything to make her happy. I had her in the front in a harness, I had her in the middle seat with a hammock, & tried her loose in the middle seat with a barrier up, I am using Pheromone spray. she pants very loud, trills 7 also makes a lovely seagull sound. It is all very distressing.
Maybe for Christmas Santa can bring me a solution.

[Java]

She looks lovely! Is she anxious when she's around the SUV, in the SUV when it's parked in the garage, when the engine starts, when the SUV's in motion or all of it? I'm not a trainer. Just curious.

[rochie427]

You state you've had her for 10 months and she is currently 7 years old. Any idea how she handled the car prior to you getting her ?

[doubledip1]

I might sound like a total lunatic, but when Luna was a tiny puppy she screamed bloody murder in the car and the only thing that got her to stop was screaming bloody murder back at her. I tried treats, short rides, having someone sit there with her, crating, harnessing, everything.

Worth a shot. You'll feel like a freak though. But at least now Luna LOVES the car and jumps right in and is happy to even go to the gas station with me.

[POPTOP]

Not knowing what happened in the past makes it a little difficult to figure out a solution. Maybe putting a sheet over the crate?

Panting with excitement is OK but should settle down. Sorry, not much help; have not have a dog with car problems other than long ago with a Dalmatian who got car sick, vomiting.

[alixb]

She looks lovely! Is she anxious when she's around the SUV, in the SUV when it's parked in the garage, when the engine starts, when the SUV's in motion or all of it? I'm not a trainer. Just curious.

she is fine getting in, getting out & if I leave her in it for a while. Usually with in 3-4 minutes it starts. she is fine if some one else drives & I sit beside her, which rarely happens.

[alixb]

You state you've had her for 10 months and she is currently 7 years old. Any idea how she handled the car prior to you getting her ?

I asked the breeder & she said she was fine in the big truck they use when they have a bunch of dogs. It's one of those trucks that have like little kennels built in.

[alixb]

I might sound like a total lunatic, but when Luna was a tiny puppy she screamed bloody murder in the car and the only thing that got her to stop was screaming bloody murder back at her. I tried treats, short rides, having someone sit there with her, crating, harnessing, everything.

Worth a shot. You'll feel like a freak though. But at least now Luna LOVES the car and jumps right in and is happy to even go to the gas station with me.

I actually HAVE done the screaming back at her just to see what she does. I just wish I knew exactly what was making her nuts!!! I would pay a $1,000,000.00 to find a solution. Well maybe not a million but a few bucks.

[ckfalz]

Sorry, can't advise. Sam is a noisy monster in the car but it's excitement because he loves the car and going places. He is still a work in progress.

[Java]

I was going to ask if your crate was a wire one or a plastic travel one. I agree with POPTOP - maybe cover your crate and see what happens.

she is fine getting in, getting out & if I leave her in it for a while. Usually with in 3-4 minutes it starts. she is fine if some one else drives & I sit beside her, which rarely happens.

It's odd that being in the front passenger seat with harness doesn't work then or maybe she prefers the middle seat with you over the front seat with you. And she doesn't have a problem with being in the SUV with the engine off. Have you tried idling in the driveway to see if she becomes anxious after several minutes? Maybe take her on a 3 minute loops around the block and treat/praise/play with her when you get back before she has the chance to get anxious? Keep doing that and see if you can extend the loop? You've probably tried this already but I thought I'd ask.

The reason I'm interested in your problem is because my previous dog was a fearful rescue lab/shepherd, mostly of surfaces. It was a real learning experience for me because I'm not a trainer, a lot of trial and error to learn how to help her. I had to break new experiences into tiny chunks on a daily basis. I couldn't move on to the next chunk until her anxiety diminished enough for her to take treats and successfully repeat the chunk over again a few times in a row. Anxiety in the car seems harder to me because you want and need to take your lab out. It's an essential.

I hope you can find a solution that works for you.