It usually takes us welcoming a new foster dog into our home to realize there are some things we take for granted.
Like knowing how to ride nicely in a car.
You may have seen these dramatic Facebook photos of Miss M getting squished since foster dog Feeney didn't know how to ride in the car.
We were trying to think back to what we did to teach our pups to ride nicely in the car.
The pups used to be unrestrained which allowed them to go wherever they wanted in the car:
Our pups have been wearing seat belts for a few years, and we originally liked the Petbuckle Pet Harness, though we found that the RC Pet Products vest/harness seatbelt is actually much easier to put on them.
(Mr. B is wearing the original seatbelt and Miss M is wearing the harness vest in the photos below). The pet seat belts can be hooked through the car seatbelt, but we like using the Kwik Connect Tether to clip them in.
We love that the seat belts can keep them in place. Or in Miss M's situation, Mr. B's place:
Side benefit: They brighten peoples' mornings as they see them drive by.
What are some ways your pups learned to ride nicely in the car?
Also:
The unbelievable flapping jowl film.
Do City Dogs really need cars?
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6 comments:
We have a Jeep and in the first few weeks with Marvin we had to work really hard to teach him that the "back back" was his spot and that he shouldn't jump up into the seats. We did have several hilarious (and dangerous) moments where he'd come flying up out of the back while we were driving around town. In order to convince him that he wanted to be in the cargo area we made kept stocking it with his blanket, and toys, and chews. Just giving him the the visual and smell-y reminder that the back was where he should be, with all his stuff. Now he LOVES his area and gets sort of grumpy if he has to share it with actual luggage or cargo. In our experience, all training has been highly successful when accompanied with a lot of positive reinforcement.
You look like a bunch of kids, with a big butt, going on an outing, BOL. We adore the car
Snorts,
Lily & Edward
I drive from Chicago to Pittsburgh for holidays with Rosa - 8 hours! I have an old comforter in the back so she's comfy and so mud/snow/etc doesn't get on the seats, but I don't restrain her. She's usually pretty good, but I'm lucky. I've thought about getting one of those police-car dividers to keep her in the back - any thoughts?
I love the picture with Mr. B's ear doing a little flip!
We used to have both of our dogs wear seat belt harnesses, but Badger kept wriggling out of his (no idea how), so we don't bother belting him up anymore. I'm thinking of getting a barrier to simply keep him from getting into the front of the car.
Mushroom will try to climb into the front , but she's pretty good about wearing her seat belt.
When Kaya & Norman were pups, I wanted to teach them to stay in the back seat, even when I'd have to run into a store so I kept a couple packages of paper towels in the car and placed them on the 2 front seats when I'd leave the car. After about a month, I no longer needed the deterrent, they got the drill. If they were more antsy, I'd use seatbelts but they keep it low key in the car.
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