Car rides

Question
QUESTION: I have a 3 year old Pomeranian male. We have had him since he was 10 weeks old and he was neutered when he was 6 months old. He is is very good health and is very well behaved in all other areas. The problem is when we take him in the car he will wine , run back and forth from side to side in the car & try to get on our lap. If we let him ride on our lap he will wine and fuss until we roll down the window and allow him to ride with his head out the window then he will ride just fine. When we have to leave him in the car he will bark , wine and cry and has gotten himself so worked up he has made himself sick .He acts like he wants to go for a car ride  and will happily jump up in the car.

ANSWER: Hi, Rusti,

Thanks for the question. I have a few of my own.

Does your dog like to play tug-of-war? How much hard vigorous playful exercise, where he gets to use his hunting instincts to chase things and/or bite them, does he get every day? Where does he sleep at night? Do you scold him or punish him when he's "bad?"

I look forward to seeing what we can do to help this little guy be less anxious and behave better.

LCK

The questions I asked you are directly relevant to your dog's problem. He's exhibiting tense, stressed out behavior. Scolding and punishment increase tension, playing tug and fetch reduce it. Sticking his head out the window has the same effect; it enlivens his predatory instincts in a very visceral and emotional way. Also, where he sleeps at night can either increase or reduce his internal levels of tension and stress.

I hope you respond to my questions so I can help your doggie.

LCK

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Oh ok that make a lot of scene. I did respond to your questions but perhaps you did not receive my resonance. Yes he dose have play time everyday and for the most part for as long as he wants to play. He dose not really like vigorous tug of war games but he dose have several toys we play with him with and we varied the play games to keep his interest and keep his mind involved. Fetch is his favorite and he also enjoys playing alone with his toys squeaking them or chewing I also think he has made is own games up ...he will take a toy out side , leave it in the yard and then latter he will go "looking" for it making a big "show" of finding it and bringing it back inside and usually gives it to me or my husband as his "gifts" to the family.We praise him give him pets and tell him how good a job he has done  He also goes on long walks almost everyday with our daughter or us. As far as sleeping at night he sleeps with us at the foot of our bed during the day he usually naps on the back of the sofa in front of the window but he dose also have a  covered bed of his own and we never bother him or allow anyone else to bother him if he is in his bed this is his place to be alone and we respect that although he doesn't spend much time in his bed. We don't "scold " or really "punish" him he very very seldom needs it. I use a sharp hand clap to get his attention and then I will point to where I want him to go ...such as beside me , in the house ect. He has been trained to sit, stay, lay down and heals  well off leash although we only allow him off leash in very safe environments such as my in laws farm. I know I must sound like the dotting "dog mom " when I say he really is never "bad" he gets into mischief every once in a while and he tends to take  his guard the family and home a bit far sometimes but usually a firm "that is enough,you scared them off" is all we need to do. We don't yell at him and hitting is NEVER allowed in any form.

Answer
Thanks for the further info. I'm sorry I didn't see your second e-mail sooner.

From what I've gathered from this new information it seems to me that riding in the car overstimulates your dog. Needing to stick his head out the window has kind of become like a drug habit to him. And he can't tolerate it when the car stops moving and he's left inside alone. He needs another "fix" of that kinetic energy.

Do you ever take him anywhere in a carrier, like a Sherpa bag? Has he ever slept in a crate? I know you hate getting questions from me, but the reason I ask is that there are two basic ways to deal with this car problem. One involves a good deal of training, the other is simpler and just involves putting him in a carrier whenever he's in the car. That will help him contain his energy, both when the car is moving and when you stop for gas, etc. However, if he's not already acclimated to being in a crate or Sherpa bag, that "simpler" solution may be problematic. So you would have to get him acclimated to being in a crate at home before using one in the car. This is why I asked where he sleeps at night, because many dogs prefer sleeping in a crate rather than on the bed. If you could get him to prefer sleeping in a crate or Sherpa bag at night, he'd be much more likely to enjoy being crated while he's in the car. (A Sherpa is a brand of shoulder bag people use to carry their small breed doggies around in, but any bag of this type would be fine.) The fact that he already has his own "space," meaning his bed, is going to help with this.

The other, more time-intensive solution would involve teaching your dog to be able to hold a long down/stay on command. I know he already "knows" these commands, but my impression is that he "knows" them when there's not a lot going on around him, and that if he were in an energized state, he'd quickly forget how to obey. So I'd re-train the down and the stay, outdoors, as part of a high-energy game of fetch or tug. Tug is probably the most important training tool there is. Since he doesn't like it much you may have to do some work on getting him to enjoy playing it. The more he plays tug, and the more you can work that into re-training the down and the stay, the more control you'll have over him when he's energized inside the car.

Here's a link on how to play tug: http://www.tiny.cc/tug

If you have any questions about what I've told you, or need any further explanations, let me know.

LCK