Pet owners have many special responsibilities, like training dogs to fetch, toilet training, controlling to barking and biting tendencies, behavioral training and so on. Amongst all of these, the one which is very important is training them to get ready for car travel. This requires a lot of patience, consistency and careful supervision.
Pet owners have many special responsibilities, like training dogs to fetch, toilet training, controlling to barking and biting tendencies, behavioral training and so on. Amongst all of these, the one which is very important is training them to get ready for car travel. This requires a lot of patience, consistency and careful supervision. The basics of imparting good habits and manners in dogs are starting the training at an early age, praising them when they do something good, and not punishing or hitting for mistakes unless they actually bite or bark abnormally. To achieve success in training dogs for car travel, you need to keep on repeating commands, correcting the mistakes and manually guide them to follow each instruction correctly until they learn each lesson systematically.
Before taking your pet dog on a surprise car trip, make sure that he is accustomed to car rides, otherwise there are high chances that he gets anxiety attacks making the situation even worse for you to handle. For this, start by just letting your dog sit in the car until he gets used to the car's atmosphere and becomes calm. Try to spend some time with him inside while the car is still parked and the engine is off.
After a few days of practicing, repeat the same routine for a few more days. Only this time, you need to keep the engine running, but still parked in an open area and not in the garage. If your pet has stayed calm during all this, it is well and good. If not, shut the engine off without wasting much time and caress him by hugging, patting or touching softly. Tell him that there is nothing to worry. You need to show him that being in a car is just normal and is not different from any other area for snoozing, playing and spending some time. Don't shout or be angry on them if they do not understand. Treating them with rewards each time they follow your instructions will make them to learn fast. Spending some relaxing time like this with them for few more days will definitely give you success.
You should keep your behavior in the same way when you actually start taking your pets for a drive. Just take a few precautions: don't let them sit in your lap; instead, secure them using the seat belt. Keep the windows closed until your pets are fully habituated to see the outside world that contains trees, other human beings, other vehicles, etc. Don't forget to reward them with some treats and your love for their proper behavior. Also, don't hesitate to show your anger when they misbehave. If you have more than one pet, don't try to teach them all at the same time. Be prepared with extra food, water and medications for your pets in case there is a travel delay. Never leave your pet alone in the car, even for few seconds.
Try to keep the initial trips short and fun. To help you in your teaching sessions, bring a licensed driver who can take care of the wheel while you are busy teaching car etiquette to your pets.
Follow the above tips thoroughly to make your car travel more entertaining and safe with the inclusion of your pet.
