[Karigail]

We have a two year old GS. If we leave him at home, we have no issues with him whining, barking, etc. He doesn’t tear anything up. Seems perfect! (Well, he’s pretty close) Our issue arises when we are in public or riding in the car. Here are a few scenarios.

Scenario 1 : Very excited to go for a ride and gladly gets in the car. Enjoys the drive with the windows down. Once we pull into a parking lot or start to stop somewhere other than home, he starts whining and shaking. We’ll leave him in the car (not hot and with windows down) and he’ll whine like crazy. He’ll even go up to the front seat to get a better view of us.

Scenario 2 : We will be walking him and if my husband has him on his leash and I get to far ahead/behind, he will start whining/jumping to try to get to me. Works the other way around also.

Scenario 3 : We were at Lowes and my husband went to get the car and I stayed with the pups. He went CRAZY once my husband got more than five feet away and whined/jumped until he came back.

Scenario 2 and 3 are the main issues we have. He lives a great life so we can’t figure out why he is like this. We’ve had him since he was three months old. Side note, he’s not a jumper in any situations other than these. Any ideas on what we could do? We have tried anxiety treats, but he’s the only dog in the world that doesn’t like treats. I just want him to be a little less stressed. It breaks our hearts to hear him whining. Thank you for the help!

 

[brittanyS]

Maybe someone else will jump on here with a better suggestion, but if it were me I'd start by driving him somewhere and if he's whining, just sit in the car with him until he stops. Once you can drive to a location and put the car in park and turn it off without triggering him, then get out and stand next to the car (maybe even with the door open) and wait until he calms down. Repeat that until you can do it without him getting upset. Then, the next time you drive somewhere get out and take a few steps away from the car, the next time maybe you're able to get a little farther away. It's not a quick solution, but I think with consistency he'd realize that it's no big deal, you're going to come right back.

 

[Bearshandler]

Have you ever worked on a stay with distance?

 

[Karigail]

Have you ever worked on a stay with distance?

He can stay with distance, but there will be whining. He's good at listening to commands, but he doesn't know "don't whine when we get out of the car or are far away from you". haha

 

[Karigail]

Maybe someone else will jump on here with a better suggestion, but if it were me I'd start by driving him somewhere and if he's whining, just sit in the car with him until he stops. Once you can drive to a location and put the car in park and turn it off without triggering him, then get out and stand next to the car (maybe even with the door open) and wait until he calms down. Repeat that until you can do it without him getting upset. Then, the next time you drive somewhere get out and take a few steps away from the car, the next time maybe you're able to get a little farther away. It's not a quick solution, but I think with consistency he'd realize that it's no big deal, you're going to come right back.

This is a great idea. Yes, time consuming, but if it will help our sanity and him I will definitely try it. Thank you!

 

[Bearshandler]

He can stay with distance, but there will be whining. He's good at listening to commands, but he doesn't know "don't whine when we get out of the car or are far away from you". haha

How far are you and how do you reward?

 

[Karigail]

How far are you and how do you reward?

Usually it's us making him stay on the front porch while we check the mail or do something quick outside. We reward him with verbal and physical praise. He doesn't like treats for some reason.

 

[drparker151]

He doesn't like treats for some reason.

Even high value treats like turkey breast or steak?

 

[Karigail]

Even high value treats like turkey breast or steak?

Especially the high valued treats. I think it's the concept of a treat that gets him. It's like he doesn't trust them. We tried feeding him CK as a treat, but he won't eat it from our hands. We put it in his regular food everyday and he loves it there. Same with deli meats. Our pup is a very unique individual. haha The only thing he will eat that isn't in his bowl are his dental chews. I can't really give those as treats though. He reacts really well to verbal praise though.

 

[Bearshandler]

Usually it's us making him stay on the front porch while we check the mail or do something quick outside. We reward him with verbal and physical praise. He doesn't like treats for some reason.

You could practice for longer stays. I would work on in a venue other than home. Instead of just rewarding him at the end, you can walk over occasionally and calmly pet him then walk away.