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Every dog owner dreams of owning a dog that actually minds its manners in a car. They want their dogs to sit still, not drool and to maybe even take a nap. But you know as well as I do that that very rarely happens.
If you want your dog to learn perfect car manners, you need to first understand how a dog thinks. Your dog sees your car as this great moving machine that has lots of windows. It’s a big toy. He can watch cars fly past you and maybe even try to chase them. Yelling at your dog doesn’t do any good. Your dog doesn’t see it as discipline. When you’re in the car, your dog sees yelling as--kind of--barking of sorts.
Car riding discipline begins before you even get in your car. You first must have your dog sit outside your car door... with the door open. Tell it to “stay” or “sit.” Then you can give a command for your dog to get in the car and go to his spot in the car. Then you tell him again to “stay.” Now you can drive to your destination.
But that doesn’t solve the entire problem. After you’ve established a certain level of discipline before you’ve entered the car, you can then repeat the “stay” command when your dog tries to move around. After a few times of being required to stay in that one spot, it won’t move.
When it’s time to leave the car, you should first tell your dog again to “wait” or “stay.” If your dog instead tries to jump out, be sure to say “no” loudly. Then tell him to “stay” until he’s calm again. You can then tell him to “heel” to begin moving out of the car. This will keep your dog from getting overly excited about leaving the car and jumping on you and others.
Another tip is that you might want to try getting a training lead for awhile to help your dog learn these new standards you’re setting. The lead will allow you even tighter control over what your dog does.
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