Car Wash- any experiences? - YorkieTalk.com Forums

katiex10204 · 06-13-2013, 10:21 AM

Last night was so scary!! My Fiancé & I were headed to the VW dealership for him to get a new car. He was trading in his current car, and spur of the moment decided to run it through a $5 car wash real quick on the way. Eva was with us in the car. As soon as the water started coming down- she FREAKED OUT. She was shaking so uncontrollably & breathing so heavy it sounded like a train!! I was terrified for her.. and she did this for the whole 20 minutes to the dealership. Once we got there, I calmed her down outside, got her a treat & water, etc and she was fine while we were there for a while. Once we went to go home in the new car, she started the shaking & breathing heavy again. It was such a sin- I was honestly terrified she was going to have a heart attack. I hope I did not scar her for life in the car- she actually liked the car before this!! Has anyone else had a traumatizing experience with their dogs in the car wash????

MandiesMom · 06-13-2013, 10:39 AM

Oh my goodness! Bless her heart!

I've never experienced this but I do recall reading someone had a similar experience a few months ago. I'm going to remember this and steer clear of car washes when my pups are in the car.

yorkietalkjilly · 06-13-2013, 10:44 AM

Something like that will often panic a dog. I've heard of it happening to several dogs. If your next car trip finds her remembering those last two trips and panic sets in again, start to desensitize her to the new car. Just open the doors to the car on both sides so it's all open and not closed and scary and toss one of her toys or a treat in it and let her get it out and jump right back out. If she won't, just pick her up and go sit in the car for a second and get right back out and then treat her and play with her and then grab her up, sit back in the car for another second, out to play and treats. Keep sitting in the car with her followed by a payoff she likes and after the first day or two, sit there a little longer with her and she will begin to see that being in the new car is just short and sweet and nothing bad is happening and she gets treats and playing afterward. After a while, she should retrieve treats or toys of her out of it on her own. In time, she should accept the new car and you can take a very short trip around the block and after a few of those, she should no longer remember just that scary episode in the old car.

katiex10204 · 06-13-2013, 10:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yorkietalkjilly

Something like that will often panic a dog. I've heard of it happening to several dogs. If your next car trip finds her remembering those last two trips and panic sets in again, start to desensitize her to the new car. Just open the doors to the car on both sides so it's all open and not closed and scary and toss one of her toys or a treat in it and let her get it out and jump right back out. If she won't, just pick her up and go sit in the car for a second and get right back out and then treat her and play with her and then grab her up, sit back in the car for another second, out to play and treats. Keep sitting in the car with her followed by a payoff she likes and after the first day or two, sit there a little longer with her and she will begin to see that being in the new car is just short and sweet and nothing bad is happening and she gets treats and playing afterward. After a while, she should retrieve treats or toys of her out of it on her own. In time, she should accept the new car and you can take a very short trip around the block and after a few of those, she should no longer remember just that scary episode in the old car.

Thank you for the advice! That is excellent & I will give that a try

Deb1 · 06-13-2013, 11:25 AM

I did the same thing.....went to wash my car, not thinking it would bother my yorkies....WRONG! They freaked out so bad, too! I have never done it again! My car doesn't get washed very often because they are always with me. When I take it in to get serviced, they wash it for free & without my pups!

katiex10204 · 06-13-2013, 11:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deb1

I did the same thing.....went to wash my car, not thinking it would bother my yorkies....WRONG! They freaked out so bad, too! I have never done it again! My car doesn't get washed very often because they are always with me. When I take it in to get serviced, they wash it for free & without my pups!

It's so scary!! Did your pups get over that or are they still afraid in the car? I will NEVER take her through a carwash again.. I feel HORRIBLE

chachi · 06-13-2013, 11:40 AM

She probably is tramatized but after you put her in the car a couple times and she realizes shes not going back to that scary place she will be fine. For future reference yorkies can be scared by change and loud noises. You may find she doesnt do well during fireworks or thunder

katiex10204 · 06-13-2013, 11:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chachi

She probably is tramatized but after you put her in the car a couple times and she realizes shes not going back to that scary place she will be fine. For future reference yorkies can be scared by change and loud noises. You may find she doesnt do well during fireworks or thunder

I hope she becomes okay again! She is actually really good with noises otherwise.. Thunderstorms & fireworks surprisingly don't bother her so I didn't think this would. I think it was just a combination of the sounds, the sights, etc.

yorkietalkjilly · 06-13-2013, 11:55 AM

One thing you could do is drive her to Sonic in the new car and order something that smells really good. Let her see that food coming in the window of the car and scent all that odor of french fries and corny dogs, etc. Maybe she can get a bite of the bread only from the bun or something. Than all the way home in the new car with the food smelling so good should get her keen on the idea of a car ride being okay. It ought to change her association in the car from fear to good food and anticipation!

katiex10204 · 06-13-2013, 11:56 AM

Haha I LOVE this idea!! They actually JUST opened a sonic about 15 minutes from us!!

I should tell Hubs that's where we need to take Eva this weekend to break in his new car!

yorkietalkjilly · 06-13-2013, 11:59 AM

Maybe a few trips to order good food and have it come in the car window and ride all the way home with her will have her like the car again soon. Overpowering smell of food can flood a dog with good sensations.

Teresiana · 06-13-2013, 12:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deb1

I did the same thing.....went to wash my car, not thinking it would bother my yorkies....WRONG! They freaked out so bad, too! I have never done it again! My car doesn't get washed very often because they are always with me. When I take it in to get serviced, they wash it for free & without my pups!

I TOTALLY thought of you when I started reading this thread

Your thread about your babies freaking out saved me from what I thought would be "fun" for my little pack! Lol

KazzyK810 · 06-13-2013, 12:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by katiex10204

Has anyone else had a traumatizing experience with their dogs in the car wash????

So...I was totally thinking this was about a dog actually IN the car wash, getting a bath...... not riding in the car, as the car goes through the wash...oops..

The place where I go to wash my car, has car washing bays and they also have a dog washing area.

ZoE gets bathed in the tub at home

But, she's been through the DIY car wash around 100 times (I like to keep my ride purty

)

Deb1 · 06-13-2013, 12:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by katiex10204

It's so scary!! Did your pups get over that or are they still afraid in the car? I will NEVER take her through a carwash again.. I feel HORRIBLE

They are fine with car rides! It was just the car wash that scared them!

Deb1 · 06-13-2013, 12:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Teresiana

I TOTALLY thought of you when I started reading this thread

Your thread about your babies freaking out saved me from what I thought would be "fun" for my little pack! Lol

Yup, that was me that posted that thread a few months back! I don't advise it!

06-13-2013, 10:21 AM	#1
katiex10204 Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: PA Posts: 79	Car Wash- any experiences? Last night was so scary!! My Fiancé & I were headed to the VW dealership for him to get a new car. He was trading in his current car, and spur of the moment decided to run it through a $5 car wash real quick on the way. Eva was with us in the car. As soon as the water started coming down- she FREAKED OUT. She was shaking so uncontrollably & breathing so heavy it sounded like a train!! I was terrified for her.. and she did this for the whole 20 minutes to the dealership. Once we got there, I calmed her down outside, got her a treat & water, etc and she was fine while we were there for a while. Once we went to go home in the new car, she started the shaking & breathing heavy again. It was such a sin- I was honestly terrified she was going to have a heart attack. I hope I did not scar her for life in the car- she actually liked the car before this!! Has anyone else had a traumatizing experience with their dogs in the car wash???? __________________ Eva (7lb Shorkie) & Katie (Proud Mommy)

06-13-2013, 10:39 AM	#2
MandiesMom and Shelby's too Donating Member Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Millbrook, AL Posts: 7,842	Oh my goodness! Bless her heart! I've never experienced this but I do recall reading someone had a similar experience a few months ago. I'm going to remember this and steer clear of car washes when my pups are in the car. __________________ Terri, proud mom to Mandie & Shelby-Dale

06-13-2013, 10:44 AM	#3
yorkietalkjilly ♥ Love My Tibbe! ♥ Donating Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: D/FW, Texas Posts: 22,140	Something like that will often panic a dog. I've heard of it happening to several dogs. If your next car trip finds her remembering those last two trips and panic sets in again, start to desensitize her to the new car. Just open the doors to the car on both sides so it's all open and not closed and scary and toss one of her toys or a treat in it and let her get it out and jump right back out. If she won't, just pick her up and go sit in the car for a second and get right back out and then treat her and play with her and then grab her up, sit back in the car for another second, out to play and treats. Keep sitting in the car with her followed by a payoff she likes and after the first day or two, sit there a little longer with her and she will begin to see that being in the new car is just short and sweet and nothing bad is happening and she gets treats and playing afterward. After a while, she should retrieve treats or toys of her out of it on her own. In time, she should accept the new car and you can take a very short trip around the block and after a few of those, she should no longer remember just that scary episode in the old car. __________________ Jeanie and Tibbe One must do the best one can. You may get some marks for a very imperfect answer: you will certainly get none for leaving the question alone. C. S. Lewis

06-13-2013, 11:25 AM	#5
Deb1 YT 2000 Club Member Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Iowa Posts: 2,983 Blog Entries: 3	I did the same thing.....went to wash my car, not thinking it would bother my yorkies....WRONG! They freaked out so bad, too! I have never done it again! My car doesn't get washed very often because they are always with me. When I take it in to get serviced, they wash it for free & without my pups! __________________ Proud Mommy to Max, Teeka, Tatiana and forever in my heart Tameka! My sunshine doesn't come from the skies, it comes from my puppies eyes!

06-13-2013, 11:40 AM	#7
chachi I Love My Yorkies Donating Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Indianapolis, Indiana Posts: 37,147	She probably is tramatized but after you put her in the car a couple times and she realizes shes not going back to that scary place she will be fine. For future reference yorkies can be scared by change and loud noises. You may find she doesnt do well during fireworks or thunder __________________ Chachi's & Jewels Mom Jewels http://www.dogster.com/?132431 Chachi http://www.dogster.com/?132427

06-13-2013, 11:55 AM	#9
yorkietalkjilly ♥ Love My Tibbe! ♥ Donating Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: D/FW, Texas Posts: 22,140	One thing you could do is drive her to Sonic in the new car and order something that smells really good. Let her see that food coming in the window of the car and scent all that odor of french fries and corny dogs, etc. Maybe she can get a bite of the bread only from the bun or something. Than all the way home in the new car with the food smelling so good should get her keen on the idea of a car ride being okay. It ought to change her association in the car from fear to good food and anticipation! __________________ Jeanie and Tibbe One must do the best one can. You may get some marks for a very imperfect answer: you will certainly get none for leaving the question alone. C. S. Lewis

06-13-2013, 11:56 AM	#10
katiex10204 Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: PA Posts: 79	Haha I LOVE this idea!! They actually JUST opened a sonic about 15 minutes from us!! I should tell Hubs that's where we need to take Eva this weekend to break in his new car! __________________ Eva (7lb Shorkie) & Katie (Proud Mommy)

06-13-2013, 11:59 AM	#11
yorkietalkjilly ♥ Love My Tibbe! ♥ Donating Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: D/FW, Texas Posts: 22,140	Maybe a few trips to order good food and have it come in the car window and ride all the way home with her will have her like the car again soon. Overpowering smell of food can flood a dog with good sensations. __________________ Jeanie and Tibbe One must do the best one can. You may get some marks for a very imperfect answer: you will certainly get none for leaving the question alone. C. S. Lewis