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Old 12-16-2010, 10:41 PM   #4
QuickSilver
Thor's Human
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Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: San Francisco, CA
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That's interesting. Thor has the same problem. When his doggy daycare drops him off, I can hear him squealing in their van from a good thirty feet away. None of the other dogs are like that.

He also gets incredibly anxious when I park the car. It seems like he gets so excited that it's unbearable.

That being said, yes, you should make sure he's secured in the car, either with a kennel or car seat, or seat belt harness. Also, just in case you don't know, you should never leave him in the car, even for a minute. He can be stolen, or overheat way more quickly than you'd think.

As for actual fixing the problem... well, I've been working on it for two years, so I can't offer this as a perfect solution. I sit in the car and wait for him to calm down before I undo his buckle. Then I tell him to stay until I have unloaded the car and am ready to have him jump out.

His daycare takes a more rewarding approach. On the rare occasions he's quiet, he gets a big treat. Maybe combining those two methods would be most effective.

One thing Thor has taught me is that dogs really struggle with impulse control. Humans have a huge part of their brains dedicated to forethought and planning. Dogs have a much smaller part of their brain dedicated to this. So once your dog is fully triggered and going nuts, it's very difficult for him to calm down. If possible, try to get the behavior under control before all the adrenaline floods his system and shuts his brain down.
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