Bus and train training

[luckypenny]

Hi there - wondering if anyone has experienced of this and could give advice.

Penny (9 year old neutered female) is in many ways the perfect dog. Goes a bit nuts when visitors arrive but is calms down be the time they are siting down with a cup of tea / glass of wine .

Before my OH and I separated we had  a car - Penny was dreadful (screaming etc) for the first hour of any journey but would eventually settle, and if we were away for a few days would be fine on journeys throughout that period. Because we were very rarely in the car, we would have this performance every time (our fault I know for not doing journeys regularly).

Since we have separated she has hardly ever been in the car apart from an emergency trip to the vet. I'd really like to be able to take her on the bus, and possibly the train, but is she beyond changing? The last time she was on a bus was years ago and I had to get off as she made so much noise.

I live near the bus terminus and have thought about asking the driver if she could just get on for a sniff about, and maybe stay on for one stop (some drivers in Edinburgh are lovely and would not mind I'm sure). I'd also wondered about freezing a few gravy bones (she's a power chewer so would finish them in seconds if they weren't frozen) and giving her them just to see if we could manage a couple of stops. I did also wonder if there was a mild sedative I could get from the vet to use when I was doing the first few journeys so she gets used to the bus without a panic and hopefully we'd get to the stage where she could travel without them.

When the kids are at uni. I'm on my own and it would be lovely if Penny and I could just head out for a full day or even overnight e.g. down the coast to North Berwick,through to Glasgow to see the kids, or up to Aberdeen to see my Mum,  although the train would be another training issue.   

Please - does anyone have any advice or experience - it's slightly getting me down as it's the one downer about an otherwise (almost) perfect girl.

Thanks,

Susan

[Gazrob]

Try taking her out in the bus as much as possible even if it's just a very short trip to the shops or something hopefully she will gradually get used to it. My dog isn't too bad on buses and trains he is quiet but finds it hard to keep still. however he is sometimes sick which is a bit embarrassing.

[Mudmagnets]

How about some Pet Remedy applied to the fur on her chest about 15mins before going on a trip (putting it on your hand and rubbing it on was PennyB's excellent suggestion  some dogs find sprays stressful) and maybe a very strong Nylabone for her to chew on whilst on the journey, and as already mentioned build the journey time up slowly.

I used the Pet Remedy when Branston was having probs with dogs we met on walks whilst on lead and  it certainly seemed to help in my situation.

[bizzylizzy]

We had to take Humphrey on a bus and an underground last year which was a bit of an ordeal as he isn‘t even used to towns. I took lots and lots of tiny treats and just kept feeding and stroking him contunually and he eventually calmed down. No idea if it would work for you but if you can perhaps try a short journey at a quiet time and make it as positive an experience as you can, maybe she‘d get used to it. I think you need to do it in small steps though.
The idea of getting her to sniff around the bus at the terminus sounds like an excellent idea, if they‘ll allow it, - if she gets used to the smells etc before being faced with the movement and the then other passengers etc, it‘d be half the battle, I‘d imagine.
Best of luck, hope you can sort it!

[luckypenny]

Thanks for the tips so far. Have ordered pet remedy and will start with short trips. I'll update if we experience a miracle:)

[Leo0106]

Hi I can't offer much support as, if I'm honest, I didn't even realise dogs were allowed on buses until reading this post  however, not sure if you would use natural remedies at all as I know some people don't like them but when I take Leo somewhere I know he will get anxious I give him a few pippettes of a calming tincture that I buy from a website called 'all natural pet'.. It's just a herbal remedy and it works beautifully for leo

[Darwin]

In past we've taken Darwin into London a couple of times, overground, not the tube. The first time we couldn't get a seat, only a 20min journey and Darwin was standing all the way.  He wasn't noisy but found it difficult as he couldn't balance properly with the movement of the train, once he was sitting down he was fine.  But never a problem on the way home as he was exhausted after a busy day.