Hesitant to get into the car - Help!

[Abbi]

Darcie is just over 1 now and has always travelled in a crate in the boot (hatchback) with no problem. Recently she has started to be more and more reluctant to get in. I used to lift her in but that's another problem we have in that she now won't let us pick her up to lift her in. She won't jump in either, but can if she wants to. This has gradually got worse since she was spayed in Feb. She doesn't go out in the car that often as we walk near home most of the time, but she has been to other places since for nice walks. I think she must relate going in the car to going to the vets. We have used food treats to get her to jumps up and this was working but now she is more hesitant again. If we go to let her she can get snappy and growly so I don't want to push it and make things worse. Today we went to a country park in the car and it took ages to get her back in the car. In the end she went on the back seat with a harness but even getting her in there wasn't easy and I ended up getting her into the footwell and then onto the seat before she knew what was happening. We had to get home in the car as it was miles away!

Tomorrow we are going to a training session which will mean a trip in the car and now I'm starting to worry how we are going to get her in the car!

Any ideas would be great! Once she's in she is fine and not showing signs of distress and settles down without a peep.

[dawn]

Henry went thru a time of being the same. We removed the crate. He now travels in the boot.

To train him to get in the boot, we put a hot dog sausage in the boot, on the drive, without him seeing us put it in. We then opened the boot, he found the sausage, he then jumped back out. We repeated it several times, never letting him see us putting the sausage in, and over several days, before we went on a journey. He now jumps in ok. The only problem we have now is that he thinks every car boot has a sausage in, and he's jumping into anyone's! 

It is a very frustrating problem. I would spend half an hour at a time trying to get him in the boot before training. I think the key was to get him hunting for the sausage, rather than rewarding him for getting in.

Good luck.

[Abbi]

Thank you Dawn, will get cooking some sausages, I think. We've been using chicken but your idea of putting it in there for them to find is a good idea.

She had never been a problem before her spay but I think she associates going in there with her trips to the vet after her spay.

[JaspersMum]

Do you think she hurt herself getting in or out of the car shortly after the spay when she might of been tender still.  She may associate the car with pain?

[Ruby Tuesday]

Do you think she hurt herself getting in or out of the car shortly after the spay when she might of been tender still.  She may associate the car with pain?

I thought the same. It is so hard when they don't like the car, our Ruby is the same and after 6 years of trying various things, she isn't a lot better I'm afraid.

[Abbi]

She is a very intelligent little girl and quick to pair up things, if you know what I mean! I think it's just getting in the car to the vets s we had to go a few times over a short period. I was by careful getting her in and out so don't think she hurt herself but she may have been in pain at the time of course.

She has a few issues, which is why we are travelling to the training so don't want to wind her up any more than necessary to get her there!

Thank you for all your comments, I appreciate all your help.

[Ruby Tuesday]

http://www.cockersonline.co.uk/discuss/index.php?topic=102815.msg1512336#msg1512336

Hope this link works, a recent thread on the same topic

[Abbi]

http://www.cockersonline.co.uk/discuss/index.php?topic=102815.msg1512336#msg1512336

Hope this link works, a recent thread on the same topic

Thank you. Some helpful suggestions.