Has anyone got any ideas how to stop my 2 year old lurcher screaming barking and generally getting over excited whilst travelling in the car.At the moment i can only take him to the local park because it is too distracting to go any further with him.I have an older lurcher who travels with him and she is so calm i was hoping he would follow her lead but no.He has been used to the car since he was 10 weeks old.

How much basic training have you done with him? Will he lie down and stay down on command because thats what I would ask him to do in the car. Generally speaking, if they are lying down they don't bark or get so excited.

Is he barking at things he can see out of the window, or just generally scared of the car. You could try blacking out the windows with some black curtains. If you have someone with you, they could pull the curtain back a little when she is calm, then close it again if she starts barking.

If on the other hand she is just scared, that could be something that you might need a DAP collar to relax her with. When a dog is in the car she thinks the world is going past at a tremendous rate; she does not realise that it is the car that is moving.

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Yep training in the car is needed as is self control work (only calm dogs get the things they want!)

Teaching down stays, mat work, speak/shush are all vital.

But now that your dog associates so much excitment with getting in the car your will have to diffuse that too and work much earlier, as in before you get in the car.

Here is more on car manners: Vrrrrooomm! – Calm in the Car | Pet Central's Pawsitive Dawgs Blog! and more on calming work: Crazy Canines | Pet Central's Pawsitive Dawgs Blog!

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He just gets so over excited that he is going out i have tried to calm him before we leave and make him sit and wait before we leave the house but as soon as i start to drive he just gets so excited.

As well as trying to cover the windows can someone sit next to him and treat him as soon as he is calm? I used DAP, as my dog was terrible in the car when I first got him and is fine now. He can go for a lot longer though if there is someone sat next to him.

Yes so more work and consistency is needed. Its going to take time, he has had lots of practice at this and it works every time for him Plus he probably has impulse control issues too which compound this.

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Anne, owned by Rufus & Tripod

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"I've seen a look in dogs' eyes, a quickly vanishing look of amazed contempt, and I am convinced that basically dogs think humans are nuts." - John Steinbeck

"If you don't want your dog to bite you, don't be an a**hole to him." ~ Dr. Ian Dunbar

Depending on what car you have, have you got a dog guard (assuming you havent got a big enough car for a dog crate his size) sometimes that helps if use a dog guard and a car harness and put them on a short tether lead. Also as he is a sight hound sometimes it helps if you block off some of the view with the mesh type sun blinds, also as someone has also said DAP products do tend to calm them. You can get the sprays and also the collars, worth a try.

If he gets hyped up as soon as you get the lead out, its usually because of association lead means walks so he starts to get hyper in anticipation. You could try desensitising to it, by just getting the lead out but then just sitting down. so he learns that the lead doesnt necessarily mean going out. once and if this is successful you could teach sit to wait for the lead to be put on with a treat at first if necessary. Once this seems ok, then teach sit and wait at the door, until finally opening the door, if he goes to bolt out then bring him back close the door and repeat it, until his trained that bolting out hyped up doesnt get him out. Final step is wait while you step out then tell him to come. With training him to be calm and wait for instructions that should mean that your in control and his not hyped up even before you start.

Next thing is that is sucessful is to sit and wait at the car, then sit and wait with the door open until he is told to get in. I would then teach the same with the car stationery as an exercise, then move to with the engine running and if you can maintain control then finally on a short journey, maybe even just bringing him back and not actually going to the park for a few times, that way he should hopefully realise and stop the hyper anticipation and over excitement that at the moment happens because car always means walks and a free run.

Not a quick fix by any means and will have to probably be taught in stages but an idea that might be worth trying.

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thank you for your replies i will start this training straight away

Good luck and keep us posted how its going.

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