Being stuck in the car during a long drive while your dog is barking nonstop is enough to make anyone crazy. Every moving thing that your dog sees past the window, including cars, people, even still objects like houses, is enough to make your dog respond in a territorial matter which results in excess of barking.
When one object disappears out of your dog’s view, another one reappears, and on and on it goes…
Most of us get so annoyed that we result to yelling at our dog in order to get him to quiet down. Unfortunately, this tactic only adds more excitement to your dog’s high levels of anxiety. By yelling at him, your dog’s mind confirms that you feel the same way and now you have nothing but a loud circus going on while you’re trying to concentrate on the road.
The good news is that with a little training and some patience, you can slowly diminish your dog’s incessant barking when you are out for a drive. Here are a few tips to guide you along the way:
1. For starters, if you want your dog to be more relaxed and laid back, try being a role model. Play some soft music and stay calm and collected whenever your dog gets excited. Slowly caress his head and talk to him soothingly while he is barking. You’ll be surprised at just how quickly your dog or puppy will turn his head toward you to enjoy more of the attention, and of course, without the barking!
2. For a more drastic training technique, there is nothing wrong with carrying a small water bottle in which you can squirt your dog every time he starts to bark loudly. Most puppies and dogs absolutely hate getting a quick burst of water squirted on them. Typically, they will immediately stop whatever it is that they are doing. And be sure to give a firm command at the same time you spray your pet. Eventually, you can replace the water bottle with this command because your dog will associate it with the same shocking experience of being squirted with water.
3. Try using a crate. A very simple solution is to use a crate that your dog can sit in whenever you need to drive somewhere with him. The crate should be visually limited so that your dog does not get stimulated by all of the action he can see out of the window. This in itself is enough to keep your dog from barking excessively. Of course, this may be difficult if you have a large dog. However, using a crate is a perfect way to keep small to medium-sized dogs quiet while you’re on the road.
