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Riding in the car


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Hello

 

We are new to BC boards. I posted a quick hello on the Boarder Collie Gallery. We have a now an almost 4 month old male BC, named Jake. Since the beginning of his life with us we have tried everything to get him to enjoy riding in the car. We started small, used treats, short drives down the driveway and little trips to the local pet store for puppy classes, shopping, drives to friends and sometimes just a spin for the heck of it. He hasn't become ill in the car. He just lays down and puts his head into the corner of his crate. Now, I've been told that BC's aren't good riders. Is this true? I can't think that it would be, or their wouldn't be 100's of BC owners traveling their pets for trials, agility, etc... Is this something he'll grow to love ? Any advice will be appreciated. Thank you!

 

 

Sara and Jake

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When I first brought home my dog (as a 2-year-old) he got carsick. We used dramamine for a month or two, but after that I just stopped using it and he was totally fine. I wouldn't say he loves car rides like some dogs, but he has no problems in the car. Is your pup afraid of being in the car? If he's afraid, it sounds like your doing the right things to desensitize him, but you may need to progress more slowly. If he's calm, not getting sick, and not afraid, I don't see any problem.

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He just lays down and puts his head into the corner of his crate.

 

Be thankful. You could have a dog like Charlie who insists in barking at the passing motorcycles (doG forbid we end up following one or having one follow us :rolleyes: ) and whines when he knows he is going somewhere FUN. I'd take a dog that lays down quietly in his crate any day.

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I'm with Mary on this one. I regularly travel with six or seven dogs in crates in my van, and my idea of the perfect traveler is the dog who curls up and goes to sleep. A dog who's wiggling a lot or whining or just up and reacting to passing vehicles or whatever would drive me nuts. As it is now, if someone whines or gets wiggly, I can usually take that as a signal that a potty break is needed.

 

J.

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Boarder Collie

Merriam-Webster definition of "boarder": one that is provided with regular meals or regular meals and lodging (Maybe Sara is onto something here...) :rolleyes:

 

Annie lies quietly in the back seat, and seems to enjoy the ride; she occasionally pops her head up to see what is going on, but for the most part she is resting and comfortable (at least, until we get to our destination).

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He sounds like the perfect rider! However, if you believe it is out of fear, I would start back from the beginning with the short trips. He's too small to jump into the car himself, is he? Either way, just put him in his crate in the car for a minute, don't even start the car or anything. Give him his favourite treat and let him out. Do that a few times. Then slowly move on to starting the car. Turn it off and go and give him his favourite treat and let him out. Do these baby steps until he seems comfortable with them happening and go on to what you think the next step up would be until you can finally drive all the way to the store or whatever.

 

In the end, if he still just lays down and puts his head in the corner, it may just be the way he feels the calmest in the car, and you should be lucky to have him!

 

Do you notice any drooling when he's riding? Heavy drooling is also a sign of car-sickness for them. But a gingersnap cookie will make it all better.

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Car rides are fun. I take Lewie everywhere except to work. He rides shot-gun and doesn't miss a thing. He sits upright quietly and is very attentive to the passing landscape. He's never fussed and that's what I expect of him. He does have to have a paw-hand touching some part of my person which gets annoying when he starts using me as part of the seat to hold himself up with.

 

I had a golden mix that got carsick as a youngster. He out grew it and loved riding all over creation.

 

Hang in there, Jake will probably grow out of it too.

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When we got her, Sennca seemed completely unused to riding in a car. She quickly got used to it and is a perfect passenger for most of the time. She does have a habit of barking at dogs and cats (mostly the grey and white cat across the road), but this only happens close to home. Another odd thing is that she is scared of freeway signs (the overhead ones). She dives down behind my seat when she sees one. Oh yes and she hates rain -- anything flying towards the windshield (e.g. leaves), in fact.

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Alex has been with us for two years now and his dislike of riding in the car has not gotten any better. He clearly doesn't like it. When he knows it's time to go somewhere, he cowers and slinks around. He will willingingly get in the car, and then lies right down in his crate and is quiet the entire time. I feel bad that he doesn't like riding, but as long as he's not getting carsick, I figure it's no biggie. He always has fun wherever we go (well, almost), and the trauma of the car ride is soon forgotten.

 

I wouldn't worry about your puppy. As Mary said, be thankful...my other dog, Jack, whines almost constantly in the car. I'll take Alex's quiet over that any day!

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When we brought Scooter home as a puppy, he drooled all the way home. The drooling stopped a long time ago (he turned four in December), but he still just tolerates riding in the car. He willingly gets in, then heads straight for the back seat where he stretches out and lies there, head down, not looking around. He doesn't appear to be in any distress, so I assume that's just him and ignore it. I figure if I make a big fuss about it, like trying to coax him to sit up, it will only make him anxious. Sometimes, when he feels the car making a turn, he'll pop his head up to see where we're going, but then it's back down again. :rolleyes: Goofy guy. It's funny though, like when going through the drive-thru at the bank, and he suddenly sits up and the teller is surprised to see that I have a dog with me! :D Then they send him a treat, which of course he turns his nose up at and wouldn't dream of eating. DoG forbid! :D

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I got Daisy at 3 months and she had a 5 hour car ride home! :rolleyes: But she laid in the back seat and slept almost the entire time. (The breeder took all the pups for a 4 hour round trip ride to the vet to have their eyes checked which I am sure helped!) But to this day, Daisy lays quietly and sleeps in the car the majority of the time. She will sit up and look around for about the first 5 minutes then lays down. I take her every where I can with me.

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I'm wondering what makes you think your puppy isn't happy in the car? Is it possible that you are reading his posture incorrectly? If he were cowering, whining, trembling or submissively peeing then I would say he's unhappy, but what you've described seems not only normal, but desirable to me. I expect my dogs to lay quietly in their crates in the truck, but I don't think that the direction of their head indicates their emotional state.

 

I'm thrilled that you care about that puppy so much, but sometimes folks try too hard to make sure their dogs are OK. Put him in his crate, take him where you're going, don't worry how he's feeling, and go about your business. Not only are border collies great in cars, but their uncommonly loyal, willing and adaptable. That puppy doesn't care if he's in a car or the space shuttle, he just wants to be with you.

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Now, I've been told that BC's aren't good riders. Is this true?

 

Definitely not true! Both of my Border Collies adore riding in the car.

 

That said, based on what you describe, your dog sounds OK. If you notice trembling, excessive drooling, or carsickness, then there might be a problem, but it just might be that your dog is most comfortable hunkered down in the crate.

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As for Border Collies and taking them with you and traveling, with a crate, most of the time that is what you want for them to just curl up and lay in there cage sounds like he is doing what you want. Now if you are wanting him to ride in the car not in a crate that is a different question, Most of the ones I have trained at first absolutely hate to ride in the vehicle and when they set up looking around I believe it is because things are going by them so fast and they are bred to watch everything and especially moving things. What I do is take them on short rides but something that is alot of fun to them when they get to the other place, and usually at first they will whine jump around then will bury there heads and whine, most of the time I will pull there head out if they bury it and at least make them get use to looking around inside the vehicle, and eventually they will start looking alittle more and alittle more then I also drive very slow and I get them to start looking outside and remind still short trips and I drive in the country also. then by about 6 to 8 months old they ususally just start sticking there heads up and looking everywhere and absolutely love riding and ,for me I want them riding in the truck with me I don't like messing with crates all the time and I have one Dog of mine that he goes everywhere I go in the truck. Also sometimes if you can it helps to just shut them in the vehicle for a half an hour or more and sometimes a hour or so and just let them get use to it, and that helps tremendously.

Steve

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All my dogs hit the deck when riding. Its not the going there that they care about, its the once we get there that gets them pumped.

I think, no, I know I definitly perfer that they hunker down in the floor board and back seat as opposed to happy jumping around and barking. As long as the dog isnt showing any signs of stress, and is just happy to be quiet and still, that would be the perfered method of choice for me!

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I used to think that my Jake didn't like the car rides either. He just didn't act like the fool that Belle does when we go. She can't sit still, tries to jump from window to window, thankfully not trying to get to mine, but nothing but sheer anticipation on what great place we are going to stop at. I've called her spaz more than once, while in transit. Now Jake, I've realized is the perfect car-riding dog. He jumps in the driver's side door, immediately places himself in the back seat in the middle, and lies down. He will occasionally stand to see what Belle's fuss is all about, but really he is a perfect rider.

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Be thankful. You could have a dog like Charlie who insists in barking at the passing motorcycles (doG forbid we end up following one or having one follow us :rolleyes: ) and whines when he knows he is going somewhere FUN. I'd take a dog that lays down quietly in his crate any day.

 

Haha!

 

Blaze doesn't mind car rides, but I won't say he enjoys them. He will readily jump in if the door is open, though, but he'd much rather be riding in his crate. Then he lies down and sleeps or just lies down, head up.

 

If he's in the back, like the other day when I ran to the store down the road (MAYBE a 2 minute car ride) and he looked like he was sulking the whole time, yet HE jumped in the car to go with Lizzie and I :D

 

Lizzie (part BC) loves car rides with a passion, especially if I roll the windows down for her. When she was a pup, she did get sick if she was riding in a crate, but has since outgrown that.

 

 

 

~~~My dogs never ride out of a crate in a car unless 1) I have someone else to watch them while I'm driving or 2) I'm not driving and can give my full attetion to them. When I start driving on my own they will be crated. . .Just something I don't want to deal with when driving. I'd never forgive myself if they were the reason I wrecked when I could have prevented such a little thing.

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I agree with all that's been said here. Odin is great in the car, and that means sitting calmly in the backseat or backseat floorboard (my car isn't big enough for a crate). Even if I put him in the front, he gets in the back, where he can watch me, stretch out if no one else is back there, and go to sleep. I have a 50 mile commute to work, and Odin goes about twice a week. I also have a carpool with 3 people, and if I drive my carpool buddies fight over who gets to sit next to him because he just cuddles up and goes to sleep - and he's very very soft and nice to touch :D I think he's smart for being calm in the car. He started off a drooler but doesn't do that anymore. I just think this calm sort of behavior is prudent, not fear. A bouncy dog falls down a lot in a car and is a danger to others and herself. Our husky before Odin was similar to Odin in the car, and I *know* he loved it - would jump in even if you weren't taking him, which made it hard to go to school. :rolleyes:

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I agree with what everyone else says. He's probably fine! Daisy had incredible carsickness when she was a puppy, she would start drooling BAD and then get sick, and then it would come out the other end too! It was horrible. She grew out of it. So, as others have said, unless he's shaking or really slobbery, I wouldn't worry about it. We drove from Alberta to Northern Ontario this summer and there were times when Daisy would curl up in a tiny little ball and shove her head in between the door and the seat. I'm not sure what that was about, but since space was limited in the back of a Toyota Yaris, I assumed she was just trying to be comfortable!

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.......

That puppy doesn't care if he's in a car or the space shuttle, he just wants to be with you.

 

Amelia, I hope you don't mind that I repeated this - I think it's a wonderful way of putting the essence of living with a Border Collie :D .

 

I would agree with everyone else - if Jake is not drooling or vomiting or otherwise showing extreme distress, then I think you don't have to worry.

 

I've been lucky in that all my dogs have been fine riding in the car. I've had one that didn't sleep, but the others (including the new pup) have been 'hit the highway and go to sleep' type dogs. That said, they do spend a lot of time in the car. We just had a trip to Melbourne over Christmas - 3 hour drive to the ferry, 10 hour trip on the ferry (in the crates in the car). They also had a day when we were travelling for 9 hours, with only fairly short rest breaks and one decent walk - no problems.

 

I'd just keep on taking him places - the more 'good' places he goes to the better, of course. :rolleyes:

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Thank you all for your input. Since this is our first BC, hehehe or Boarder (good catch on my type-o, I'll make many!) After my post I took Jake out to a park, via the car. I guess I am the nervous nelly. He doesn't show any signs of stress that some of you described while riding. He makes an attempt at jumping up into the car, but then backs away, almost like... "Yea, I want go with you! BUT! are going in that noisy thing again!" He doesn't fuss when I pick him up and place him in the crate. I just get a pitiful look and a big sigh. We'll take it as it comes and be happy he isn't barking or becoming ill.

 

Thanks again!

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