dog behavior: March 2011 Archives

This may be one for the Dog Whisperer. But if any of our readers have any suggestions, I'm all ears.

Cowboy, my border collie-Australian shepherd mix (about 5 years old), has very recently begun balking at jumping into the back cargo area of my Jeep Liberty.



Worried that he was developing some kind of hip or back problem, I took him to my vet. The X-rays and blood work all came back normal. His back, hips, knees are all just fine (and when he does finally make the jump into the car, he does so with ease).

So. The vet said it must be "behavioral."

My first course of action was clearing out the cargo area as much as possible. Maybe some of the "stuff" was making him nervous (especially a baby gate I'd recently used as a makeshift barricade between the front seats and the cargo area). 

I've tried giving him a choice of doors, putting the seats up, putting the seats down. But he's continued to balk -- a couple times I've even resorted, after 10 minutes of unsuccessful pleading, to getting a friend at the dog park to help me just lift him into the car (I take the front, she takes the back).

I've tried putting his front paws up onto the folded down seat, but he strongly resists this and I'm afraid I'm only spooking him more by physically forcing the issue.

Cowboy loves riding in the car, which usually ends in a destination and activity he enjoys -- a hike on the Peninsula or a romp at the the dog park, the dog beach or a rare excursion to the snow in the mountains.

He's a rescue and has always been on the timid side. This issue has cropped up so recently, I just can't figure out what's going on in his complex doggie mind. My next strategy is to use some very high-end treats.

Any other thoughts?? Once he's in the car, he's just fine. Have any of you encountered something like this with your dogs?