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Getting Dog into Car

403 views 3 replies 2 participants last post by  JoanneF 
#1 ·
My boyfriend's family owns two dogs: an old German Shepherd and a young Pitbull. His dad doesn't believe they ever need their nails trimmed, and their nails have grown excessively. It looks very painful - especially for the old girl who also suffers from arthritis. I am planning on taking them to PetSmart or some equivalent to get them trimmed by someone with experience. I would do it myself, but I have absolutely no experience and they both have darker claws where the quick isn't visible. The Pittie is ok getting into cars, however the old girl apparently hates them. She needs this for her health, though.
TL;DR: Do you guys have any tips on getting dogs into cars and getting them to stay calm while traveling over short periods of time?
 
#4 ·
Well, if you want to get her used to the car, you start slow.

Get her to approach the car, even look at it - when she does, reward. Then move through the following steps, only moving on when she is completely comfortable with the current one. Reward her at every step.

  1. Get into the car, doors open and engine off
  2. Eat in the car, doors open and engine off
  3. Close the door
  4. Engine on, doors open
  5. Engine on, doors closed
  6. Drive 50 yards
  7. Drive 100 yards

And so on until you have built up to a reasonable journey length.

But, this could take weeks, possibly even months.
 
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