Many years ago, I was driving east across the Bay Bridge with my Malamute, Omaha. To take the Powell Street exit to Emeryville involved very quickly crossing multiple lanes of traffic.
I glanced in my rearview mirror to check whether I could change lanes. All I could see was Omaha’s big head as he stood in the back seat of the car. I said, “Omaha, lie down,” but he didn’t respond. I urgently and loudly commanded him to “Lie down!” He still didn’t respond. The Powell Street exit was looming and by now I was screaming, “Omaha, lie down! Lie down!! LIE DOWN!!!” Omaha simply stared back at me, dumbfounded by my tantrum.
I missed Powell Street, of course, and was annoyed and puzzled by Omaha’s lack of compliance, because we were just returning from an Obedience Trial in which we had been quite successful — 2nd High in Trial. Not too shabby for a Malamute, some might say. OK, the Trial was a Malamute-only Specialty, and we won by default since five of the seven dogs were disqualified. Still, Omaha was a well-trained dog and I was perturbed that he didn’t lie down when requested.
When I recounted the incident to my wife, she simply asked, “Have you trained him to lie down in the car?” Her obvious and direct question provided an easy solution to an over-analyzed problem. As a behaviorist, I was perfectly aware that dogs are fine discriminators and learn exactly what we teach them. For example, if we teach a dog to “sit” in the kitchen, the dog learns to sit in the kitchen, preferably at dinner time and preferably when instructed to do so by the lady of the house. However, the dog might not “sit” in the living room, probably won’t “sit” in the yard, and quickly develops PID Syndrome (Park Induced Deafness) when asked to sit when off-leash in the park.
Obviously, I didn’t understand this when it happened to me as a dog owner. When my wife pointed it out, I took Omaha outside for a quick training session in the car, and there were no more problems. Now we had a new game: when driving, I would periodically give Omaha instructions to sit, lie down, and stand, and to woof and shush on cue.
I am sure that most of you have developed an easy-going daily routine with your dogs. Play-times, down-times, meal-times, and potty breaks are all on a well-rehearsed schedule. Unfortunately, day-to-day routines can give a false sense of security; they make us believe that our dogs are better trained than they are and… the point of reckoning looms as fast as the Powell Street exit.
For instance, longer and sunnier days are great for doggy travels and adventures, unless your dog salivates or throws up in the car. Or goes crazy, jumps up and down, and barks like mad. Maybe he won’t eat on the road or takes forever to eliminate at rest areas.
The solution is to train your dog before you travel. Feed him at different times and in different places, i.e., the natural way. Check out http://dogstardaily.com/videos/sit-chauffeur and teach your dog basic manners, especially, “settle down,” “sit,” and “shush.”
Obviously, you should train your dog when the car is stationary before you can expect him to comply when moving. And make sure you download BEFORE You Get Your Puppy (it’s free) from www.dogstardaily.com to learn how to teach your dog to eliminate on cue.
Happy travels!
Ian Dunbar is a veterinarian, canine behaviorist, and puppy-training pioneer. He is the founder of SIRIUS® Puppy Training and Scientific Director for www.dogstardaily.com.
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