|
|
Dogs love to ride in pick-ups. I was recently
in Houston, Texas, and every Chevy had at
least one big dog in the back. Deliriously
happy, ears flapping in the wind, eyes
tearing, mouth agape. Then there’s the
dog-in-the-back who can only express his joy
by barking at every living thing he passes, or
that passes him. Train this dog the same way
you do the house-bound
|
|
barker, teaching him to “speak” and to “hush”. If this
dog only barks (or mainly barks) from the back of your
truck, get a friend to drive, climb in the back and do
the training there. Use the “sit” and “hush”combination
to distract him from barking, and start at a low speed
in a place where you’ll only see a few people. Train him
to sit at the start of the ride, and keep reminding him
to sit whenever he forgets, rewarding each sit with
praise and a treat. As soon as he barks, tell him to
“hush”, and reward him when he does. Gradually (over
days of training) increase the speed of the truck and
start visiting more populated places, keeping him with
the “sit and hush” routine. Don’t even take him with you
on rides to the store unless someone can sit in the back
to continue training, or you’ll be giving him
intermittent reinforcement and undoing your previous
work. This is going to take time and persistence, but
don’t give up!
Your goal here is to get your dog into the habit of
staying seated and quiet during rides. Over time, you
will start putting the trainer in the front of the cab
with the driver for part of the ride, then
little-by-little doing away with having a second person
in the back altogether while your dog stays seated and
hushed.
Once your dog starts riding alone without barking,
remember to still reward him at the end of each ride.
Get him in the truck, tell him to sit and hush (he may
not be barking, but he knows that “hush” means “be
quiet” by now), and take your ride. At the end, tell him
what a good dog he was and give him a treat before
taking him out of the pickup. This helps solidify his
understanding that he was good in the truck.
(And maybe this is a good time to mention doggie
pick-up safety. Does your dog bounce around in the back,
stepping up on the wheel wells to get a better view? Is
he tied with a rope short enough to keep him in the
truck bed, but long enough for him to lie down?)
Article
Summary
If your dog barks from the back of the truck, get a
friend to drive while you ride in the back for training.
Apply targeted Bark Prevention techniques.
Only bring your dog along if you can provide someone to
sit in the back with him and continue training.
Over time, have the trainer move to the front seat for
longer and longer parts of the ride until one day you no
longer need someone to remind your dog to behave.
Once your dog can ride quietly alone, continue to reward
and treat him for good behavior in the truck.
|
