Dog's aversion to riding in Prius

We have a Shorkie, a Lhasa Poo and an Aussie Shepherd and if they think there is a chance of going for a ride, they line up at the rear hatch.

 

Buy the dog an Orvis deluxe hammock for the back. It will save the interior and gives the dog security.

Maybe your wife needs a new job.

 

Wait a minute, are you referring to your wife or the dog ?

 

I read recently that one theory of why some dogs are afraid of thunderstorms (some to the point of panic and destruction, even), while others are not, may have something to do with the electrical charge in the air caused by thunderstorms. That it may bother some dogs more than others.

I have 2 dogs. One is very afraid of thunderstorms, while one barely notices them.

It's also possible that the Prius makes noises the human ear cannot hear. Your dog, being a Retriever, would have particularly keen senses (this would explain why a, say, Lhasa mix or yorkie mix wouldn't have the same reaction). In fact, now that I think of it, my dog that is afraid of thunderstorms is an athletic Jack Russell Terrier-bird dog or hound dog mix with very keen senses, while the one that is not afraid of them is a Cocker Spaniel (much less keen hearing and eyesight than my JRT mix).

But my first gut reaction to your problem was that something happened in the car to scare him. It could've been anything. I thought of those large slanted windows in the Prius, with scenery whizzing by all around, even above his line of vision. Could've been simply that. Could also simply be because he got sick in the car before, and that's what he associates the car with. (My JRT got sick the first two or three times I took her in my car after I got her; then she got used to the car...and I quit making her ride in the SUV cargo area, which was bumpier a ride.)

 

Our dog (Snow) loves the prius especially when I fold the back seats down and he has tons of room

 

lol...

 

Your dog can sense that you have much greater affection for the Prius than you do for her (or him). Consequently your dog is jealous of the Prius and doesn't want anything to do with it.

Keith

 

My hound loves hopping in the Prius. She seemed slightly worried the first couple of times as that new car smell was most likely too much outgassing for her super sense of smell.
Give it time and positive reinforcement. Good luck.

 

My dog slides when taking roundabouts, unless I take them super slowly. Then when he sits if I go over a manhole or something its head bumps against the ceiling...

 

Buy a dog hammock for the rear seat and your dog will love the Prius. Plus, it will contain the hair for future passengers. (My english bulldog recommends the Orvis Deluxe dog hammock.)

 

I bet it's sound rather that any electrical fields. There's some high pitch whines and whurrrs in there that isn't in a normal car.

 

I have to ask, why do people take their pets with them in the car? They aren't children, and unless you are going to the vet, an animal park, or a petstore they can't come with you or at least shouldn't. Not everyone likes dogs, cats, ferrets, parrots, heffalumps, or whatever else you lug around. I know a few children that are terrified of dogs as an example, and when there is an angry dog in a parked car at the store barking and growling at everyone that walks by, it freaks them out.

What's with the obsession to take your pooch with you everywhere? Are you distrustful that if you left them alone they might find another home to roost at or the dog napper might get them?

 

I suspect from your question that you have never had a dog or if you did never formed the close bond many of us do!

Have you not heard the term "mans best freind"? We take them with us because they are our faithful companions and our freinds and those of us who are lucky enough to have a strong bond with our canine pals love them and enjoy their company.

My dog comes to work with me, climbs mountains with me and looks after me and our property.

Its simple really!

 

Dogs are a great substitute for children.

1) You will probably out live them.
2) No saving for a college education which you can't afford.
3) No health insurance for dogs.
4) Dogs don't have lawyers.
5) You don't have to give a dog an allowance when they are young.
6) Their food is cheaper.
7) When they are bad, you can put them in a cage without the fear of being arrested.
8) They can entertain themselves.
9) Quite often they have more common sense than humans.
10) Your dog will always love you.

Keith

 

I have lived in a household with at one point 5 cats and 2 large dogs. I do not like dogs at all. Anything that smells that bad, rips things to shreds and needs constant attention is no friend to me. And no I don't have or want kids anytime in the near future.

I do like my cat, but I don't take him with me everywhere. When I get home he greets me at the door, follows me around, sits next to me, and sleeps next to me. All the good parts of having a dog. Then he cleans himself, goes in the automatic litter box, and I can leave him for a week or two and go on vacation if I want to. Just put out a big bowl of food and leave the toilet lid open. My furniture still looks pristine unlike my sisters with the two dogs now that is missing fluff, has pee stains everywhere, all wood is scratched and/or chewed to hell, and is just generally disgusting. I bring a foldable golf chair with me when I go over.

 

No dog of mine has ever behaved the way you describe except when young when they didn't know any better but training soon sorted that out.

If a dog smells, we bathe it. If it damages things, we train it. And they don't need constant attention either. They are happy to just be nearby.

You don't sound like a dog person to me!

As for your sisters dogs, training is required by the sound of it.

 

After a bath, it takes less than a day of them romping around outside to come back in smelly. Unless you can bath them everyday, they smell. I find that dog people usually only notice that their dog smells when it is extreme. I used to deliver chinese food throughout university. I could tell which homes had dogs by just getting a whiff of air from inside the house. They do smell, but when you are around it all the time, you won't really notice it. The most you can do is train the dog to damage other non important things. Better to rip up dog toys and bones than furniture and socks. I have seen well trained dogs, but even then they cannot control their claws. Hardwood floors look like string cheese after a dog is in the house.

They are happy when they are just nearby. But that means you must be nearby. What if you want to go out for a few days, weeks? Usually even if you want to go out for the night, you need to get it in a cage since it can't be trusted to just roam free with no supervision.

Not a dog person at all. Lived with them for 2 years, have yet to physically touch them. If I wanted feces on my fingers I think I could manage to find a way that didn't involve a dog.

My sister's dogs are rescued severely abused dogs. She got them volunteering at an animal shelter, and they were the ones that nobody wanted. I don't blame them for their bad behaviour. However these are usually rare situations. Noone else I know with a dog has a rescued dog, and all of them are equally poorly behaved.

 

Why were the dogs you lived with THAT dirty? Its not normal for well trained well looked after dogs to be dirty or badly behaved. I blame the parents!

I would just point out that the cat fur you stroke is licked by a tongue which has almost certainly been in contact with all manner of revolting objects including the cats own backside. Cats are nowhere near as clean as your perceive them to be!

I am not a cat person. Too many in my area that foul in our garden, harass our Kio and make a dreadful noise at night squaring up to each other for a fight. They also scratch the living daylights out of our cars jumping on warm hoods in the winter. They are an absolute PITA frankly!

 

Cats blow .... disgusting creatures.