JudyCollins

Will do. Thanks for the reminder!

Hi Adrienne I am very happy to report that my Springer pup is now jumping into the car with no help from me, nearly every time I want him to. I think tilting the seat forward made all the difference! I had always slid the seat forward to give him more room but since I started to also tilt the passenger seat forward, I have had no more problems with refusal. I am also more careful to keep his play sessions a bit shorter so that he is not so tired as I think that used to be part of the problem when coming back from the park Thanks so much for your help. Regards Judy

Hi Adrienne I'm very happy to report that Banjo has stopped barking at me when I am preparing my own food! So easy when you told me it was because I was feeding him bits of raw vegetables!! I had thought that he was just barking for attention because I was not playing with him!! Now he doesn't even come into the kitchen most of the time! I have also tried sitting down if he barks when I am preparing his Kong and that seems to work well too. Thanks so much! Life is much more peaceful now! Kind regards Judy

All great advice Adrienne. Thanks again! Judy

Thanks Adrienne. I'll give it a try. I don't think the car is too high for him though as he has no trouble getting in when he wants to. This morning was good, I moved the front seat forward and I remembered to reward him for jumping in on his own. 🤞

Thanks Adrienne I did get a few useful things out of your comments. One was to praise and reward him when he does jump into the car on his own. Funny I didn't even think to do that as I always reward him for other behaviours that I want. Secondly to move the front seat forward to give him more room and thirdly to try putting his blanket in the car. I will definitely try all those suggestions. Such common sense really, I don't know why I didn't think of them myself! I don't know that I need to train him to jump up, as he jumps up on the couch with no problem at all. I only ask him to jump onto the base of the car, not the seat. My sister's dog is a female and much smaller than he is so I'm not sure she would be keen to do it (my car is a Prado) but Banjo really has no problem when he wants to get in. Getting out is no problem at all. In fact I have to stop him from jumping down straight from the seat as I am worried that such a big jump will not be good for his joints. I try to get him onto the base of the car first, or at least to use the step. I will try those things you suggest and let you know how we get on. Thanks again for your advice. You have helped me so many times!

Thanks Jennifer, I am definitely going to try some boundary training. It sounds great!

Oh gosh, thanks so much Adrienne. I definitely won't consider it then! It was only because I heard from someone that their vet had suggested it that I thought it would be OK. Of course that could well have been invented by the Manufacturers, in order to sell the product. Usually I do take customer reviews with a pinch of salt for that very reason. I think I was hoping that it might be an easy solution that I would only have to use a few times. Never mind I will continue to ignore and definitely not give any titbits and trust that things will improve. Many thanks Judy

Thanks Adrienne, Somehow I had not thought of it as begging for food, more like begging for attention. You are right - although I don't feed him when I am eating, I do sometimes toss him a bit of raw carrot or cauliflower when I am chopping it up, especially if he has been quiet (to reward him for not barking!!) Have been meaning to train boundaries but it seems too hard. I can get him to go on a boundary (raised bed) but getting him to stay there is much harder. Also have not had much luck at keeping him out of places, like upstairs or the kitchen where there is no real physical boundary. I do realise that it is all about perseverance. I have to decide that I am going to train it and stick with my resolve. Thanks for the reminder and for making me realise that this was in fact begging for food!! Your articles are very helpful.

Thanks for taking the time to answer Jennifer. Yes I do give him the lickimat while I am cooking, but you are right in that it doesn't take him long to finish it. He isn't so keen on kongs and barking at me is much more fun apparently. Unfortunately my house is open plan, so no separate room, which is why I put him outside if I can. I have been thinking of training him to stay out of the kitchen area. I have seen videos on You tube on how to do it and think it is something that I definitely need to work on. At least training is seeming easier now that he is getting a bit older. A towel on the floor is a really good idea. Thanks! I do also have a playpen that could be opened out to block off the kitchen, so that might be worth a try too. I think he would still bark but at least he would not be right at my feet. Thanks again for your suggestions. I'll have another look through the posts on barking - there were about 12 pages of them and admittedly I did only look at 3 or 4. Hope I find it.

Hi Adrienne My 5 month old English Springer Spaniel weighs 16kg so is too heavy for me to lift into the car. He can jump in easily when he wants to, but often refuses, going away and lying down, making it impossible for me to even put his front paws up on the step so that I can lift up his bottom to get him up, (which is what I sometimes have to resort to doing). He doesn't mind travelling in the car and will lie happily in his crate for a 4 hour trip. I have even tried a harness instead of the crate but it makes no difference. We only get in the car for things he LOVES doing, like going to the park or the beach or over to my sisters house where he plays with HIS sister. I have just been changing my plans and staying home so he misses out on his exercise. That doesn't seem to worry him, he goes back inside quite happily. However, now he has started doing it on my return from the park. He will jump in initially but refuses to come home. Then I am stuck! I have hurt my back trying to lift him so that is now out of the question. I have tried luring him with treats and with toys, which works sometimes but not always. Once a stranger helped me to lift him into the car. I am getting afraid to take him out at all. I did consider getting a ramp but I don't think its the physical act of getting into the car that is the problem - he is just very stubborn and doesn't want to!! Any ideas? Should I just take a book and wait him out?

I know that this is not a new topic, but I have read through notes on barking and also through others questions and responses but not found a suitable solution. My 5 month old English Springer barks whenever I start to prepare a meal for myself and also when I sit down at the table to eat. I have started to feed him before I start but it hasn't helped. I did ignore him and as I obviously cannot leave the room, I have been putting him outside. That was working well and even though he could still see me, he did not bark. However, now he refuses to go outside. He is too heavy to carry and he is too smart to trick into going outside (with a treat or a toy) Commands to go outside have no effect. I play with him A LOT (games of fetch, hide and seek, tug, flirt-pole, treasure hunt etc) and I take him to the park or the beach for a play every day for about 45 mins as well as taking him for walks down the street. I also practise calming activities such as kongs and lickimats. I have wondered whether the bark buster devices with high pitched frequencies are worth a go?

Thanks so much Adrienne. Your advice is so sensible. I will be very careful with him. He is my main priority at the moment. He does seem to be quite an anxious dog overall - wary of anything new. He is getting used to noisy toys now and to the hair dryer and food mixer and is venturing to try out new things, slowly, so I am hopeful he will be OK in time.

Hi Adrienne, I have read through most of the material you have highlighted, and have tried a few things, but I will go back and re-read. The first thing I tried was to sit with him on the grass verge outside my house and watch the traffic go past the end of my street, which is probably about 80 metres away. This was probably the most successful thing I tried. I stroked him and talked quietly and fed him small bits of steamed chicken every minute or so. All was going well until a car turned up my street and he bolted in the opposite direction. (He had a long line on) I can't see any traffic from the windows in my house. Next I tried taking him down to the busy street with my sisters dog. As we got closer he sat down a couple of times but we encouraged him on and he came of his own accord. Soon we were walking along the busy road and he seemed fine, playing with my sisters dog. That walk was about 100 metres and then we turned the corner, up another busy road for another 100 metres. This was when I realised he was not fine. He was leading the way, pulling strongly on the lead and panting with his ears back. We headed home - the next street was quiet and we did not encounter another car. Probably the whole walk took 5-10 mins. I'm afraid that this second walk constituted "flooding" and hope that I haven't done more damage. I think the sound of the cars alone doesn't worry him as I can hear these sounds from my back garden, but the sight of the cars driving past one after the other, probably paired with the noise, is the problem. I am taking him to the vet on Friday for his final shots so will ask her about something to calm him and in the meantime will have a look for adaptil from the pet shop. I think it is too soon to take him on another walk in my area, but wondered whether I should try taking him to my sisters street and try another walk with her puppy there, as it is quieter. However, there is always a possibility that a car will drive past. I do feel so sorry for the poor little dog.

Thanks so much Adrienne. You are an amazing resource and put so much effort i to your replies. I will read through all the links and try with patience. My sister has a female pup from the same litter, who is not at all afraid of going for walks, so it is unlikely to be hereditary. I had wondered if it might help to take them out together on a walk. Thanks for your help. I'll let you know how we go.