Dog will not get in car after injury.

[skaughtz]

This site is great for car questions so maybe someone has an answer to my pet question.

About a month ago we got a new Honda Pilot and naturally wanted to take the dog for a ride in it. She is a big girl but got up into the car on her own. When we stopped to get her out she jumped out on her own and injured her back leg. The leg is still healing, but she is moving around okay. No running or jumping yet but walking around more or less fine and is on a regiment of carprofen and Cosequin (joint supplement).

The problem now is that she refuses to get into any of my cars, even my Camry that she has been riding in the back of since she was a pup. If I tell her we are going for a car ride she gets excited as usual and will walk to the car with me, but once we get there she retreats back to the house and refuses to approach the car again. Obviously this will be a major issue in the future when I need her to get into the car for a vet or vacation trip.

I have not tried to entice her with treats to get into the car yet, nor have I forced her by pulling her towards the car with the leash. For now I am just letting her come back to the house and go inside. The odd part is that about a week ago she did jump up into the Camry and go for a short ride with me and was happy as a clam. Now she refuses to. If anyone has any advice on what I can do to coax her in it would be appreciated.

 

[IveBeenRued]

I’d get a pet ramp and use that for a bit to let her get used to going in and out of the car without fear. Then maybe you will be able to ween her off the ramp; start with the Camry first.

 

[andyd]

Please post follow up

 

[AZjeff]

When we get dogs at the rescue that won't get in cars the trainer uses high value treats placed on the pet steps or ramp or whatever to entice the dog to get in. In your case your dog had no problem with cars before you should be able to get her over it pretty easily. Use something she really likes, (we boil chicken and cut it into little bites) not some dry old biscuit. DO NOT try to force her in. As said above start with the easiest car.

 

[skaughtz]

I’d get a pet ramp and use that for a bit to let her get used to going in and out of the car without fear. Then maybe you will be able to ween her off the ramp; start with the Camry first.

On our second style of ramp. The first she wouldn't even touch. This second one I have setup by the couch and later my bed to see if she will use it when associated with one of those. If she does then I will try it out on the car.

She doesn't need a ramp to get into the Camry. She has done that easily a thousand times. This is just a total aversion to any vehicle (except for last week) which is a strange turn.

 

[skaughtz]

When we get dogs at the rescue that won't get in cars the trainer uses high value treats placed on the pet steps or ramp or whatever to entice the dog to get in. In your case your dog had no problem with cars before you should be able to get her over it pretty easily. Use something she really likes, (we boil chicken and cut it into little bites) not some dry old biscuit. DO NOT try to force her in. As said above start with the easiest car.

Thanks. I am going to try that tomorrow. She would let you rob my entire house for a plain hamburger from McDonalds, so I am going to lead her out there with that and place it inside the car beyond her reach so she has to get in to eat it. Fingers crossed.

 

[Triple_Se7en]

When you took the dog for a ride in the Camry after the injury and she climbed aboard without a problem, how did the dog remove itself from the backseat afterwards? Is it possible that the jump down to the concrete or grass bothered it's previous injury and now the dog is hesitant to try it again?

Maybe you didn't wait long enough to resume this activity. Make sure the dog is fully healed before coaxing it for another ride in the Camry.

 

[AZjeff]

On our second style of ramp. The first she wouldn't even touch. This second one I have setup by the couch and later my bed to see if she will use it when associated with one of those. If she does then I will try it out on the car.

Do the treat thing with the ramp just sitting on the ground. Use a tasty treat to get her to follow your hand up to and across the ramp. Put the ramp along a wall then put a trail of treats across the ramp. Lead her to the ramp with a treat and don't let her walk along the side to get the ones on the ramp. They figure it out.

 

[Snagglefoot]

+1 on the treats. I’m enticing my dog to go back to the out of season campground where he smelled a bear last month. Also he had heard some gunshots from hunters and got spooked. I had to throw a piece of kibble on the ground ahead of him and he got to see it as a game to sniff out the kibble. Maybe you can try tossing couple on the ground as you approach the car and then some on the seat.

Eventually we started to make a loop through the empty campground. I hope the bear takes off and hibernates soon.

 

[wpod]

Animals have minds.

 

[mrsilv04]

Try the simplest solution first. Just give the dog some time to heal physically and mentally.

 

[tbm5690]

How heavy is she? If you don't come to a better solution and absolutely need to transport her somewhere pick her up and put her in. I've done this with my dog from day one so she doesn't scratch the bumper cover jumping up into the back of our SUV, but mine's only about 50 lbs.

 

[The motor guy]

How heavy is she? If you don't come to a better solution and absolutely need to transport her somewhere pick her up and put her in. I've done this with my dog from day one so she doesn't scratch the bumper cover jumping up into the back of our SUV, but mine's only about 50 lbs.

My dog can't get up into my truck. He puts his paws on the seat and i lift him up a bit more so he can get in. Kind of funny a dog that can jump 4 feet in the air, can't get into my truck lol. He sure has no problem squeezing his way out and running off

 

[The motor guy]

This reminds me of when a dog gets a thorn in his paw and you remove it so he goes on limping for a while more until you demonstrat that it's fixed by pressing his paw down for him.

 

[skaughtz]

When you took the dog for a ride in the Camry after the injury and she climbed aboard without a problem, how did the dog remove itself from the backseat afterwards? Is it possible that the jump down to the concrete or grass bothered it's previous injury and now the dog is hesitant to try it again?

Maybe you didn't wait long enough to resume this activity. Make sure the dog is fully healed before coaxing it for another ride in the Camry.

She just hopped down the same as always but seemed no worse for wear afterwards. I can't explain it. She is definitely feeling better now than she was even then as far as her leg goes since being on the carprofen.

 

[skaughtz]

How heavy is she? If you don't come to a better solution and absolutely need to transport her somewhere pick her up and put her in. I've done this with my dog from day one so she doesn't scratch the bumper cover jumping up into the back of our SUV, but mine's only about 50 lbs.

130 lbs. The only way that I am picking her up and getting her in against her will would likely be to sedate and muzzle her, which is the option of last resort.

 

[skaughtz]

Please post follow up

I tried this afternoon to coax her into the car with a hamburger. Initially she just retreated as she has been doing but eventually I got her to stick her head in the car to eat some of it. I still couldn't get her into the car and did not try to force her. I am letting her rest more and am going to try the same tactic again tomorrow.

I think that she may have given herself a concussion or something similar when she was injured and fell on the hard floor of my living room. From the looks of her, I believe that she has minor anisocoria (disproportionately dilated pupils). She slipped and fell on the floor at one point a few days ago, which I thought was just her losing her balance on the leg. Now I am beginning to think that she domed herself on the floor when she fell. Her balance is just slightly off when walking and she is tilting her head to the left slightly. Otherwise she is behaving normally in every other way. She is eating, drinking, and kicking the slider to go outside to do her business the same as she always has. It is an odd situation, but made worse by the fact that I can't get her into the car for a trip to the vet.

 

[AZjeff]

130 lbs changes the situation a bit. I bet plastic dog ramps like we have may not be rated for that.

Sounds like she has something going on, good luck getting her to the vet asap. You're doing it right, food she loves and don't force it. With that size dog you probably don't force anything.

 

[Cujet]

I could pick up a normal large dog, but a pup that size would be a battle.

My method would simply be to pick up the dog and place her in. And help her out.

My elderly Norwegian Elkhound knows to let me help her.

 

[John105]

Since dogs are stoic, please make sure it’s not an the injury preventing the car entry