# crazy in the car



## EVpoodle (Sep 25, 2018)

You could try having someone else drive, then sit back with the dogs clicking and treating for good behavior.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Javelin goes virtually everywhere with me and he used to be reactive (and that is what your girls are doing) to people walking near my vehicle (gas stations and parking lots were embarrassing) but also motorcycles and such as well. He also used to get amped up when he knew we were getting close to home or to my club and to my trainer's facility. After trying for a very long time to reward quiet behavior of even the briefest duration to little avail and with constant restarts and back sliding I used the aversive of having a shaker bottle with pennies in it. Now that already was something he meaningfully understood as a correction for unacceptable behavior, but it worked very quickly and really meaningfully. He has been very nice, polite and quiet for well over a month and a half now. The man who usually pumps gas at my local station even thinks he isn't the same dog that used to try to terrorize him.


No more embarrassment and much safer driving too.


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## Click-N-Treat (Nov 9, 2015)

Sometimes you have to go with an adversive when R+ isn't working. Love that the pennies worked. Javvy learned as a puppy that can with pennies = no no. I can see why that worked. Whew, Catherine.

Every dog is different. If you have two dogs doing this in the car, go on a solo trip with each dog and see if one is more reactive than the other. I know that my two dogs can get into a barking feedback loop. One dog is barking because the other dog is barking, and then they bark because it's bark o'clock. 

See if the pennies work. You could also try roller shades like they have for babies to block the view through the windows.


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

Or you could just use a crate so they don’t see outside. After they’ve been quiet for a few months and the behavior is extinguished, try again. Or not.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Click the pennies are very powerful and have deep meaning for Javelin. And yes I am very relieved that I was able to transfer that message to the vehicle! Now all I have to do is somewhat sternly say "want the pennies?" and he lies down and stops whatever vocalizing he had been doing.

And as to R+, R-, P+ and P- there is a real data driven reason for those four quadrants of learning. It certainly doesn't have to be 25% each, but you do have to think about how to work the problem if R+ isn't doing it. I spent months and months trying R+ with him for that Cujo transformation he did in the vehicle to no real result. I was starting to think this would sink his SD training for good.


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## Caddy (Nov 23, 2014)

I have also used the penny shaker as a last resort, it was very successful for getting their attention to stop barking. During the summer months they are exposed to a lot more people and dogs, barking became a fun activity for them which the penny shaker stopped.


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## jcris (Feb 19, 2015)

I think I'm going to try the penny shaker. 
And Lilly, "want the pennies" had me chuckling at 5 in the morning. I think the girls may be hearing that line soon, haha!
As always,
thanks a bunch!
Jcris









We have a new sheriff in town, haha


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## jcris (Feb 19, 2015)

Caddy,
I like the way you have your spoo's ears trimmed!
I think I'll trim Belle and Princess (aka: Tomboy) similarly. Very cute
Jcris


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

Do you have to train the dogs to understand the penny shaker as a deterrent or do they inherently know?


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

The shaker by itself is disliked by most dogs without conditioning that aspect of it, but the coupling of the question "do you want the pennies?" does have to be trained. I actually think it is a pretty minimal aversive since it is just a little splash of really annoying noise.. There is no physical contact.


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## jcris (Feb 19, 2015)

Yesterday I was rolling down the street, penny jar at the ready, and along comes an innocent bystander, calmly walking their pup. I see this long before the girls do and pick up the jar, quietly even sneaky like. I smile and think, "can this possibly work?" And then it begins: Princess (aka Tomboy) sitting beside me in the passenger seat perks her ears, suddenly she is on point, her head begins to swivel, I hear Belle let out a small wanting whine, then a small pleading bark. The alarm has sounded. They've spotted their prey. Princess brushes hard against me as she leaps into the back, in an instant standing rigid beside her partner in crime, like bird dogs on point, noses pressed against the back window..... A cacophony of barking arises, it grows to a crescendo in moments, I begin to yell at them in frustration and then stop, I murmur a quiet prayer and then I take up the penny jar and rattle it for all it's worth. For two or three seconds I rattle that jar so hard I'm afraid it will shatter in my hand, years of frustration pouring out as those pennies crash about .... and then SILENCE. I spy them in the rear view mirror. The girls have turned toward me, stopped barking and now look curiously at me , both their heads cocked. They are in stunned silence... I begin to laugh, so hard my cheeks ache. I laugh hysterically for a couple minutes. The girls, now staring at me are still silent. The lady walking her pup on the street has stopped to watch "us" and I see her smile and then begin to laugh. Without question the rules of riding in the car have changed and the girls know, "there's a new sheriff in town" 
I can't wait to do this again, truly lol!
Thanks for the suggestion all you crazy, wonderful poodle folks!
I love all of you,
jcris


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## Click-N-Treat (Nov 9, 2015)

YAY!!!!! I love a breakthrough. Especially when it was so simple. Sometimes counter conditioning through positive reinforcement is worth the effort, and sometimes not so much. Barking in the car makes scary noise happen, barking decreases. I'm glad that worked.


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## Click-N-Treat (Nov 9, 2015)

A word on yelling when dogs are barking....

Bark!
"Quiet!"
Bark bark!
"QUIET!"
Bark bark bark bark bark!
"SHUT UP!"
BARK BARK BARK BARK!
"SHUT UP! QUIET! I SAID QUIET!"
BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK!

Translation:
Dog: I see something interesting! Look!
You: Looks dangerous!
Dog: Dangerous? I didn't realize! Go away!
You: Very dangerous! Why isn't it going away?
Dog: We need to be louder and more scary! Go away!
You: Go away! Go away! Danger! Danger!
Dog: Danger! Danger! 

Yelling at barking dogs makes them bark more because they think you're barking with them.


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## 94Magna_Tom (Feb 23, 2021)

I know this is an old thread, but it was made relevant with ties to another thread. 
@jcris I am very impressed with your storytelling! This was like reading the final paragraph, of the final chapter of a good book! Congratulations on your writing skills! It made my morning and made me smile [emoji16]! How are Belle and Princess these days?


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## jcris (Feb 19, 2015)

Hello Tom,
The girls and I are as challenged as ever. At the same time small steps forward have occurred, mostly in my ability to understand and deal appropriately. 
Oh oh, an innocent bystander approaches, jar at the ready....
Take care


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## 94Magna_Tom (Feb 23, 2021)

I'm merely at the start of my journey. Have a wonderful day!


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