In the spring of 2022, Rocket went on another vacation. This trip started out much like our last vacation; Rocket and Frank were excited and happy to be traveling and spending all day with their humans while hiking and exploring. Because of Rocket’s inability to sit still while riding in a car, we made the decision to use a seat belt on him. He was positioned comfortably in the back seat wearing his harness with a seat belt to keep him in place. Of course, Rocket’s need for motion naturally caused him to fight the seat belt. He would make desperate attempts to climb to the front of the truck, but the seat belt worked and kept him in place (for the most part). It was during this trip that we began to notice how frightened Rocket was to be restrained in a truck. Every little bump, change in speed, or loud car would cause Rocket to struggle to get away from the back seat. We found him on the floor trying to tunnel into the items stored on the back floor, he would fight with all his might to force his way to the front seat, but to no avail. No amount of reassurance would help to settle him. We worried that we were going to have a miserable ride for the next couple of weeks.
Once we arrived at our destinations, Rocket was as happy as could be. He would get to hike and explore the great outdoors. Luckily, our trip involved several stops at National Parks and Landmarks, so travel time was rather short between stops. At each stop, we would stay for 2-5 days, depending on the location. It was really the first day of travel and the last day of travel that were the longest. While the rides were still uncomfortable for Rocket, he tolerated them as best he could. On our last day of travel (to come home), we were ready to load the pups in the car and head out. Rocket became very frightened and began growling at Frank. This was highly unusual and we were very concerned. We worried that we might have hiked too hard in the heat on the day before and that it was affecting him. His demeaner was so unlike anything we had ever witnessed from him and we knew something must be wrong, we just didn’t know what. As we tried to load Frank in the truck, Rocket continued to growl and show aggression to Frank. When we tried to intervene, he began to growl at us. We were shocked! Somehow, we managed to get Frank in the truck. It was during this last leg of the ride home that we could no longer contain Rocket in the seat with his seatbelt. We noticed that every little motion had him growling and basically “freaking out”. We determined that all the fear of being restrained may have built up to induce the panic in him that we were seeing now. We made the decision to unclip him from his seatbelt and allow him to ride on the floor in the front seat. It was a long 8 hour drive home.
Once we arrived home, Rocket returned to his normal, happy self. As we discussed the circumstances of Rocket’s unusual behavior, we came to the conclusion that he was just too frightened to be restrained in the vehicle. We continued to use the seatbelt for short drives, but if we were traveling for longer distances, we noticed he would become more stressed, especially if we drove over bumps or rumble strips. For these instances, we allowed him to sit on the front floor of the truck for short periods until he could relax or if he started to climb about. This new behavior, became our second biggest challenge to date. How do we train Rocket to become a good dog in the car; how can we get him to relax and remain seated while driving. We needed to figure it out, leaving Rocket behind during our many travels for both work and vacations was not going to be an option.
With time and patience, we have been able to manage Rocket in the vehicle. For short trips around home, we usually allow him to ride free. He does much better now that he is getting older, but it has taken a couple years to get to this point. For longer trips, we still use the seat belt and he is doing well with that now. Bumps, rumble strips, and loud vehicles will still cause him to become stressed a little, but he responds much better to our reassurances that he is okay. During our most recent trip (two years later), we made the decision to medicate Rocket for a long ride. There is more to the story behind his medication, but you will read about that later.
Both Rocket and Frank enjoyed that vacation to our National Parks, and we got through the challenge posed by Rocket’s fear of riding restrained. Little did we know what was developing within Rocket and how his fear would continue to cause us worry and concern. As the days progressed, we continued to see changes in Rocket. Most times, he was his normal, happy self, but on the occasions that put him in new situations or during those bumpy car rides, Rocket was showing signs of major discomfort. This discomfort was usually communicated by means of growling at Frank or tucking his tail and lowering his head. One thing was for certain, we needed to learn what was happening with Rocket. Over the next couple of months, we assessed his behaviors. We watched for triggers and tried to come up with training methods and interventions. It was a confusing and uncertain time for us.
Over the next couple of posts, you will read more about Rocket and the changes that were happening within him. If you have experienced similar challenges with your pet, please feel free to share those experiences with us on the comment section. Maybe you have found effective solutions to helping your pet relax and enjoy the car ride, if so, we would love to hear how!!!