Odd pup behaviour..any suggestions?

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#1
About a month ago we adopted a 5 mo old mixed breed rescue pup (supposed to be part Lab). He was supposed to be leash trained according to the SPCA. We loaded him in the car and brought him home. He got sick (barfed) in the car but we put that down to nervousness.

He settled in quickly and get's along great with our other 5 month old pup who was quit boisterous.Settled her down too. He's quit timid though with people and us. A sharp word to correct (such as NO) and he cowers and almost crawls over for forgiveness , so we're careful with him whenever we need to correct so as not to frighten him as well.

He's an affectionate thing and likes to cuddle and be scratched , go for walks around our place with us and both of them play out in the fields together , just chasing butterflies , play fighting or simply running around.

There are a couple of issues that have cropped up and we're not really too sure how to approach them , never had them before , and they are debilitating in that they are preventing us from doing what we had hoped to be able to do with our dogs..travel and take them to parks etc. for picnics.

1 - LEASH TRAINING: Whenever we try to walk him on the leash he just balks by either simply sitting or lying down after a few steps. If you turn to face him he'll get up and come towards you but as soon as you start walking again , after a few steps it's the same thing. Frustrating.

Read about putting a choke collar on him and gradually (very slowly) tightening it until he gives to the pressure but that seems excessive.

2 - CAR RIDES: Every time we've put him in the car to take him anywhere (thought that a few trips to someplace fun and interesting would excite him) he gets sick in the car.

We've tried just parking it and coaxing him in with some success, letting him jump out when he started to feel uncomfortable. After a few days of this we closed him in and took him for a VERY short ride (about 1/4 mile..up and down our driveway) and he was just about ready to barf again.

Read that simply shove him into the car and go for an all day drive would solve the problem , but with this dog I doubt it. And a slow crawl up and down our driveway leads me to believe it's more nerves than motion sickness.
Our other dog LOVES car rides and it's hard to keep her out of the car whenever we open a door. Having her along doesn't seem to calm him either.

Wondering if anyone has any suggestions as to how we can overcome these issues.
 

*blackrose

"I'm kupo for kupo nuts!"
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#2
When he is on a leash, what does he do if you act excited and take off at a brisk walk/jog while praising him like it is the best thing ever?

When Abrams was first introduced to the leash, he was fine with it until it tightened on him. When it would put pressure on him, he would balk and put pressure on it in the opposite direction. Acting excited and taking off at a brisk clip gave him the courage to overcome his resistance to the pressure.

Failing that, since you said your pup will walk if you look at him, I would walk backwards. Encourage him to follow you while facing him, reward with praise and treats, and gradually add in a step or two of facing forward while walking, then turn back around and reward.

If he is also more comfortable with your other pup around, maybe walking them both together may help?

As for the car sickness...some dogs just get ill in the car. Honestly, I wouldn't be opposed to picking up some anti-nausea meds from your vet while you work on the issue. If it is nerves, make the car a fun place to be. Provide awesome treats or interactive toys. Start slow (maybe just sitting in the car, then short drives) and always make it a good experience. If it is purely motion sickness, then you may need to just pop him a pill before car rides (or figure out if there is a place in the car he can ride that doesn't make him ill). Abrams has a tendency to get motion sickness if he gets too hot, so he likes to ride with his feet on the middle console and his head where the airflow is.

Good luck with your pup! Honestly, a lot of the issues just sound like insecurity. Build up his confidence and give him time to get settled and I'm sure he'll be an awesome dog.
 
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#3
Thanks for the feed back. Yes if you act excited and walk / jog he will , for some odd reason , usually follow.
As far as the car goes , we did try for a few days just letting him hop in , gave him some treats and played with him. As soon as we closed the door and went for that short drive , he started to act like he was going to be sick.
As I siad , it was such a short , slow drive I doubt it was motion sickness , just nerves.
Guess patience and perseverance is what will be required to overcome these things.
Thanks for the feed back though.
 

Barb04

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#4
I experienced the car sickness with one dog. We tried everything. Finally after a year, the dog was no longer sick in the car. I think sometimes it just takes time. I just made sure to carry lots of paper towels and even put a cheap plastic tablecloth on the seats to protect them just in case.
 

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