How Can I Teach Our Male Grey To Jump Up Into A Car Or Bed?

[Guest avadogner]

Hi Greytalk Friends,

 

We adopted our second hound and first male grey a couple months ago. He is a super sweet, giant 90 lb beta boy. He has learned to sit on command but we are having trouble teaching him to jump up on our bed and in our SUV. He just has no idea what we are talking about. He desperately wants to get up in the bed with us but he just stands next to the bed and cries. He is extremely vocal. He cries and whines all the time. He just needs a lot of reassureance. Anyway, we've tried putting his front feet on the bed and then lifting his rear. We tried progressing him to doing it himself but he gives up and cries. My DH just picks him up like a baby colt. Our female was a top crate drewler at the track so she never had this problem. She actually hates to be picked up. She flails and stretches her neck out. Augie just looks calm and happy like Daddy is an elevator. It's kind of funny how he's so big and goofy but I need to be able to get him in the car by myself. I am 5'2" and barely weigh more than Augie. I'm also frail due to needing a kidney transplant. I am looking to see if any of y'all have had this problem and how you worked it out. My boy Augie is sweet but not the smartest grey I've met. He's constantly falling off the beds, sliding on our hardwoods and engaging in goofy behaviour. He reminds me of Kramer. Our senior girl, jumps up on the bed when invited and he sees her doing it but he just can't figure out how to do it himself. I've also noticed he isn't very interested in learning tricks yet. Ava does a full routine of tricks and commands. He has his 4th b'day coming on dec23 so i know he has a lot of maturing to do. He ran his last race in May and was adopted in September. He is adjusting so much faster than Ava did but she didn't have another grey to show her how and she was only 18 months and severely traumatized when we got her. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

-ava and augie's mum

[TheFullHouse]

If you can figure it out, let me know. Arrow finally learned how to jump up there and the little boys can do it but Valentino and Saint (our two that are 90+ lbs.) just don't seem to get it and we've had them years and years! We're beginning to think we're going to have to invest in a ramp for those two!

[Jenbo]

I used a partial cookie to get Myka in to the car, though I had to help her in the first few dozen times. Then I threw her toy in and said "Load up!" Now she gets in when I say "Load up!"

[fsugrad]

We have 2 big boys and our first who came to us straight off the track had no clue how to jump into the back of our suv or minivan.

I had to put his front paws inside the back and then give his rear end a 'boost' in til he figured out how to do it.

 

What worked for me is that I showed him I was putting a cookie in the back of the suv for him. And then we backed up a few yards and he would run and take a flying leap into the back of the suv. After a couple weeks of wanting to take a running start to launch himself into the back, he then realized on his own that he could just do a simple leap from a standing position on the driveway right behind the suv, into the suv without taking a running start! Don't know if this is the right or wrong way but this is what worked for us.

[DonnaBehr]

What worked for me was I stood in back of my big boy and sort of pushed his butt with my knee toward the car/SUV and he had no choice but to jump up because he had no where else to go as he got closer to the vehicle.

 

Good luck.

[OwnedBySummer]

What worked for me was I stood in back of my big boy and sort of pushed his butt with my knee toward the car/SUV and he had no choice but to jump up because he had no where else to go as he got closer to the vehicle.

 

Good luck.

 

This works. I always put her front feet up on the seat first and then started the nudging but I don't think you have to do that. I gave a consistent command every time, in our case it was "Summer, in". She's now learned it and will happily load into any vehicle I ask her to. She gets excited now when she's near the car and I unlock the doors and she hears the click.

 

We did the same thing with jumping on the bed. My bed is unusually high, simply because I'm tall and I like it that way. So she had to learn. I have a bad back and lifting forever is simply out of the question. Front feet went up and hubby or I hoisted the back end. This took some weeks but finally she did it herself. Praise praise praise and the crowd went wild! Now... I just snap my fingers, "Summer, up", and we're a done deal.

 

Edit: I've seen other people toss in things to entice their dog to jump in. It's always been something super yummy, like dehydrated liver or lung.

Edited November 30, 2010 by OwnedBySummer

[Houndtime]

This is interesting to me. One of the vets that we took Fuzzy to, examined his back and then asked some questions. When I said that he has never jumped into our van or truck, she said that should have been a clue that there was something wrong from the time that we adopted him. I said, he is the second large male that has refused to jump up. John E never did either.

[Yamaha_gurl]

At the track the females on on top crates...males on bottom, thus females had to learn how to jump.

[Guest avadogner]

Augie seems very healthy according to our vet. He had to be dewormed when he first came home but he is very active. I had to put a backpack with water bottles in it for our walks because he has so much more energy than I. Kidney failure causes anemia and fatique so I am not able to walk him more than one mile. I'm dropping weight too fast and now sharing Ensure Plus drinks with my senior hound Ava. I hate to say it but I don't think Augie is the smartest grey ever or he's just too immature to focus on training now. I've been trying to teach him to shake and he just doesn't follow the extremely short jump from A to B. He gets fustrated immediately and starts crying and then gets up and goes to another bed. He is extremely submissive to the point our senior Ava even hazes him. He's a big sweet goofy boy who keeps us laughing but the crying to get in the bed is getting old. He had a really hard time with our stairs but eventually mastered them. I had to pick up and place each foot on each step for him everytime he went up and down for the first week. I tried putting his front paws in the SUV cargo area and pushed his rump up but he didn't jump or help at all and he ended up scratching our bumper pretty bad. He just seems perfectly happy to have us do it all for him. I know he was kept in a bottom row crate during his time at the Birmingham Race Course. Females are on top rows boys on bottom whenever possible. I guess he just never learned to jump up. Our girl does it even with her bad back and he watches her like she's his hero but he refuses to put any effort in it. He likes treats but get fustrated and gives up and leaves it or he gets so overexicited (with high value treats) that he can't focus on the command. I swear he has ADD like my DH. I'll keep y'all posted.

ava and augie's mum

[Magdalyn58]

Our Teddy is a very big boy and he has no idea that he possesses the ability to jump on the couch, the bed, or into the back of the car. My DH and I actually have to lift his hind legs to get in the car (he loves rides). He climbs onto the couch, leg by leg. He has no interest in doing anything quickly, to be honest. We have never seen him run. Once in a while, when he's stolen something (like a remote, a book, or a bottle of wine/beer/anything alcoholic), he'll do a little trot into the living room where he thinks he can hide his stash in the sofa.

[jetcitywoman]

Ajax is an 80 pound big boy. He's reluctant to jump on anything, but we were able to teach him to jump into my car. Watching Capri leap into the car was a *big* teaching tool for him. Once he realized it was possible, he leaps up with just as much grace as she has, and because he's so big it's quite pretty to watch him do it. He still won't jump from a standing position though. I have to walk him back about ten feet and then run him up to the hatch and then he leaps up.

 

Maybe people with females should loan them out to teach the boys.

[Houndtime]

At the track the females on on top crates...males on bottom, thus females had to learn how to jump.

 

Paul was a top crate boy. He is a jumper. I met one of the kennel workers who knew him when he was racing, and she told me. He liked to jump up so they let him.

[Guest avadogner]

I am laying in bed trying to pass a kidney stone and Augie is circling the bed like a shark crying. It's been going on now for about 45 min straight. I'm in no shape to help him poor guy. Our girl Ava just jumps right up and stares at him like she thinks he's the dumbest dog ever. She downright gloats. Poor little bubba Augie. My DH will help him when he gets home. Our female just loves that she can do something he can't. If they were cartoons, they would be Pinky and the Brain or the smart mouse and dumb sheepdog. I try not to laugh at her taunting him but sometimes it's just too funny.

-ava and augie's mum

 

 

[fsugrad]

I am laying in bed trying to pass a kidney stone and Augie is circling the bed like a shark crying. It's been going on now for about 45 min straight. I'm in no shape to help him poor guy.

OUCH!!!!

Feel better soon!

When we first adopted Toby (our hound who came straight off the track) my sister and her family were laughing at me because they'd watch me give this big brindle moose a rear end boost to get him into our SUV.

They couldn't believe this was the same hound I'd just shown them videos of winning races at Derby Lane!

I think most of them really do get the hang of it if you stick with it...something just clicks in their brains after a while and they've got it!

[GeorgeofNE]

Some dogs jump sometimes, and sometimes that same dog won't! There are LOTS of dogs of lots of breeds who, for whatever reason, won't jump into a truck/car/SUV. I think it was 15 years ago I read a question/answer column in my father's issue of "Gun Dog" magazine where the question was, "My Brittany won't jump into the truck. What can I do." The answer (and note: I am NOT suggesting this as a solution to the OP's problem--just as a funny answer) struck me as funny which is why I remember: "Your dog probably weighs about 35-40 pounds. Pick her up and put her in the truck!"

 

For example: George, a male, would not get on the bed no matter what. However, he did one day jump through the rear window of my SUV! The tailgate was up, the glass was open. It was well over 4.5 feet to jump up over the tailgate and through the window space. He didn't hit the top of the car, or the tailgate. Clearly he CAN jump. He simply didn't think the bed was a good idea! I finally got him up on the bed by picking him up and putting him up there. He promptly jumped off. Next time I tried, I got up there with him and held his collar and made him stay up there until he relaxed. And now I can't keep off! It was 18 months after I adopted him that he figured out the bed was good!

 

As to the car question--a 90 pound dog really cannot practically be lifted into the car. If food doesn't work, then maybe you'll have to resort to steps or a ramp?

 

 

 

 

[Guest avadogner]

Hi Greytalk Friends,

I would like to apologize for my frank comment regarding having a kidney stone. I am sorry that has offended some members of this forum that I used such frank language. I did not mean to make anyone uncomfortable. I have been notified by the moderators that it was TMI. I tried to reedit the post but it is too late. I have been living with a lifethreatening illness and have been overly open about it. I did not mean to make anyone uncomfortable. I will keep my personal comments to myself if I stay on the forum. I have read far more shocking comments on this forum in past and did not realize I was offending others. I had found that reading your comments and making friends with members on this site was a nice distraction from my illness. I never expected to offend someone with my suffering. I am sorry to all and you can stop reporting me. I have received my warning so no need to bother the moderators.

ava and augie's mum

[iluvgreys]

When Finnian came to me as a foster 5 yrs. ago, he would KNOT jump into my SUV, and it got really old lifting him in (70+ pounds). It didn't take me too long to see that he could jump up on a high bed just fine when he wanted...especially if food was involved. So, started intensive training with him, first putting down a long carpet runner with rubber backing next to the car door so he wouldn't slip. Then, showed him pieces of steak and tossed them up into the back of my SUV. Let another gh jump up and get his treats, as well as show him how to do it. Within probably 3 days, he was leaping gracefully into my car, and we've never looked back. Good luck with your training approach, and best wishes for better health soon!

[Guest sbennett]

Upon the advice of the trainer I am working with, we fed our large, male non-jumper his supper in the cargo area of our SUV twice. Now he jumps in all the time.

[cleptogrey]

What worked for me was I stood in back of my big boy and sort of pushed his butt with my knee toward the car/SUV and he had no choice but to jump up because he had no where else to go as he got closer to the vehicle.

 

Good luck.

that technique worked for annie. it took her 9 months to finally get with the program!

[Guest dizzyLu72]

I have had Jacob since late July... he wouldn't go up the stairs the first 4 days he was here.. finally took a pretty crazy thunder storm to scare that skill in to him.

He doesn't jump on the furniture or the bed which I like, except for when I want to cuddle.. then I just let out a big sigh, look at his big brown eyes and flop on the floor next to him.

We go to the dog park a couple days a week with a small terrier that jumps like a kangaroo.. week after week of me lifting his 80lb frame in the car - he FINALLY (about a month ago) did it on his own. Sometimes it takes some coaxing with a cookie or squeaky ball.. but typically he will jump in the car now.

Good luck.. I was wondering how much longer I was going to have to lift him.. hopefully yours will catch on soon.

[Guest cwholsin]

Hey Ava and Augie's mum,

 

If you think the problem is he doesn't know that he can jump, maybe try and get him to practice using his body that way with little bounces to get treats. If he really is kind of a slow boy (bless his sweet heart), he might just not have the body kinetics down to get up on his own. You might try holding a yummy treat just out of reach above his head so he has to bounce a little to get it (if he won't just jump in the car for a tasty treat). When Hermes was learning to get up into the car, it was painful to watch. His butt and thigh muscles would quiver with strain and effort until his body got used to a new movement. Now he jumps up on the bed, jumps out of the car, but still climbs in to the car carefully.

 

Hope you find something that can help teach your boyo the ins and outs of jumping into cars =)

 

p.s. Hope you feel better soon!!

[Guest avadogner]

Hi friends,

I tooks some of your tips and we are working with premium treats to lure him to try to get on the bed. He will put his front paws up now to get to the treat. He's so big he's able to get it even in the center the bed. But when he's wanting to get in the bed, he won't try to put his feet up on his own. I bought some pet steps but they are way too small for him. I spoke with my dad (a retired home builder and quite handy with a hammer and saw) and he's going to make us a set of steps wide enough for my big boy. He's even going to stain them to match our furniture. I'll keep working with him on the jumping up things though so I can get him our SUV without lifting him. Thanks for the tips and well wishes. I'm feeling better and far less cranky.

Thanks,

ava and augie's mum

[Guest AnnieAreYouOK]

My grey just learned how to get on the bed. She had problem approaching the bed and car because it was too scary for her. I couldn't physically manhandle her because she would never trust me again.

 

If she's not scared of the bed and it's just too high, you can try with just a mattress first and put some high value treats on it. Then later on put a couch cushion underneath the bed and use it as a step then add a trail of treats leading to the bed. Make sure the step is stable so that she doesn't fall off. Later on you can remove the step.

 

My car was pretty low so she didn't have any trouble getting on. I just had to desensitize her to it. If it's too high, you can try the same thing. Use a step first and treats in the van.

[cleptogrey]

just wondering, what color is the interior of your car/suv??

 

if it's really dark, then the pup might not have depth perception and it might look like he is going into a big unknow space/hole. how about a light colored towel or sheet to brighten up the interior and putting the dome light on? a friend shared some info from a dog behavior book she is reading, her dog refuses to jump into her car, BLACK interior. that was one of the scenarios mentioned in the book- dogs not jumping into the back of large cars since they didn't have depth perception.mmmmmmm......

[stlgrey]

Mine all taught themselves how to get up on the bed. The newest greyhound watched the other dogs and figured it out to.