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Getting Hound To Jump Into Car


Guest xengab

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Guest xengab

Other then jumping around like a clown during play, my houndie has never jumped up on anything. Never tried to get on my bed, or couch or in the car.

 

Every time we take him out in the car we have to lift him in. 82lbs of pure hound being shoved in the back wagon of our Subaru.

 

I place his paws on the bumper bar of the car, I then place my hands at the back of his knees and push him forward so he walks a few steps, then I place his back legs on the bump. Just like I've seen dogs do when getting it.

We've tried to entice him in with treats (what our rescue group suggested), nope. Food doesnt mean anything much to him.(haven't tried peanut butter yet, its our only hope and last resort).

We put the seats down so he has more room/space to jump into. No, didn't even try.

I've tried to get him to jump onto the seats and then into the back, No, once again, blank look.

Then I thought maybe its ME, maybe I am so clueless he doesnt know what I want of him. Enlisted another hound owner, she did what she had before with her own greyhound. Nope. I tried it, blank look from the dog.

He jumps out with alittle hesitation but does it when asked.

 

We have looked at various ramps, and at this point the few with good reviews are beyond our budget. Stairs, he's never used them, so that would be a hurdle to begin with.

 

Any suggestions? We have a subaru outback (just in case this helps.)

 

How did you teach your hound to jump into the back of your car.

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So my hound would not jump into the back of my Jeep. I would place his front paws on the Jeep and then boost his back end up and in. I did that for over 6 years. Ended up having to get physical therapy on my elbow. My doctor asked what I did to hurt my arm. I said could it be from lifting up a 59 pound dog? Yep, that is it.

One day my friend walks Luka to the back of the Jeep. He looks at me, looks at her and jumps in with ease. The look on his face was priceless! Oh crap! Did Momma see me do that?? Yes my love you are so busted.

The next day we go to the Jeep he looks at me like are you going to give me a boost and I said- are you kidding me, I know what you can do! He jumped in with no problem and has ever since.

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Reverse your car back against the curb which will make the jump about 8" less.. Open the back. With the dog on a lead walk up in a purposeful manner as though you're not going to stop. Say in a firm by happy voice: "Kennel UP"!

 

No luck? Have another doggy friend jump up in there with the same command then your dog will copy it.

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Male racing Greyhounds are typically housed in lower level kennels. Females in upper level kennels. Jumping into something is sometimes a foreign thought to males.

 

Here's a snippet re: teaching Greyhounds to jump into cars from one of my previous posts:

 

"1. Some people back their car up to a slight hill incline (in driveway or against low grassy hill next to parking lot) so car's rear-end is closer to ground level for dog to practice entering/exiting. Offer gentle, happy praise and treats for each action.

 

2. If you prefer to leave car in level parking space "as is"...

Some dogs prefer a running start to jump in. Open hatchback, toss in smelly treats, take 5-10 steps back, then jog with hound towards open car. Great if hound jumps right in. :)

 

3. Open side door of car.

Pull front seat forward (including front seat-back folded forward). Ensure the middle floorboard area is empty so hound has plenty of space to step onto floorboard of car to enter. Once he's inside, he will probably figure out to take another step up to main hatchback area.

(The car would appear more open (less like a scary enclosed box) by opening the opposite side door to the outside also.)

 

4. Open hatchback - Enlist help from a Grey savvy friend to hold your hound's leash while you get inside the car from front door (allowing hound full space in hatchback area). Call hound inside while friend jogs hound into open hatchback.

 

5. Enlist a friend's Greyhound to show your hound how it's done in your hound's car. :)

 

6. If all else fails, keep doing the front paws up, then back paws up until the "feeling" clicks in that he can do a running jump next time, or borrow a dog ramp or dog steps from someone.

--

Practicing exits could be the same re: backing up to little hill or berm, or using a ramp or steps.

I keep old dense orthopedic dog beds to use as a landing platform when hounds are exiting the car. I'm careful to secure dog bed with my foot so it doesn't slide.

 

Keep sessions short <5 minutes so he doesn't over-stress. If he doesn't "get it," try again another day.

 

BTW, if you have loose bedding (like a blanket) in the back of the car that slides around, consider replacing it with something more secure for a moving vehicle. (Two orthopedic 4" thick dense foam beds wedged together fit perfectly wall-to-wall in our Subaru SUV crossover. The level, dense foam is fairly secure footing for Greyhounds.)"

 

 

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Reverse your car back against the curb which will make the jump about 8" less.. Open the back. With the dog on a lead walk up in a purposeful manner as though you're not going to stop. Say in a firm by happy voice: "Kennel UP"!

 

No luck? Have another doggy friend jump up in there with the same command then your dog will copy it.

 

This could be difficult because in the U.S. curbs aren't 8" high as well as we usually parallel park to a curb when on the street. Most of us have driveways anyway with no curbs at all.

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Sometimes the side door works. I had a dog who wouldn't jump in the back of the van, but, would step up into the side panel opening.

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Just wanted to add that the treats need to be extremely high value to the individual hound. Cooked meat (no spices; many are toxic.) usually works well, or something smelly like tripe.

 

You didn't mention if he appears to enjoy car rides(?), or if he feels stressed during rides. If he feels stressed during rides, take baby steps (so to speak) by keeping his inside car time very brief without moving the vehicle at first. Next few practices can include short rides down the street; next time drive around a couple of streets; gradually extending his ride time. Best if practices always lead to something positive in the hound's mind. Examples: Feeding several of his meals in the parked car but ONLY if car is very cool and shaded. Destinations that result in a fun, brief dog walk in shady and cool weather; a fun visit to a pet store (but only if he's very comfortable walking on hard surface store floors); or to visit another Greyhound friend, etc. All rides should be a positive experience so the hound connects that car rides = great doggie rewards.

 

Just a general caution for all new adopters: Please don't leave any hound unattended in the car during warm weather months. If doing a quick errand with a dog, if dog can't go inside with owner, please wait until after dark when temps cool down. Remember that pavement retains heat and can burn paw pads too.

Edited by 3greytjoys
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It took stinky liver treats to get Rocket to jump in the first time.

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Guest xengab

He doesnt mind the car rides, he knows that means dog park! And running with his greyhound pal.

He also comes with me most weeks to my writing group and likes the attention.

He's not stressed in the car, usually just lays down flat or looks out the window. Pretty mellow guy most of the time.

 

Will try the running start idea, and see if that will help.

 

I've tried getting him in the side doors, without any different in response..LOL

 

I know he will see his greyhound pal on the weekend, and she jumps in just fine so might try that.

 

Thanks..

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Summit learned how to jump into the vehicle after he learned how to *jump*. The concept can be entirely foreign to greyhounds, especially males. I had to lift his hind end into the car every time. Then when we started agility classes he had to learn to do the jumps. He didn't understand that either, and we set the jumps super low so he basically just stepped over, and then slowly raised it until he had to jump. After he learned to jump he just naturally took to jumping into the vehicle without having to be taught.

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I know I've posted this before, but we had to hoist up our 80 lb guy into the truck for over a year. When my mom came to visit, she tried to lift him and must have got his boy parts... he jumped up rightawayquick! Now he's a pro, even with a full-size truck. I'm not recommending this, just a funny :ghplaybow

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This could be difficult because in the U.S. curbs aren't 8" high as well as we usually parallel park to a curb when on the street. Most of us have driveways anyway with no curbs at all.

 

OK, we don't have curbs in the driveway.... I'd just drive to the nearest convenient one where I don't block the road and get moaned at. Maybe in a communal park area so the dog can learn more easily?

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annie learned how to get into a 2 door civic. i threw a high quality treat in, placed her frozen front legs in and pushed w/ my knee. after 9 months of this she now jumps into anything what so ever as long as it's the passenger side. that's the side i taught her on. i would try the back seat, keep the interior light on, it might be dark in there(as it was in our civic) and be persistent. set up the car and give it a running start- be it the rear or side door. if annie learned, your pup will.

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I've tried all the tips so far and no action on his part.

I went to visit a friend which allowed me to back up to a pretty high curb, so jumping in wouldnt be that far and nothing..

His love of peanut butter isnt working here either.

 

He loves watching dogs jumping into the car, but wont follow along..LOL

 

Ah well, he pretty great in most other areas now so this is something I can deal with. He at least stands still and lets me hoist one back leg up, then does the other back leg himself.

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are all the seats down when you have him jump into the car? the back area is pretty small with the seats up. my male who goes into cars is hesitant in a small back area, it's like jumping into a black hole. try a lighter colored blanket, and maybe someone sitting up near the seats and a running start. also make sure the covering is non-skid- rubber backed bath mat maybe? remember it took annie 9 months to figure out how to get into my 2 door civic, then when we went to a 4 door she was totally confused but learned it much faster.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I've tried all the tips so far and no action on his part.

I went to visit a friend which allowed me to back up to a pretty high curb, so jumping in wouldnt be that far and nothing..

His love of peanut butter isnt working here either.

 

He loves watching dogs jumping into the car, but wont follow along..LOL

 

Ah well, he pretty great in most other areas now so this is something I can deal with. He at least stands still and lets me hoist one back leg up, then does the other back leg himself.

 

I think we have the same dog :lol I always joke that Crow has one expression and that's to look at you, blinking. I've had him nearly a year and he will not jump into the car. At first, I thought it was because my other greyhound can be grumpy, but even when Heyokha is not in the car, Crow will not jump in. I think I've gotten him to jump in unassisted maybe three times. I've tried all manner of treats, etc, but I haven't really sat down to do the training, either. I have a Subaru Forester. The one time recently I got him to jump in, he went in after some steak jerky. But he wouldn't do it again about an hour later for the same jerky. :dunno

 

So, try this. Find a food that's really, really tasty for him - chicken, beef - something delicious that he otherwise loves. Open your hatch and sit down. Put a treat on the very edge so your dog can get it. Then put another one a little farther back so he has to reach, then put another one a little farther back so he has to really reach, putting his paws up. Keep at it until he has to jump in, then give him a party with lots of treats, then start again. That may work - that's the tack I plan on taking when I finally get around to doing the training. We have work on indoor stairs right now - he won't do those either :rolleyes: Outside steps, even long staircases, open backs? No problem at all. Indoor? Nope. *sigh* Dogs.

Edited by turbotaina


Meredith with Heyokha (HUS Me Teddy) and Crow (Mike Milbury). Missing Turbo (Sendahl Boss), Pancho, JoJo, and "Fat Stacks" Juana, the psycho kitty. Canku wakan kin manipi.

"Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities." - Voltaire

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Still trying to find the treat that gets his tail wagging. We tried peanut butter, which is his normal go to treat but no luck.

 

He jumps out just fine and without fear. He jumps around the yard like tigger. He never jumps up onto anything though. No paws up on anything (but me when playing). Only time we've seen him go up onto something was the scales at the vet. But Im sure thats a normal racing thing for most hounds.

 

Still we try. Least he has manners and stands still for us to shove him in the car.

 

Yes all seats are down on many tries to get him in.

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Try something meaty - real meat, not a regular dog treat. Crow jumps up on our bed, no problem, so I know he can jump. He just chooses not to :lol


Meredith with Heyokha (HUS Me Teddy) and Crow (Mike Milbury). Missing Turbo (Sendahl Boss), Pancho, JoJo, and "Fat Stacks" Juana, the psycho kitty. Canku wakan kin manipi.

"Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities." - Voltaire

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Biggest issue is, we've not found ANYTHING that gets him begging for it. He loves Peanut butter and Sardines but still they dont entice him to just run after it, and he's ignored them both at various times. To praise him he'd prefer being told he's a good dog and a massage. He's literally run past my husband with peanut butter on his fingers to have a cuddle with me..

 

Will keep trying to find the holy grail of foods for him..LOL

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I think this will just take time (unless your dog has been corresponding with Crow). We're still working on this with Rufus. He learned to jump on our bed about five-six weeks after we got him, but not into the car (Prius V). We think he may still be recovering from his psoas/groin strain.

 

Good luck!

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You can get frozen cooked meatballs in the grocery store. Take a few of them, defrost and see if he'll go for that.


Meredith with Heyokha (HUS Me Teddy) and Crow (Mike Milbury). Missing Turbo (Sendahl Boss), Pancho, JoJo, and "Fat Stacks" Juana, the psycho kitty. Canku wakan kin manipi.

"Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities." - Voltaire

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I just went through this with my new guy. I had a couple friends come over to help and one of them suggested I take the farthest back dog bed out of my car. That allowed him to actually see the floor of my Rav4 and feel it with his paws, as well as lowering how far he had to jump by about 6". My friend took his leash, got a running start and he leaped right in! Mine isn't food motivated, either, instead attention is his thing. When he jumped in, I would crawl in with him and love on him and rub his ears and talk baby talk to him. We did it about 7 times that night, and the next night I practiced some more with him. He's now at the point where I can open the car and he jumps in from a standing position. I can close the door and take him out through the side door where I have more control.

 

My guy, Duncan, wouldn't even go up to the car before I took the bed out, let alone get in. I can't believe what a difference that made. Try Googling how to teach a dog to jump in a car and maybe there will be some more ideas there. That's where my friend got the bed idea.

 

ETA: there is only 1 bed in the back of my car now, right up against the back of the front seats

Edited by budsmom
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Hoping to round up a few greyhounds to help with the process. And trying out all the tips given.

When he had his nails trimmed the gal told us she had to lift him as he wouldnt jump onto the table like a normal dog..

I secretly think he just loves the hug like situation it puts him in.

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