Introducing Your Border Collie Puppy To His First Car Ride

Your border collie puppy will find some new experiences exciting and others frightening.  On the whole, dogs are very sensitive to change and when they are puppies the world can be a very scary place until it becomes familiar.  Therefore, if you intend to take your pet on car rides, you should introduce him to this adventure while he is still little to help get him used to the idea of traveling in a moving vehicle.

Your primary goal is to create a positive experience for the border collie puppy.  This can be achieved by teaching him a car ride is a normal event.    Your pooch may panic the first time you place him in the backseat of your automobile.  This is only a natural reaction because he doesn’t know what is going on nor does he recognize any of the smells.

Although he may whine and look at you with pitiful eyes, you need to ignore his behavior and remain calm.  You don’t want to start petting, fussing over or coddling your pup because this will only encourage his behavior.  If he seems really upset you can have someone sit in the back with him but don’t allow him upfront with you because this can be dangerous for driving.  Furthermore, he could be seriously injured should you abruptly stop or can be launched though the windshield if you are ever in an accident.  The backseat helps to keep him safe.

You will want to wait until your border collie puppy has settled in the seat before you begin your ride.  Turn on the engine once he is calmer and wait for a minute until he has been able to process the new feeling.  Then, slowly begin your drive.  Keep the trip slow and short.  You might find driving around the block to be sufficient.  When you return, park the car and then after a minute shut off the engine, praise your dog and provide him with a treat.  Next, step out of the vehicle and remove your pet and go into the house or the backyard for a good play as an extra reward.

You will want to keep up this process with your collie, prolonging the drive each time.  Moreover, you need to practice leaving your dog alone in the car for a few minutes to get him used to your absence should it ever occur that during your travels you will need to go somewhere an animal is not allowed.

Here are some final border collie puppy car-ride tips to remember:

• Consider buying a seatbelt harness for your pal to keep him strapped in.
• Don’t leave him in the car for a long period of time and never keep him locked in a vehicle in hot or freezing weather.  Also, make sure the windows are rolled down a crack to allow for fresh air.
• Take him on trips with different destinations.  The last thing you want to do is only take your four-legged friend to the vet because he’ll begin associating rides with a place he dreads going.
• Don’t let him stick his head out the window because this can lead to eye and ear infections.

It shouldn’t take long for a border collie puppy to enjoy traveling in cars, because the more places he’s allowed to travel with you, the happier he will be.