The best dog trainers for frightened dogs...

Since the day I got Chloe, she has been TERRIFIED of getting into a vehicle. I can't even coax her in with CHEESE (Raj and Chloe's favorite treat by far).
I've strongly suspected that she'd been in an accident or something vehicle-related before I adopted her.

Since getting Raj, Chloe sees her jump into the back of the Jeep day after day. Raj goes everywhere with me. Chloe usually watches, and if I invite her to jump in with us, she runs the other way, cowering.

Well guess what? The other day I made the usual "do you want to come with us?" invitation, and Chloe ran the other way, stopped, turned around and ran up to the Jeep and jumped in!!!!!! She was so scared, she sat there panting and trembling from head to tail- but she got in!!!! I was so happy!

I guess seeing Raj do this time after time might have shown her that it's really okay.

She has now jumped in TWICE and taken a little drive with us!

So maybe other dogs are the best trainers. If one dog has an issue with something, seeing the other do it over and over again may inspire them to give it a try, after all.

Anyone else experienced this?

Maybe she just read the statistics and knows that Jeeps are not too safe... :)

Dogs do train each other but most of the time it's the BAD habits that get passed on...

(Was that pic just to show off your blondie-locks? lol)

Pshaw. My Jeep has kept me safe for years :D .

Why do you say that mostly the bad habits are passed on?

The only thing I've read about on here are older dogs being helpful in teaching younger dogs housetraining habits. I don't recall anyone mentioning bad habits- not that it doesn't happen- but "mostly" ? Do you really think so?

I think every day doggies pass on bad things. When they live together all the time and you miss something in one dog, chances are the other will do it too. Our old lab taught Mr. Obedient Dobie to jump up on the counters, to snoop through trash, to sleep on the sofa.... I guess I just grew up with one manipulative dog and one easy dog and the manipulative one taught the good one how to misbehave... Now Boo teaches Jemma all the bad stuff-- like digging, eating dirt, begging...

She has a pleading look in her eyes as if to say I'm counting on you to keep me safe :love: , that picture is priceless. I had 2 rotties in my late teens/early 20s. The oldest was in an accident with me and hated the vehicle after. Before, she loved to go everywhere with me, so I know it scarred her for life. I could coax her and she came, but she didn't enjoy it anymore so she only drove when need be. Bad habits along with good, Hooch has tried teaching Einstein food agression but he's turning out well rounded just the same as Keyto shows him the RIGHT things lol.

Now I know where you are coming from. I've seen BARKERS pass along their barking habit to dogs that were otherwise very quiet.
I guess then the key is keeping the first dog well trained, so they don't have any bad habits to pass on, huh.

No, Prin, I was showing of CHLOE, not my messy hair lol :p .

Heinz, I hope neither of you got hurt in the accident :( .

I know my grandmothers dog, Lucas, taught Levi to not be afraid of getting brushed. Lucas would come over and get brushed and then get a treat. Levi wouldn't come near the brush until one day I made him watch me with Lucas and after that Levi realized that there were treats involved, he was all for it.

Another thing I've noticed lately is that Levi's girl friend, a border terrier named Ellie, has started eating sticks. Before she and Levi ever played together, Ellie would just rip the bark off sticks, now that she's seen Levi eat a trillion sticks, she now goes up to him and pulls them out of his mouth and eats them herself. :D