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Deb_and_Ed_M's avatar
Deb_and_Ed_M
Explorer II
May 03, 2013

Firestone-ophobia???

Oh good grief - just when I thought I had the perfect dog - Jimmy comes up with a lulu. He's not afraid of thunderstorms, fireworks, guns, vacuum cleaners - NONE of the stuff that sets off so many dogs.

All his life, he's been afraid of the "floorboard" - would NEVER set foot on it, always jumps from the ground to the seat; and vice-versa. Hey - all my dogs need one thing to be kooky about, I guess.

Then he had that meltdown the day that we had Ike put down - and I sort of wrote it off as "loss". But yesterday, as we were riding in the car, I ran over a rough patch in the road, and he started the fast panting/shaking I had seen last week, and every time we hit a bump, his head would snap downward, like he was trying to see what was making the noise!! And then I remembered that the day of his meltdown, I had hit the rumble strips as I entered the expressway (we have a HORRIBLE on-ramp)

DUH! The floorboards are close to the tires and he's afraid of road noise, of all things?! Unfortunately, I drive an Escape and not a Lexus....and I have brand new Firestone tires, which are relatively quiet.

My first thought is to have POWERFUL treats in the car - and every time we hit a rough spot - he gets a treat? He's slightly food-motivated - if it was something like bacon pieces, I think he'd like that.

He rides fine in the motorhome as long as he's not near the floorboards ;-)

Any other bright ideas?
  • Deb_and_Ed_M's avatar
    Deb_and_Ed_M
    Explorer II
    May 06, 2013
    Code2High wrote:

    Another option... more of a training/conditioning option... would be to take a sound recorder and point it at the floorboards and drive around. Get some regular noise and also rumble strip noise. Put that in the computer or other playback device and play it at strategic times softly, then louder. Like you'd do to desensitize a dog to thunder.



    Oooh - THAT would be easy to do!! If I had a recorder - but those are easy to come by :-) Thanks for the idea!
  • Chock_Full_o__N's avatar
    Chock_Full_o__N
    Explorer
    May 05, 2013
    colliehauler wrote:
    My newest Collie Bud hates thunder and lightning, but also freaks out with just rain. Lawnmower vacuum weedeater no problem but if a few drops of rain hit his face he's back indoors. Same Collie loves snow, can't get enough. All three Collies love to go for a ride.


    Oh, my Tiki is scared of rain too. He will absolutely dig his heels in if I open the door and he sees rain. And of course, it's been raining aaaaall day. Thankfully, Tiki is small enough to scoop up and carry out to the potty spot.

    Oh, and he's afraid of my umbrella, plastic bags, pinecones, birds, and trashcans.
  • Code2High's avatar
    Code2High
    Explorer
    May 04, 2013
    I was thinking more along the lines of something temporary, like a hunk of acoustical tile laid over the floor boards in front of the back seat.... where he would get the most noise from and stares at. Not a complete fix, but something that could dampen things down a bit.

    Another option... more of a training/conditioning option... would be to take a sound recorder and point it at the floorboards and drive around. Get some regular noise and also rumble strip noise. Put that in the computer or other playback device and play it at strategic times softly, then louder. Like you'd do to desensitize a dog to thunder.

    If you do that at meal or snack times... when you are not flying down the road, trying to deal with a panicky dog... you'd probably see an improvement.
  • Deb_and_Ed_M's avatar
    Deb_and_Ed_M
    Explorer II
    May 04, 2013
    Code2High wrote:
    Maybe you could sound insulate the floor boards...


    I would, except that I seldom own the same vehicle for more than 6 months (we own a car lot and I drive a demo)
  • Deb_and_Ed_M's avatar
    Deb_and_Ed_M
    Explorer II
    May 04, 2013
    LOL!!! Well, it's nice to know I'm in good company!!!

    Doug - that's exactly the look on Jimmy's face: "Make it stop!!!!!" He still hops right in the car - so far, the ride is worth the fear, but I want to stop this before it DOES affect how he fels about riding in the car.
  • colliehauler's avatar
    colliehauler
    Explorer III
    May 03, 2013
    My newest Collie Bud hates thunder and lightning, but also freaks out with just rain. Lawnmower vacuum weedeater no problem but if a few drops of rain hit his face he's back indoors. Same Collie loves snow, can't get enough. All three Collies love to go for a ride.
  • CA_POPPY's avatar
    CA_POPPY
    Explorer
    May 03, 2013
    When we drive the section of I-10 in Texas that is concrete instead of asphalt, it makes our tires "sing." There is no consoling Rosie during those (unfortunate) hours. I guess the particular decibel range is like a fire siren is to some dogs. There's no explaining that kind of noise to a dog and she won't accept our attempts at consolation. We break out the Rescue Remedy, but I don't know if it actually helps. She's a very sensitive little muttski.
  • Code2High's avatar
    Code2High
    Explorer
    May 03, 2013
    Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.... it is a quandary. Treats might help, worth a try I guess. I'd take him out with another driver and you free to administer treats, though, at least until you have a good system down.
  • dturm's avatar
    dturm
    Moderator
    May 03, 2013
    :B Reminds me of our Amanda and her reaction to rumble strips. She'd sit up and look at the floor then at me (driving) as if to say MAKE IT STOP.

    Even though she's been gone for 7 years, I still apologize if we hit a rumble strip heading to a toll gate or veer slightly to the right (hate Missouri as the put the rumble strip in the white line).

    Doug

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