1Year old Collie refuses to get into the boot of the jeep.

patseyr said:
When I say she was jumping over obstacles etc I mean she has no issues leaping up on picnic benches, clearing the fence to the neighbours running up and down stairs etc. so I don't see the height of the vehicle as an obstacle, but of coarse she may have had a bad experience at one time in the past.
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I was asking how old she was when she started going up and down stairs and jumping because of the potential damage to her joints. Immature joints/growth plates not closed. Growth plate closure depends on the size/breed of the dog and could be from 6 months up to 16 months. Jumping on open growth plates can damage the joints.

Puppies should not be doing stairs before 12 to 14 weeks, it puts them at risk of hip dysplasia. Their musculature is not developed enough to support the hip joint through the range of motion when going up and down stairs.

Jumping from vehicles is hard on a dog's forelimbs and shoulders. The force from the impact can lead to musculoskeletal problems/degenerative joint disease.

To limit damage to her joints buy a ramp for your vehicle and teach her to use that.
 
skinnydipper said:
I was asking how old she was when she started going up and down stairs and jumping because of the potential damage to her joints. Immature joints/growth plates not closed. Growth plate closure depends on the size/breed of the dog and could be from 6 months up to 16 months. Jumping on open growth plates can damage the joints.

Puppies should not be doing stairs before 12 to 14 weeks, it puts them at risk of hip dysplasia. Their musculature is not developed enough to support the hip joint through the range of motion when going up and down stairs.

Jumping from vehicles is hard on a dog's forelimbs and shoulders. The force from the impact can lead to musculoskeletal problems/degenerative joint disease.

To limit damage to her joints buy a ramp for your vehicle and teach her to use that.
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12 to 14 weeks? Thats very young for stairs. I dont like large breeds doing it before 8 months
 
My sister’s collie also hated vehicles. She is now comfortable travelling in my sisters van but she needs to be in the same seat and she likes being able to see out the window. She still doesn’t like other vehicles though.
I think my sister was just consistent with taking her out and doing fun things and she got used to it.

Collies are odd. Sisters dog stares at shadows on the roof if they move. She’d do it for hours if she was allowed to.
She also growled and hid from Tony the Tiger on a Frosties box when he dared peep out of the cupboard 😂
 
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Peglo said:
Collies are odd. Sisters dog stares at shadows on the roof if they move. She’d do it for hours if she was allowed to.
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This is a stereotypical behaviour, like tail chasing, spinning and pacing.

Collies are bred to chase and control movement, ideally of sheep, but this need to control movement is why some collies chase tyres.
 
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Three of my collies used to have a wonderful time herding our boys when they were toddlers, out in the woods, down on the beach just about anywhere when we were out and about. The boys grew up with the collies around them so they quite happily accepted their guardians out and about. The only place I stopped them doing it was at home in the garden, the poor kids would have been shuffled around and around the garden all day long, not conducive to a bit of free choice activity out in the fresh air. ☺️
 
My parsons had been crated in the car since a pup. She was 2 in Sept. We started to let her have the back seat with the lab. It's all safe so she can't climb anywhere. She hates it. We've put her back in her crate and she is totally settled again. I hope you can resolve it.
 
My current collie didn’t like the car when she first came to me. I rehomed her at 12 months old so wasn’t sure how she had been introduced to vehicles and travelling.
After pain had been ruled out, I just persevered with rewarding her every time she jumped in the car (by means of jumping in after a toy or a thrown treat) and taking her somewhere nice for a walk, or to the training sheep, anything she found pleasurable, starting with short journeys and building duration. She now loves it and travels calmly and quietly.

As we all know, border collies are a very sensitive breed and the trigger for not wanting to jump in could be one of many things. It might not ever become apparent but things you can try are:-

Making the vehicle itself more attractive by feeding her in it (while stationary);

Trying her in a crate (covered/uncovered);

Positioning in different areas of the vehicle. For example she may prefer to jump in the back seat to the boot, or footwell to back seat etc;

Make journeys short initially and only take her when there’s something enjoyable for her (a walk, a play session, whatever she enjoys most).

And just persevere and persevere.
Good luck.
 
Sandstone1 said:
She may feel sick though. Ginger biscuits may help with sickness
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Definitely this, I had a springer spaniel bitch who was exactly the same. She loved the walks but just not the car journey. We put it down to car sickness and gave her Gingernuts before the trips and it did help a bit.
 
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Could your vehicle smell strongly of petrol or diesel which is more evident to a dog with a fantastic sense of smell.

When I sit in my partners car I often feel sick as it's lower ti the ground than mine and it often smells strongly of petrol so makes me feel nauseous. 🤢
 
Birker2020 said:
Could your vehicle smell strongly of petrol or diesel which is more evident to a dog with a fantastic sense of smell.

When I sit in my partners car I often feel sick as it's lower ti the ground than mine and it often smells strongly of petrol so makes me feel nauseous. 🤢
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I don't think you should be able to smell petrol inside the car. Have you had it checked for fuel leaks?

If it is exhaust fumes coming in through the air inlet, switch to recirculation.
 
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I had a collie that would nip if picked up. He was like it his whole life, so no useful advice from me I'm afraid. Have you tried letting him in the back seat? That might help you work out what it is that he's anxious about.
 
After ruling out pain on jumping do you have another dog who is happy to get in the car and travel? My lab wouldn’t get in and hated travelling but after taking him with OH lab who loved going out he got happier. The older one would hop in excitedly and therefore the younger followed and was happier when I was driving. He got very stressed crying and vomiting but all that’s stopped now and he comes alone with me in the car. I’m not sure he’s totally loving it but now understands it’s not awful and means a nice walk or getting home to his friends.
 
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