My doberman whines in the car!

[marioforever]

My 7 month old doberman whines on and off in the car. He does whine also when we stop for any reason on a walk or if it takes me a bit of time to mix his dinner, so I dont think it is stress related and he never gets what he wants from whining (I try to ignore him). He has travelled in the car since 8 weeks old and can be left for an hour or so in it if it's not sunny, and he just sleeps. I am at a loss as to what to do about it. If I say "quiet" he just makes more noise. My other half can just ignore it but it really gets on my nerves and we have a trip planned to France next year, which I am at the moment dreading. He has plenty of exercise and is very well behaved for his age. I dont always take him out in the car for walks and if I do he will sometimes be quiet on the way there and then whinge on the way back. He is a bold outgoing confident dog. He has chew bone and toys in the car and as we have a 4 x 4 he has plenty of space and a lovely bed. Do you think it will get better in time. I suppose it is better than barking or howling! Any suggestions please!

 

[CorvusCorax]

Get him a crate and cover it/airline box like a VariKennel/custom made box from somewhere like Lintran so that he cannot see out. Also try feeding him in there in the yard/not going anywhere.

 

[Dobiegirl]

They can be whiney only one of mine Darcy has done it but I just tell her to shut up and she usually does. The crate that CC has suggested is a really good idea and can we have a photo of your dog please because it would be nice to see another Dobermann.

 

[marioforever]

Thank you for the replies. I have tried the covered crate and it made no difference. He dosent even bother to stand up in the rear of the 4x4 but just lays down and whines on and off. He is quite large and a crate would have to be big to get him into it at this age!. I think he just whines for attention as he loves being next to me. It isnt even a proper whine - just like a nasal whinge. I am just worried that he is stressed, but he is probably just spoilt!! I am going to try and ignore it or get some earplugs. Any other suggestions very welcome. I will post pics in the next few days. He is a brown dobie and has a wonderful temperament and is a good boy on the whole so I suppose it is only a small problem.

 

[Sprout]

My Dobie was fine in the car as a puppy, but then she suddenly hated going in it - as soon as she was in, she would start whining. My vet suggested putting her in there without the engine running, feeding her there, introducing short journeys with a nice walk included, using a crate etc - I tried it all and nothing helped. My car is a 4X4, and interestingly, if she sits on the back seat of my husbands saloon car, where she can see out of the window, she is much better! Maybe she is just a snob and thinks my battered old Toyota is just not fitting!

 

[lula]

my dog can whine in the car too and is worse when the car is idling (at lights, in traffic etc) Its just a bit of excitement i think about where we're going and if we stop it gets worse as she thinks she's getting out.
havent really found a way to stop her when she does it apart from a gruff 'QUIET!' which works for a time...

it can be extremely annoying tho so i do sympathise!