The Easiest Way to Train Your Dog to Like the Car

Does your dog hate getting in the car? Here's how to teach them how fun it can be.

My dog Milo has always hated being in the car, from the first moment we picked him up from his rescue transport. He paces and pants, inevitably trying to crawl in the front seat or into the driver's lap, which, for a Great Pyrenees, is a strict no-go. Once, on the way to the vet, he climbed up front and tried to lay down in the front seat, shifting my car into neutral with his leg as we drove down busy Franklin Avenue in Brooklyn. Needless to say, his car stress can be a safety hazard for the both of us.

I tried numerous ways of keeping Milo in the backseat, from a simple net divider to a backseat hammock to various car harnesses and seat belts for dogs. For safety, I recommend a crash-tested harness like the ones made by Kurgo or or Sleepypod. (A crash-tested car crate is really your best bet to keep your dog from becoming a dangerous projectile in the event of an accident, but I have a big dog and a small car, which limits my options.)

No matter what equipment I tried, Milo was still stressed, because I hadn't changed how he felt about the car. Since he mostly only rode in the car on the way to the vet, that was no surprise. So I was overjoyed when I heard a fellow trainer give one of her puppy clients the easiest dog training assignment I've ever come across: just drive your dog to McDonald's.

What Milo thinks of seat barriers.

The idea is simple. Take your dog on a short drive with the express purpose of teaching them that the car is incredibly fun. That means it has to conclude in something great—something they don't get on normal occasions. For most dogs, a human-grade cheeseburger fits the bill. (Just make sure to order it plain, no onions!)

Drive to your nearest fast-food drive through, and feed your dog a whole burger in the car. Do this a few times, and your dog will start leaping into the car to go for a ride.

To make sure the training sticks, you'll also want to make sure that when you and your dog get in the car, you're not only going to the vet or the groomer or the kennel, or somewhere else your dog finds stressful. Make sure that nine out of ten times they get in the car, your dog gets to go somewhere they enjoy, like to the park, to the local pet store to pick out a treat, or, for New York City pups, perhaps on an upstate hiking adventure! Milo's relationship to the car certainly changed when we started driving more often to fun activities like his therapy dog visits.

And yes, every once in a while, if I see a drive-thru, we still stop and get him a cheeseburger.

If your dog really hates the car, you may find that a few cheeseburgers aren't enough to change their mind. If that's the case, we recommend private lessons! Book one here.