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Why all of a sudden does my chihuahua become fearful of riding in my truck?
My chihuahua is 2 1/2 years old and has loved to ride in the truck with me. She is tethered to her car bed and can see out the window. Recently she has become fearful of riding. When I make her get in she will start to pant and shiver and does not relax. She used to go everywhere with me and really enjoyed it. We have not been in any accidents. Any ideas? Laurie
Could she have developed motion sickness? Have you taken any particularly long car trips with her? Or have you left her in the vehicle while you made a quick trip into a store? She could be upset about seeing you leave or someone might have frightened her while you were gone.
Try to see if it's the car that she's afraid of or the drive. Just sit in the car with her in your driveway...don't start it at first, just let her be there and have a look around. If she's calm, then start the car but don't drive anywhere, just let it run and see if she remains calm. If she does, then put the car into motion and check her reaction then. By breaking it down and observing each part, you might be better able to determine what's triggering her behavior.
Did something traumatic happen to her?
Like unwillingly getting shoved in the car to go to the vet? Or falling off the seat, or getting jostled around a lot?
If you make her get in the car to go somewhere she doesn't like, she will begin to associate something she likes (riding in the truck) with something she doesn't like (going to the vet) it may take a while for that to happen so that might be why it seems "sudden".
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