Dog's not happy - I'm confused.

[rzims]

That is a very nice looking platform.

Thanks - unfortunately, it didn't solve the problem.... ...poor dog is still scared in the truck

 

[pitboss000]

Thanks - unfortunately, it didn't solve the problem.... ...poor dog is still scared in the truck

It is a nice platform, and sorry to hear it didn't help. I just spoke with Linda at Ram Care and she said you would have to open your own case with them. The more case's they document the more attention they will pay to this. Very frustrating as we are the guinea pigs. If your interested, just call 1-866-932-3873 and report your issues.

BTW - What kind of dog do you have?

 

[rzims]

It is a nice platform, and sorry to hear it didn't help. I just spoke with Linda at Ram Care and she said you would have to open your own case with them. The more case's they document the more attention they will pay to this. Very frustrating as we are the guinea pigs. If your interested, just call 1-866-932-3873 and report your issues.

BTW - What kind of dog do you have?

I'll give her a call later this morning and see about opening a case....
She's a ridgeback/Boxer mix. I've had her for about 7 years and she loved my F150 and my Jeep...this is really strange.

 

[pitboss000]

I'll give her a call later this morning and see about opening a case....
She's a ridgeback/Boxer mix. I've had her for about 7 years and she loved my F150 and my Jeep...this is really strange.

Beautiful girl, the mix is awesome! Good luck with the case.

 

[Pritch]

My 100 lb Akita (see avatar) also hates riding in my 2019 Ram. He has always loved road trips in any other cars, trucks, or SUVs I’ve owned. I thought the windows were too high for him to see out of and have been considering a platform to raise him up, but maybe something else is going on.

 

[rzims]

So, we've been working through this with the dog...we've found that when we fill the space between the front seat and the back seat, she seems happier. We bought a giant body pillow at Costco and wedge it in there. Not sure if the shorter seat in the quad cab is too small or what...
It could also be that she's finally just gotten used to it, but the last few trips up to the property, she seems relaxed and more at ease.

 

[Bighorned]

it could have been she felt a little "unsafe" getting close to you with the gap? Just a thought. Hope she's ok. Beautiful dog.

 

[VectorZ]

I have four German Shepherds and none of them have any issues going for rides.

 

[Kooch80]

i am wondering if the ANC has anything to do with this. might be emitting a frequency that could bother animals

 

[JimD007]

Fortunately my little rescue hound loves to ride with me in either my truck or my convertible. She sometimes doesn't eat for half a day or a little more. I give her the same two cups of dry food regardless. She always catches up. She loves tiny little treats which is the main way I house trained her (she got one when she went outside).

My kids do not like me comparing my dog to my grandkids but I think there are similarities. When something appears to be wrong but you know they are OK sometimes the best strategy is to wait for it to pass.

Good thinking on the pillow between seats.

 

[MilehighRam]

Disable the Noise Cancellation and see if the pup is better with that.

This was the first thing that came to mind

 

[Boston]

Pit boss have you tried her in any other trucks or cars? Wonder if your dog is just growing up and changing her habits.
Next time you put her in, reward her with a treat. A bit of kibble or biscuit

 

[silver billet]

Could also be just the "new car" smell. I know it drives me nuts, can only imagine how bad it must be for a dog with much better sense of smell. There are all kinds of materials that are "off gassing" in the first few months, some of it is actually very unhealthy.

 

[Diamondback]

I tend to "feel" the weird-ness as compared to the hear-ness (if that makes sense).
My ears almost want to pop like on an airplane. It does make for a quiet ride though.

 

[Talisman]

My husky did this when my wife got a new suv. He was used to my Tacoma with cloth seats and her suv had leather seats and the seat base was a little shorter. He would freak out in the seat, he had a weird lean and you could just sense the nervousness and tension in his posture. It was really weird, my dog went thousands and thousands of miles in my old Tacoma with never complaining. He loved being in the car until my wife’s suv.

We tried putting him in the cargo area where it was carpeted and he didn’t like that either because he was too far from us. We finally got a pet hammock which attaches to the head rests of the front seats then covers the empty area between the front and rear seats, covers the rear seat, and the rear seat back as well. This changed everything and he was finally happy going in her car.

He also had no problem in my new 5th gen ram with the pet hammock. He was 19 and his hearing and eye site were almost completely gone. Yet, he was totally at ease with that hammock installed. We got a couple of good last road trips in with him in the new ram before we finally had to put him down. We put him down about 3 months ago and I still miss him every day.

Anyway the hammocks are pretty affordable and might be worth a shot. It’ll also help save some wear and tear on your seats (nails and dirty paws, wet dogs, etc). Hope this helps you.

 

[pitboss000]

It's been a while since I posted so here is an update. As far as riding in the truck nothing has changed. Believe it or not, since Ford doesn't have anything like ANC, I talked a local dealer into letting me test drive a 150 with the dog along. Her reaction was the same. That being said I was not surprised because her "anxiety" has turned into a full blown psychosis. She is only safe/happy when inside or in our fenced yard. Walks only when she wants to, and still needs to be forced into the truck. When she does walk she's excited to go, but sometimes we only get 10 feet from the door and she locks up. Can't figure it out. A sound or a smell, I don't know. Also, if anything is different - a delivery box in the house for example, she is spooked by it (barks at it, runs from it or approaches it as if it will attack her). It's sometimes comical, but this craziness has become a way of life with her. Because of this I no longer think the truck is the issue, it just may have been the start of her anxiety. Some research shows that this is not uncommon with Jack Russell's. Just a bit hard to understand since she is 4, and her first 3 years she was a normal dog.

So I appreciate all of the help and suggestions you all have offered. I've literally tried everything - including vet recommended anxiety meds (which just seem to dumb her down). I can only hope at some point she will adjust. Or maybe I can get Cesar Milan to make a visit!

Talisman: So sorry to hear about your dog. 19 awesome years with a good old boy - I feel your pain. Despite the issues with my girl, I love her to pieces regardless.

 

[Diamondback]

Read through the Service Bulletin 08-056-19 (I've attached it).

Your canine would hear more of the symptoms than you may.

 

[Sallymilr]

I think in such cases you should go to the vet to see if the dog has any health problems because most likely this is the reason. I had such a case and for a week my dog was very strange and I did not know what to do to make him happy. After we went to the vet he found some problems and recommended dog dental water additives, which we bought the same day from thepetsmaster.com. After two days of consumption, the condition of my dog radical began to change for the better and that made me extremely happy.

 

[Aseras]

Does the dog react when the truck is not moving? There's vents on the back of the cab to equalize the air pressure to prevent the buffeting like when you open a window at certain speeds. check those. Perhaps have her ears cultured or checked by a ear veterinary specialist. I had a dog with a middle ear infection ( Pseudomonas aeruginosa, nasty stuff ) and she reacted the same way only to certain sounds. couldn't tell from a normal exam.

 

[thedream829]

Did you end up fixing this?