Quieting Ralph's Car Anxiety

We adopted Ralph, a Lhasa/Terrier mix, from a local shelter about 3 years ago. He has been a really good dog, except for one problem that I could not solve. Ralph would get so excited in the car that he would bark from the time I backed out of the driveway until we got to our destination. If I dared to use my blinkers, he would go into a frenzy.

We paid a fortune for a well-known trainer, bought books, tapes and every gimmick on the market--thousands of dollars in all. I even used a silent whistle--I drove around blowing the stupid whistle while Ralph barked along. After shaker cans, spray bottles, treats and praise, I resorted to a muzzle. All this did was make me feel guilty, and it only muffled the barks.

When we adopted our second dog, Abby, I knew I had to do something. She was a very quiet, well-behaved dog, but Ralph's barking was getting her going too. Having two dogs barking in my ears was not the best way to drive around Los Angeles. Someone even suggested an herbal tranquilizer, which I never considered for Ralph, but I did think of taking them myself!

Then I started with Dialogue, which I was already using successfully with shelter dogs. After a couple of weeks of Dialogue, I noticed that we were able to get to the corner of our street with hardly any noise. I kept practicing with him, and as of today, Ralph is so quiet in the car I have to check to see if he's OK. We've been using Dialogue for approximately 5 weeks, and I still can't believe how it has worked. Our rides in the car are so pleasant now. My friends at the dog park are also amazed; they all saw me at my wit's end, many times in tears.

I can't thank you enough for saving my sanity and my relationship with Ralph. If anyone doubts that Dialogue works, I can honestly say that this was the only thing that worked for us. I'm just sorry that I didn't find you three years ago!

Barbara, California