Why won't my dog get out of the car? Is he scared or in pain?

Question

Yesterday my dog didn't want to get out of the car, no matter what we did. He spent a whole day there before we convinced him to get out. Why does he behave like that? Pet's info: Dog | German Shepherd | Male | unneutered | 6 years and 8 months old | 81 lbs

Steve Popish, DVM · Accepted Answer

Hard question to answer. Could either be behavioral or physical depending on the circumstance. Many older dogs have trouble getting out of the car due to arthritis or joint pain which restricts their ability to jump up and down. In other situations some dogs may have experienced an incident that creates fear or phobia related to the car. My dog has a fear of going up stairs but does just fine with going down. Weird! To be safe, you should schedule a wellness exam with your local veterinarian to ensure there are no health issues that might be contributing to this situation, especially if it continues. Monitor for other signs of joint problems such as slow to get up from rest, difficulty moving after exercise, or trouble jumping up or down. Relate any and all observations to your veterinarian to help localize the particular problem with your dog. Otherwise work on the behavior through positive reinforcement and repetition getting in and out of the car with food rewards. Hope this helps. Thanks, Steve Popish, DVM.

Why won't my dog get out of the car? Is he scared or in pain?

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