Dog behavioral problem - can anyone help?
For about 8.5 years I've owned a black shelter dog named Marley. She was about 2 years old when I got her from the animal shelter. The shelter staff told me she had been abused before they got her and she spent some time wandering around as a stray before they got her.
She's the perfect dog, if not a little overly protective; she follows me everywhere, is quick to learn tricks, etc. She's pretty aggressive with strangers, but once she knows you she's submissive and docile.
My problem is in the car. I take her with me everywhere, but we keep running into one issue: Marley HATES anything that runs on diesel.
I don't know if it's the sound of the diesel engine that bothers her or the fact that most of the time a diesel engine belongs to a huge truck, but she HATES anything and everything that runs on diesel. She goes nuts; barking, growling, throwing herself against the side of the car. It's bizarre. Her rage is so focused and intense I can't believe she's the same sweet, sedentary dog I live with.
I've tried keeping her leash on in the car so I can pop her collar when she does this. I've tried yelling at her. Nothing seems to work, and there's only so much I can do since when this happens I'm inevitably driving the car.
Does anyone have a dog that does this? Or know of something I can do to fix Marley's problem? Any advice would be very appreciated!
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