| Hmmm....maybe it's too big for him? Maybe he is used to the confined space of the backseat of your old car. Maybe he is scared he will fall all over the place? My 127lb dane rides very well in the backseat of my Honda Civic....much better than she ever did in the back of the Ford Explorer we used to have - all that falling around. Just an idea. Other than that, how do you like the Matrix? I was thinking of getting one...
Another thought, have you tried to get him in there with the backseats up?? That could be a start but unfortunately now he may be to scared anyway. |
| sorry to hear you're having trouble..I bought a new Saturn Vue and they let me test drive it with the stipulation that if my Dane could'nt or would'nt get in there was no deal... of course the dealership was used to seeing Libby since I always took her with me for oil changes etc.....
I like the idea of putting the back seat up,, maybe there was just too much room for him... I hope things work out for you and Merlin.... |
| Ginnie,
I presume you have tried getting in the Matrix with the hatch up & starting it. If not, that might be worth a try since you indicated that he enjoys a ride. Most of ours have jut jumped in any new vehicle with no hesitation but we have had a couple that wanted one of us inside before they would get in, at least the first few times. |
| Have you tried let him get in through the side door? I once had a dog who wouldn't get in through a hatch that lifted up (tailgates were OK). Guess he kept expecting it to fall on him. |
| It seems that the whole climbing in through the hatch thing is what's freaking him out.
My suggestion would be to close the hatch, put the back seats in place, and ask him to get in as you did in the sedan - through the passenger doors. Have you guys tried that yet? To make it less unappealing, you should maybe get in first and have your husband try to load him in. Opening all the doors might help the car seem more open and inviting as well. Maybe after a few rides like that, he'll be more open to getting in through the hatch. If you DO get him in the car, go somewhere REALLY fun to him. Like a Petsmart or a dog park or somewhere that he'd really like to go. Do that for a couple times. He'll associate getting in that car with going somewhere super fun. Maybe he'll be more interested in getting over his fear of getting in thru the hatch if he knows the end result is something great. Just an idea. Camel is a big baby... I'm sure she would totally be freaked out to get in through a hatch. Good luck! |
| Shame on that dealer for not letting you test it on Merlin. Have you tried loading him with another dog friend? Another option would be to contact ananimal communicator and have them ask him why he doesn't like it. I kknow it sounds sor t of out there but I am going to use one for one of my horses and I'll let you know how it works if you are interested. |
| Hi!
sorry my english is not very well!! I'm from Canada, Québec. We have a Matrix.....and a great dane.....it fit very well!!!...She like's to jump into the back and come to see us in front of the car...she like's because she seem to enjoy to walk over each windows to see the road (the backseats down) I dont know what to say to you.....maybe Merlin is scared....The Matrix is the perfect car for a great dane....we enjoy very much. We put a carpet and her favorite blancket because it's to easy to slide (i dont know how to say this) (le plastic est trop glissant)...it's maybe a solution. good luck!! |
| Oh Ginnie!
Our Elmer is weird about getting in anything other than his beloved Volvo 240 sation wagon. Sometimes we have to use our sedan, and we have found that if it looks dark in the interior to him (claustrophobic I guess), he refuses. Make sure there is plenty of light coming through the car. You can even take a table lamp and put it in the front so that it doesn't look like he's climbing into a small dark space. Maybe that will re-assure him that it's ok......good luck! |
| A Dane that won't get into a vehicle? Our 211 lb Great Dane, Alpine, would climb into anything for a ride. Although he had his own wheels, the Toyota minivan, with license plate holder reading 'Alpine's Limo,' he wouldn't hesitate to climb into my daughters Honda Hatchback if it meant going some place - or no place - as long as he was going. I must admit though, he took proprietary rights over the van, allowing us to drive it as long as he was in it. He would sit in the back seat like a king on his throne. Good luck with Merlin. |
| Sometimes it just takes time. He may need time to get used to it. It's like getting a doggie door, Moses would not go through it for a week. Then when his chocolate lab went through it he figured it was not that bad. Then it took another week to back into the house thorough the doggie door. Maybe Merlin needs another dog to climb in first . |
| get a new car. and shame on the dealer for not letting Merlin go for a test ride. My dane is better behaved and cleaner than most children. She is stubborn too. never did figure out the doggie door. good luck. |
| Maybe Merlin is trying to tell you someting about the car. Take the car back to the dealer or your trusted mechanic and have it looked over. There could be something wrong with it. You never know...
I aggree with the others...shame on the dealer for not letting Merlin test drive the car. |
| Too funny - if it wasn't so frustrating! My first Dane, Harvey, was a 200+ pound fawn. He rode happily in the tiny space behind the seat of my MG midget convertible with the top down, but didn't like riding in an enclosed car much, and really hated getting in the back of my brother's LUV pickup with camper shell. That is, except on July 4th or during thunderstorms. Then he crawled into any vehicle with an open window. The neighbors had to call us several times to get him out of their cars in those situations!
Try opening TWO doors (and the sunroof if you have it -- but first, I'd ignore Merlin and the car completely for two-three weeks, and start fresh with a different approach. And I'd definitely take the advice to go in t hrough the doors! BTW: Thanks for DaDane - it's the only site I check weekly - I never miss! |
| Hello Ginnie,
The Quebecoise Dane owner has a good point--she suggests that that "plastic is very slippery"for the Dane? My Danes are aversive to stone penguins, but will even climb into a Saturn. Good luck! |
| You should complain to the dealer. When I was looking for a new car I too wanted a space that folded flat, but was downsizing...wanted a hatchback. I crawled through the back of several cars with a meqasuring tape. My dogs love the Mercedes C coupe 230. I think the dealer was realling wishing I'd bring them in to check it out, as he didn't believe that they would fit. Your Matrix is beautiful...does Merlin chase cats? Maybe you could put one in there! Just kidding... |
| In 2001 I traded in my 4 door sedan on a Subaru Forester that would comfortably fit my Molly and her soon to arrive little brother Delmar. The Subaru salesman was sharp and he encouraged me to take Molly for a ride in both the Outback and the Forester to see which fit her better. The Forester had more headroom for her so I bought it. Now I am going to buy a 4x4 truck with a cap to ferry the Danes and I to our favourite fishing spots.
You made a good choice as the Matrix is an excllent evehicle. My brother has the hot rod 180 hp version. Your big boy will get in eventually..Danes just seem to march to their own tunes only |
| Hi all,
I appreciate the comments and suggestions! For what it's worth... ... We HAVE offered Merlin every door in the car, not just the hatch back. We've had all possible combinations of the doors open at once. We've also tried all combinations of the seats up and down. ... As soon as I brought the car home, I fitted the cargo area with a non-slip rubber pad and covered it with indoor/outdoor carpet. So sliding on the hard vinyl surface is not the issue. ... We HAVE gotten into the driver's seat and tried to coax Merlin in, as if we were going for a ride. If fact, we've even driven away and left Merlin behind, looking longingly at us. ... I agree, the salesman should have let Merlin "test drive" the car. ... This is a brand new car. I can't afford to get rid of it (taking a huge loss) in order to purchase a different new car, as someone suggested. ... I like the idea of having another Dane climb into the car while Merlin looks on. I am making arrangements to do just that. I'll let you know how it goes. ... As a last resort, I may try an animal communicator. I'd probably get a real ear-full from Merlin! Ginnie |
| Danes rule!! Ladibug, black female, spayed age 5 yrs. loves my car, I drive a 98 sunbird convertible. As soon as the car door opens Ladi is right there to go for a ride especially with the top down!! |
| one other thought. as with young (less than a year) horses. get 2 - 3 people, pick him up and put him in the car. then go someplace fun. repeat for ride home. maybe when he rides once he will realize the new car is okay. |
| Although not often....Danes can be difficult sometimes. Too bad Merlin has decided to be difficult with such a cool car! Maybe on an afternoon when he can be somewhat supervised, but left alone to do his own thing, you could put a few things that he "can't survive without" (ie: a certain toy, bed, treat) into the back of the car and leave the car open for a while. Perhaps after several hours he will go get that special something out of the car on his own terms. Granted its not him going for a ride, but it would be a step closer to getting him in the car. Maybe he's just showing out & if he thinks you're not watching, he'll approach the car. Hope something works! Merlin must not realize how well the color of your new car compliments him! |
| I like the idea of opening one side-door on each side of the car. Our dog (alas, no Dane yet!!) is a Briard; 80 pounds worth and she loved getting into the back of the Chevy Blazer (unless she was really tired after herding and then she'd put her front paws up & we'd have to lift up the back end!).
When it came to getting into my little Chevy Metro, it was a whole different story. I finally f igured out that if I opened both of the back doors and either climbed through with her leash in hand, she would eventually get in (as I called to her in that high voice we all know so well). The things we do for our beloved pets! Good luck. |
| I have that exact car! I bought it for my mantle boy, Charlie. The back seats are hardly ever up, and he loves it when I open the sun roof cause he can just barely get his noe out! We love our matrix, and am thinking of getting seat covers to match the dog! |
| When i got my new van both of my danes refused to ride in it. I take them to work with me every day so they were totally used to riding in a van. Even more strange was that the new van was the exact SAME kind as the old van, just a newer model. The only thing we could figure is that sense doggie noses are so sensitive that maybe that new car smell that us humans love so well was what was weirding them out. Anywho, I purchased a bottle of "calm dog" which is an herbal sedative and dosed them heavily. I wasn't about to try and wrestle with 2 huge danes to get them to go in the car so i knocked them on their butts with an herbal remedy (so without the scary side-effects of a medicinal tranquilizer) and had 2 people help me carry them into the car. And i just drove around until they woke up. And they were FREAKED OUT. I was sure that they were comfortable though (plenty of soft blankets and toys) so i kept driving. And drove and drove (for about 3 hours) until they had totally calmed down. At this point i gave them tons of treats (i didn't want to before cause i was afraid to reinforce their bad behavior of acting like crazies in the car) and we went home. I repeated this incident for 3 days, and each day they took less and less time to calm down until finally they just snapped out of it and were fine from then on. I hope this helps. Let me know if it works for you! |
| Funny, before I bought my matrix I looked and looked for almost a year. I had a favorite salesman at the toyots dealership and I climbed into the back, and made him climb in with me so I could get a "sense" of the space. He gave me the strangest look, and I just sayed, what? You afraid I'm gonna try and kiss ya? Then when it came in, before I signed the papers, I brought my dane to the dealership to try it out. They weren't happy about putting a dog into a car that wasn't officially sold yet, but I just stood firm and said...well, IT IS his car, he should get to go for a test drive. I take Charlie with me for maintenance stuff and they all love to see us roll into the garage! One thing though, I once had an electrical problem with my AC blower and lights on the dash. They just all went out, and then came back on 20 minutes later. Dealer couldn't find anything wrong??? |
| Danes certainly have their quirks. I've had several Great Danes and have had them in a Honda Accord sedan, Ford Taurus and when in a bind, a firebird w T-tops out! As long as I say Want to go for a RIDE? they are there. Sorry he's so determined, but there is something bothering him. I agree with the new smell being the culprit. Good luck Ginnie! |
| Hi Ginnie!
When we returned from a trip, our Dane Siegfried refused to lay on his couch. A couple of months later we got him a nice new soft cushion for his bed. He refused to lay on that! Ths solution was to force him to lay and stay on the bed and the couch. After a couple of hours he was OK. After five Danes and decades of studying their behavior, we have concluded that Siegfried has only one brain cell. So this technique may or may not work with Merlin! |
| Ginnie...this discussion has really piqued my interest!
Another thing I thought of, that has worked for us when Camel didn't want to get in the car, was to open the doors on both sides of the car. (This is pretty basic so I'm guessing you've probably already tried this.) But, stand on the opposite side of the car from Merlin. Peek through or crawl through and call him to come to you. Seeing us on the other side of the car patting the seat, is usually enough to encourage Camel to get in. Further suggestion is once he gets close, start sweet talking or offering SUPER treats. Like steak or peanut butter or a bone, or something that's really his favorite. You'll have to really reach through the car, but since you're IN the car, in the same seat/area that he is, it's more helpful than if you were in the driver seat. The best time to try the treat maneuvers is when it's been a while since his last meal, so he'll have his stomach encouraging him to take the treats too. Just try to get him to take the treats. Then give him a rest. Next session, make him do a little more for the treats. I.e. reach into the car for them. My favorite idea though has been to try putting another dane/dog in the car. Hopefully Merlin is as jealous as Camel, because if that there the case, this plan would definitely work! Oh, lastly, if you suspect it's the new car smell that's bothering him. Try keeping the windows down as much as possible to "air it out." Keep us posted and Good Luck!! -Sue |
| Boy, I have 5 big dogs and feel extremely lucky that they all love going for rides...I am on dane # 2 now (we lost our beloved Tiny on St Pattys day) and we are training him in young--in all of our vehicles. My dogs will go with anyone anywhere as long as they get to go. What about a worn article of your clothing?? Just put some worn clothes (with your sent of course) around inside of the vehicle. Good luck... |
| Ginnie,
We had a Town and Country Mini Van for our two danes Abigail and Buddy. The problem was that there were no side windows for them to hand their heads out of. We looked at the Mazda MPV but fit and finish wasn't to our liking so I remembered an SUV I'd rented once. We test drove the Buick Rendezvous and loved it right away. We got the one with the bucket seats in the middle so we take them out and put a non-slip pad in and the dogs love it. Fortunately they never had any problem at all with this vehicle and were trying to junp in before we even open the back doors. Now they can stand in the back, lay on the back seat and see out, sit on the back seat like a bench and stick theri heads out the side windows and bark at dogs being walked (very bad habit that Abby taught Buddy. He thinks it's soooo fun!). I thnk your best bet is to get a surrogate dog to take a ride first. |
| Hi, Ginnie,
I once drove from Seattle to North Carolina in a YUGO!! with my beloved 155 pound Nwee-wee in the back seat. On your Merlin, I would bet dollars to dog bones that it's the new car smell that puts him off. That is often a problem with horses who will load readily in an old, piece of junk borrowed trailer, but when the house is mortgaged and the new trailer comes home---Nope! Not gonna do it! With horses, you can shovel a scoop of their own barnyard mix (poop, old hay, shavings) into the back to make it more homey. With your big boy, I would put one of his beds in, drive it around with all windows open as often as possible, and give it some time. Hand feed him treats when you are sitting in the back area, if he'll come up to the car. I think when the smell wears off, you can appeal to his sense of "Rides are Fun Afterall" Best wishes, Deb Ambrose |
| Hi, Ginnie,
I once drove from Seattle to North Carolina in a YUGO!! with my beloved 155 pound Nwee-wee in the back seat. On your Merlin, I would bet dollars to dog bones that it's the new car smell that puts him off. That is often a problem with horses who will load readily in an old, piece of junk borrowed trailer, but when the house is mortgaged and the new trailer comes home---Nope! Not gonna do it! With horses, you can shovel a scoop of their own barnyard mix (poop, old hay, shavings) into the back to make it more homey. With your big boy, I would put one of his beds in, drive it around with all windows open as often as possible, and give it some time. Hand feed him treats when you are sitting in the back area, if he'll come up to the car. I think when the smell wears off, you can appeal to his sense of "Rides are Fun Afterall" Best wishes, Deb Ambrose |
| Hi Ginnie,
I love browsing your site; I spend hours on it. I so associated with your da-Merlin_mobile story because I have a da-Hamlet-mobile story on my own. I bought a Pontiac Vibe GT which is exactly the same car as yours; a Toyota engineered Matrix with a Pontiac body on it. And I bought it exactly the same way, and for the same reason as you. Guess what???...my 4 years old Hamlet reacted exactly the same way as Merlin. How funny...I couldn't believe when I read your story! Kris |
| Did your Merlin ever adjust to the Matrix? I just found your site and have enjoyed reading the entries very much! We've never had a great dane, but we love them. We have a greyhound/dalmation(?) mix and a beagle/chow mix, along with three cats.
Kimberley In the "house of hair" |
| We just got our first Dane puppy, so I am not too familiar with them, but our other dog, a Rottie/Lab mix is very shy about some things.. we tried to get him an igloo dog house.. it was 3 times larger than what he would need and No Way was he going in there.. but if I stuck my head in there he would stick his in too..no room for both of us though, so he never did learn to use it while outside. Anyways.. maybe try a picnic? Take your faborite blanket, and his favorite blanket, and hang out in the hatch back for the afternoon.. take a nap with your husband back there, let him see you think its very safe.. If you will sleep there.. maybe its not so bad! Also, maybe try putting some of your worn laundry in the car, leave it there for a couple days, old sweatshirt.. socks.. anything that smells like you. New cars deffinetely have a very strange odor, most people like it, maybe he doesnt. I also agree with the comment on maybe theres something wrong with it? Try taking the floor mats out and putting them near his bed, or just around the house.. he will get used to the smell, and they will start to smell like home. The car wont miss them:)
Goodluck! Hope this helps. |