Hi all!
My (soon-to-be) 6 months old lab and I have to take a 3hr amtrak this weekend. There is no way for us to take a flight or drive. We'll be leaving Friday in the evening and coming back Sunday in the very early morning.
Round trip, it'll be 6-7 hours of train riding.
Here's the thing though: she is TERRIFIED of trains. I tried bringing her to the Amtrak station and she started shaking and refused treats. She was super miserable and scared. She eventually calmed down a bit in my arms and when we had more distance with the trains (we moved to the waiting area inside), but she still is in no way a fan of trains.
I'm not sure what to do to make the trip more comfortable for her. I'm planning on carrying her in my arms the entire time even if that means sitting on the floor of the train. I'm also going to be bringing high value treats like liver, cheese, and hot dogs. I'm planning on getting her a burger patty too (she's never had one before) and some whipped cream.
I'm worried though that if this stresses her out too much she'll forever be traumatized.
I plan on not doing any train exposure stuff after this trip for at least a week or two and then building it back up SUPER slowly so that come this summer (july/august) she can tolerate being on trains.
any advice on how I can make this weekend trip more manageable for her? I'll take any and all recs!!