Labrador "refusing" to jump in the car.

Learning how to use his body.
Remy is 7 months old and growing into his adult body. He is finding getting into and out of the car challenging. We are helping him through the process.
Remy understands what he is being asked to do, he is just having difficulty working out how to do it. Often with adolescent dogs it's because the back legs are not working with the front legs, so we have to allow opportunities for that gap to close.
Often we want to "help" the dog by pulling on the lead but this is against what the dog needs as we are pulling him off balance when he's trying to work it out. Is it helpful for me to push you "gently" to help you jump over a puddle or do I run the risk of throwing you off balance? Let your dog work.
At the end, he lifts his front legs on to the car and I gently lift his back end up, allowing his rear feet to find the seat. Practice when you can to build skills necessary for life and only help out if needed.
Exercises which can help with this
1. Put your dog's meal or treats (loads, much more than you think) on your staircase or set of steps. Your dog learns front and rear foot coordination going up and down stairs slowly.
2. Scatter your dog's meal/treats under your dining room table and chairs. Pup learns body control moving under, round and through things.
3. Place loads of items on the floor - cups, plates, cardboard boxes, other household items on the floor and scatter food amongst them. Your dog learns how to slowly navigate the "maze" while controlling their body.
Too often, we label the dog as being stubborn or saying he's refusing to get in the car. He's not, he's learning.
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