Eddie HATES jumping up into the truck.
I think his hips are not great....

He went through a stage where we had to lift him up when he was younger..he had been carsick and associated puking with the truck.
he got over it.
You have good ideas.
I would try loading and unloading him without going anywhere....use bacon or something like that..Eddie loves ice cream and popcorn.
If I had an issue like this I'd use popcorn (his standard high value treat) to train the behavior, and if he got up in the van, then I'd use a small dip of ice cream (his ultimate treat) in the van as reward.

So that way it becomes fun marker training with high value terat, rewarded by the highest value reward you have eaten or enjoyed in the van.
Then go back up to the house and do it again in a bit.

So if it were Eddie, it would become...lets go to the van to eat ice cream!!!!!

Once that was down, I would load......and not give the ice cream.
I would drive 5 min down the road and pull over and have the ice cream there..then go home.

Understanding that I'm not telling you to use popcorn and ice cream...just that those are Eddie's highest value treats.....you will have to figure out what really does it for Chico.

Aimee, I cannot find any fault in your reasoning, I as a dad, knowing what a dog go thru schutzhund training, I did consider making it easier on the dog. But then again, if they can jump, maybe they should. And as you said, as the time get's to be older. We deal with that. Dan

I never thought of popcorn or ice cream, since we are on raw, my mind is jumble up with meat. good idea. One for him; Two for me. why not? Thanks Willie. Dan

Be careful with the ice cream...Eddie is on raw and has a horrible tummy..but he can handle the ice cream just fine....BUT I don't know if Chico can.....We started slowly with Eddie...realllllllllllly slowly....
Yup..you got it..two for you..one for him.....

If you have an ice cream maker it is super easy to make frozen sugar free yogurt.

You can also add chicken broth, bits of meat, peanut butter etc. I have added a little honey and/or molasses for sweetness without a problem too.

Mine love Ice cream but it gives them horrible awful gas, so I use my little bed bath and beyond ice cream maker to make them their own.

It is totally worth having one for the homemade 5 ingredient Vanilla though. Seriously simple and and SERIOUSLY good.

Reply to all, on the treats for higher value training, I am not that well verse, I have never giving the so called junk food to any of my dogs. (have they been missing out on some joy). I tried the string cheese, so far so good. I think if I get the recall down, he should follow me to their and back. But how I get their with out food. he is already rejecting my ace in the hole HOT DOG. So I will try what works, far from getting him sick.

Hey Dan, best to keep them guessing in the treat department. They can habituate on one treat, and it loses it's motivating value. Our dog got pretty "ho-hum" on hotdogs, too.

You can do a "treat survey" with your dog. Just get a few different ones, and see which ones he likes. He'll let you know. One of our dog's favorites? Ranch-flavored croutons (as in salad croutons). Go figure.

Dan, maybe try toys as well? My younger dog is also very picky about jumping in the car (puts his front feet up but wants to be lifted. My fault, as I probbaly sub-conciously 'taught' him to do this as a pup, as I was so used to boosting in my older dog.)

Yesterday, during lunch break, I walked to Petco and picked up some of the reject, reduced to $1 toys. Anyway, when he smelled those exciting toys he flew right in the car- no problem! I let him play for awhile, then took the toy away, had him sit and threw the toy in the car, in he went. I've tried treats and other methods with little success. I'm going to get serious about training 'hop in' with toys now. I have a fun selection of new ones.

Maybe get a new toy (or a couple) and try this method out with Chico?

Rob I wish he would love croutons, today he did not want the half of chicken, yesterday he did not want beef bone, what gives? Dan

Jennifer. Thanks, but don't have one, plus my condition don't allow me time like that in the kitchen, hurts like you know what. Dan