Ellie and I have been working in the backyard for weeks on walking on a leash. She is very good at heeling and keeps her attention focused on me and is a joy to work with--in the backyard. Because she now has her second set of shots, I took her out front yesterday, onto a sidewalk (she's never been on one before) and we "walked" for about a half a block. She was overwhelmed by everything. Anytime you walk a dog in our neighborhood, there are a lot of dogs across the street that bark. Ellie was scared of the dogs barking at her, afraid of parked cars in the driveway, afraid of a car driving by, afraid of basically everything. I was very patient with her and had treats and would pat my left leg and encourage her forward. Anytime she went forward she got a treat. I basically walked backwards holding a treat and patting my leg. She would move forward a few steps take her treat and then flip out. She was shaking and looking frantically in a dozen different directions. At times she would fight the leash and twist her body and flop down on someone's lawn. I would crouch down, call her and pat my leg. I never pulled her or yanked her. I waited until she moved forward and she got a treat. Am I doing this correctly? I am worried that this is causing too much stress for her. She was totally exhausted when we came back in and slept for 2 hours (not at her usual nap time). Should I do something different to acclumate her to going out front? I wanted to take her to PetSmart today but I am worried that she'll flip out there and I don't want it to be a negative experience. I want Ellie to have FUN walking and going out to public places, so how do I make these scary things a positive experience?
To Stressful to Continue?
- Thread starter Lahree
- Start date
Ann
Moderator
If you're on a busy street, (dogs, cars etc) I'd condition her much more slowly, since she seems to have a problem with too much activity. Is there a park with a quiet trail you can take her to? Or perhaps a very quiet street with little traffic? It's worth driving somewhere if she's nervous about leaving her home environment. I'd do a very quiet walk daily for a week or so and then build up gradually to busier areas.
Also, I can't remember whether you have another dog or if Ellie is your "only child." If you have another dog, bring him/her along, that might give Ellie confidence. Or perhaps enlist a friend with a dog to join you on a walk. But definitely start in a quieter setting. Good luck!
Also, I can't remember whether you have another dog or if Ellie is your "only child." If you have another dog, bring him/her along, that might give Ellie confidence. Or perhaps enlist a friend with a dog to join you on a walk. But definitely start in a quieter setting. Good luck!
Ellie is an only child.
We live on a very quiet street-very quiet. We just had the bad luck to have two cars drive by while we were outside. What I could do is take her on one of our walking trails where most people don't go. I hadn't thought about that. It is a walking path so no cars drive by at all and there would be less scary stuff on that path. No parked cars to walk by either. I intended to walk her to that path (the entrance to the path is only a block away) but we obviously didn't get that far. What a good idea! Why didn't I think of that? lol! That's why I post here! Thank you!Alfie'sMom
Forums Regular
I had the same problem with Alfie. He was very nervous when we started going for walks. Afraid of everything that was moving, making noise or was bigger then him (even wind and dry leaves on the ground).
Some advice that I got from members of this forum was really helpful and I was very patient and persistent. I walked him several times a day (there are days when we walk 6-7 times) - short 5-10 minutes walk just outside our property, around the block. I did it every day unless it was raining hard, snowing or too cold. A little distraction was very helpful, actually, and he quickly got used to cars passing by, people running, dogs and all the noises of my neighborhood. Every day was better the the previous one. It's been almost three months since we got Alfie and tomorrow he'll be 6 month old
Now when I say -let's go for a walk, he runs straight to where his leash is. He still is a little nervous when I go somewhere that we go rarely, but treats help a lot. He also carries my glove almost all the way and I think that helps too - maybe he thinks that this is his job
So, be patient and walk your puppy every day and you will se the results really quickly. Good luck and happy walking!.
Some advice that I got from members of this forum was really helpful and I was very patient and persistent. I walked him several times a day (there are days when we walk 6-7 times) - short 5-10 minutes walk just outside our property, around the block. I did it every day unless it was raining hard, snowing or too cold. A little distraction was very helpful, actually, and he quickly got used to cars passing by, people running, dogs and all the noises of my neighborhood. Every day was better the the previous one. It's been almost three months since we got Alfie and tomorrow he'll be 6 month old
Now when I say -let's go for a walk, he runs straight to where his leash is. He still is a little nervous when I go somewhere that we go rarely, but treats help a lot. He also carries my glove almost all the way and I think that helps too - maybe he thinks that this is his job
So, be patient and walk your puppy every day and you will se the results really quickly. Good luck and happy walking!.
BarbV
Forums Celebrity
I had the same issues with both Timber and Bacca on their first walks.
Patience is everything - and also not forcing it. What I did with Bacca the first time I tried to walk him off the property (and yes, there were cars going by as we live on a fairly busy corner) - I simply stood with him at the end of the property until he got a little comfortable with the car noises.
Then we ventured off. I had a treat in my left hand which I dangled just in front of his nose. When the crossed the street, he got the treat and then we went back home. We went a little further and further each time.
As much as he loves his walks, he still loves coming home. It's odd that in a neighbourhood where every house looks the same, he knows when we are within 3 or 4 houses from home - his pace picks up and he knows instinctively which driveway to turn into! Smart dogs!
Good luck! It will get better!
Patience is everything - and also not forcing it. What I did with Bacca the first time I tried to walk him off the property (and yes, there were cars going by as we live on a fairly busy corner) - I simply stood with him at the end of the property until he got a little comfortable with the car noises.
Then we ventured off. I had a treat in my left hand which I dangled just in front of his nose. When the crossed the street, he got the treat and then we went back home. We went a little further and further each time.
As much as he loves his walks, he still loves coming home. It's odd that in a neighbourhood where every house looks the same, he knows when we are within 3 or 4 houses from home - his pace picks up and he knows instinctively which driveway to turn into! Smart dogs!
Good luck! It will get better!
Thankfully I have the patience of a Saint when it comes to animals. I wanted to make sure I was doing everything I should do correctly. We went for a pleasure walk behind our property where there were lots of good smells and things to look at and she really enjoyed that. When we got done there we just walked right through our gate and to the front and she was much better. DH and I walked her together and she did MUCH better. We walked with her between us and she seemed to feel protected and she only had some mild "fits" and they were quickly over with encouragement and treats. One car went by and she was not as scared as yesterday, so I am feeling much more positive today.
romeosangiovese
Forums Enthusiast
That's great!! I'm happy Ellie is doing so much better!
One thing I like to do when Romeo freaks out about something (usually a noisy motorbike that really should be in a workshop getting fixed) we'd just stop and I'd feed him treats continuously until it passes. Creates a positive association. I did this with cars too. We'd sit at a bus stop for a few minutes along a fairly busy street and I'd just feed him treats as he watches cars go by. I live in a densely populated city so he really can't be bolting every time we see a car moving.
If he can still eat treats, I know he's not THAT freaked out. If he can't, I'll walk away from whatever is bothering him. But it's good to stop, ask for a sit, and then give treats. Give her time to take in the surroundings and realise it's not so bad afterall. You will find that she'll relax soon enough. I've used this technique along REALLY busy 6-lane roads (3 going in each direction) and in very crowded (with people) shopping/food places. With each treat given, I find that Romeo will visibly relax and then stop focussing so much on the craziness going on around him.
One thing I like to do when Romeo freaks out about something (usually a noisy motorbike that really should be in a workshop getting fixed) we'd just stop and I'd feed him treats continuously until it passes. Creates a positive association. I did this with cars too. We'd sit at a bus stop for a few minutes along a fairly busy street and I'd just feed him treats as he watches cars go by. I live in a densely populated city so he really can't be bolting every time we see a car moving.
If he can still eat treats, I know he's not THAT freaked out. If he can't, I'll walk away from whatever is bothering him. But it's good to stop, ask for a sit, and then give treats. Give her time to take in the surroundings and realise it's not so bad afterall. You will find that she'll relax soon enough. I've used this technique along REALLY busy 6-lane roads (3 going in each direction) and in very crowded (with people) shopping/food places. With each treat given, I find that Romeo will visibly relax and then stop focussing so much on the craziness going on around him.
She is a VERY clever girl! She loved walking between the two of us. My husband takes care of her during the day and I take care of her when I get home in the afternoon and the majority of the weekend, so she seems to feel equally happy no matter who she is with, but when the three of us are together, I think it really makes her feel secure. I also enjoyed the three of us being out together so much, I sure hope we can do it everyday now.
Thank you so much for taking the time to comment and help me with this problem. It is nice to hear that other people have worked through similar situations. It sounds like I am on the right track to make Ellie enjoy walks.