[Zuzus_Petals]

Chester is 13 weeks old and a happy confident chap in most situations. We have taken him new places, met new people etc long before he was 'jab safe' to go out on his walks, but the boy is terrified when we go out. We did puppy parties at the vets with other pre jabbed pups and although nervous initially, came out of his shell and was star of the show with the trainer using him for the demonstrations as he does seem to pick things up quickly.

He has been officially able to go out for walks for just over a week now, we only take him on short walks (literally to the end of the street in some cases). He gets excited to go out but then at the end of the drive puts the brakes on and pulls to be back inside. He can be enticed with sausage/cheese/chicken to go a little further most of the time but he just seems so scared (tail between the legs, squishy butt etc)

His first walk, he was nervous yet excited and I've gone over and over to see if anything eventful happened or if he got a fright etc but to be honest we live in such a quiet place and we only went around the block there was nothing I can put my finger on. It is a very quiet place where we live and seriously nothing happens around here, however, there are loads of people out walking dogs (although when we have been out we haven't bumped into any) so wondering if the smells are confusing him/scaring him.

I'm wondering if I need to take him somewhere where there are more people/actual distractions. We live by the seafront and the promenade would be a great place, plenty of people and dogs etc but would this overwhelm him?

The last couple of days I've increased his walks to about 4-5 per day (v v short walks) in the hope that would quicken the process of 'breaking him in' and show him that this is actually meant to be fun!

Any ideas?

Jules and Cowardly Chester

 

[DB1]

Hi Jules, Chester is a great name, and lucky you living near the sea!
I can't give you advice from experience, my over confident boy has pulled me along since the first moment he wore a collar! The only thing I would say is it may be worth taking him somewhere further from your road and then letting him walk home, its a tricky one because you don't want him to think that the world is so scary that he needs to be carried everywhere, but I understand your frustration at not getting very far. I guess as you did take him out and about before he could be put down, that you could try doing that again but obviously put him down for a while in different places? I could be giving completely wrong idea's so it maybe worth waiting for someone to comment who had a pup like that to begin with.

 

[2ndhandgal]

If you look at the world from the height of a pup it can be incredibly scary and absolutely anything could have spooked him. If he is happy to go to the end of your drive go to there and sit and watch the world go by for a while - it could easily be traffic - if it is halfway down the drive would be a good place to mooch so close enough to see and not close enough to be worried. Coaxing with food can go wrong so I would try to retreat to where he feels safe and do a bit of training you can reward rather than using the food to coax him along.

At the moment his worry is over riding anything else so let him take as long as he likes to decide it is not scary.

You could carry him to the prom and see if he wants to do a bit of walking there - let him tell you what is overwhelming and listen to him when he is worried so he can develop lots of confidence in you.

 

[Marzi]

Can you enlist a helper in walking? Kiki was a coward... but if Lizzie (my daughter) held the lead and I marched ahead she would follow... but if anything new was encountered she would just sit and sit until she'd taken it in. The worst thing for her was barking houses...
Of course we also had our collie who was a wonderful calm example.
I'd try the prom - just drive and park where Chester can sit and watch from the car, then carry him to a bench and sit and watch from there - he will get shed loads of admirers and most poos love lots of attention from fans, put him down on the ground and let him wag at people then walk back to the car...
You are right to do little and often.
Kiki was better out on the fields or beach too as I'd just take her lead off and walk away. She would much rather stay with me than be left in the scary world

 

[Lindor]

When Maggie was small she did a lot of sitting and watching. She would then continue walking but not until she was ready only to sit and watch something else after walking 10 feet farther. The neighbors were well entertained by her. She will still do it but not as often or for as long. Lots of patience is needed so don't be in a hurry to go anywhere. Chester will grow more confident as time goes on. Just let him take in all the new sights at his own pace.

 

[Miss Lilly]

Oh gosh! This brings back memories!!

I think everything everyone has said is spot on: your pup is simply overwhelmed by that whole big world out there! New sights, sounds, smells, sensations, surfaces: so much to take in and process in his developing brain. He's not a coward at all! At his age, even shadows can be scary things.

Let him sit if he needs to. If he seems overly anxious, try not to reassure him with little strokes or gentle words. To a doggy mind, this signals that he is right to feel anxious and can reinforce his fears.

The first time Miss Lilly was scared of a sudden noise (I forget what it actually was), I said (in an overly jolly voice) "Oooh! Big noise!". I wish I'd thought of something different: this is the one phrase that still gets through to her now that something is not as scary as she anticipates, so I find that I still use it for all sorts of things (including people she is unsure about - which sometimes results in some pretty odd looks from people in the street). It definitely works though!! I can now go up to something as scary as a traffic cone lying on its side in the dark and touch it and say 'Big noise' and Miss Lilly will immediately come and smell and investigate rather than pulling away.

Having someone hold Chester's lead whilst you walk slowly ahead can also work if you really need to get somewhere: he will likely be so focused on following you, that he will forget how scary things are. You also need to signal to him that you are relaxed and enjoying yourself, rather than worrying about him. He may try and make a lot of eye contact with you: its best not to meet his eyes but to continue to walk straight on as if you hadn't a care in the world. Your relaxed attitude to a scary world will help Chester to relax too.

Saying that: be careful not to overwhelm him. Short walks and no dragging him along. If you absolutely have to get somewhere quickly then I would say its still better to carry him at this stage.

Miss Lilly is now nearly 9 months old. She will still sit down if unsure. Its getting less frequent and I suspect that she sometimes sits down for other reasons too (because she doesn't want to go a certain way or because she can smell a tasty chicken bone that I won't let her get to!!).

Chester will get there. Give him a little time and a lot of patience and he will reward you ten times over with his love, trust and confidence in you.

 

[fairlie]

Rufus had a happy and confident nature from the get go but he too refused to walk. It drove me crazy, we'd go out and he'd just sit and look miserable. He was much happier walking with his dog uncle, my parents lab, or my sister's great pyr. He is very intense in nature and just needed a bit of time. Go at the pace of your pup, slowly and gently help him feel less overwhelmed, explain things to him, feed him treats while you watch the world together, they do come around.

 

[emjon123]

When we first started walking Bailey we had to carry her at the start of all her walks, this went on for a month or so.

Our neighbours thought we were nuts!

Eventually we started putting her down outside the estate, then at the end of the street until she would walk from the door. Then my problem was stopping her pulling on the lead she was so desperate to walk!

Everything is new to them and some pups take to it easier than others.

 

[Lottierachel]

Tilly used to be fine at the start of her walks and then out the brakes in as soon as a car drove past! We picked her up and carried her to make her feel safe. She could still see all the sights and hear all the sounds, but from the safety of our arms.

Within a week or so she was more than happy to scamper down the road and these days she's unstoppable if she knows there's a trip to the park involve!

X

 

[Lexi&Beemer]

I was walking about a half a step ahead of them in the beginning. During puppy school, the trainer laughed at me because she'd never seen dogs that trailed after their owners. They've since grown out of it but I used to have to take lead for a while.


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[Zuzus_Petals]

Thank you all.... The evening I wrote this I think we cracked it by accident. His first walk was with all of us (hubby and 2 kids). I took him out by chance when the kids came with me and they were in front and he was as happy as larry! He did get a shock and squishy bum when 2 spaniels in a porch of a home we passed started barking loudly but he soon got over it. I'm glad to hear it isn't that unusual and he should get past it.

Thanks again
Jules and Chester
x

 

[Tinman]

Ah I just come on this thread to see how Chester is doing on his walks - glad it's improving, I'm sure he will build his confidence daily on his outings - you'll soon be back on here with a question about re-call!! x