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  #1  
Old 11-28-2011, 07:21 PM
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Default introducing to walks outside

....this is stressing me a bit...Miya is walking around the house right now with her harness on (for the first time)..she notices it but doesn't seem too bothered. When I attached the lead tho, and instructed her to "come on", she kinda froze...eventually she came, but you can tell this was totally new and foreign to her...

we take her outside when walking to the car because we wanted to get her use to car rides..which is getting better...yesterday I took her on the patio briefly, she was shaking a lot..

What can I do to get her comfortable outside? She uses pee pads in the house so she isn't familiar with outside yet...
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  #2  
Old 11-28-2011, 08:27 PM
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Is there a reason why she is scared to go outside? Maybe you can try taking her out to just a small area at first, like to the car and back, then as she gets more comfortable, expand the space, like to the corner and back. Also, reward her with treats for going outside. The first one maybe when she first comes out, then the next one when she has gone as far as you want her to? That way she will begin to associate outside with good stuff?
Also, maybe picking her up and carrying her around the area, so that she can feel safe in your arms, while at the same time she adjusts to the surroundings.
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Old 11-28-2011, 08:56 PM
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Okay, okay. First of all.. you're trying to get her used to walking outside on the leash AND get her used to car rides, right?

You need to separate the two. She may be fearful of going outside on the leash BECAUSE she sometimes goes on a car ride when the harness and leash go on. I say don't expect too much of her too fast. Stop trying to get her used to car rides for a little while and focus on walking outside.

Are you familiar with positive reinforcement? Have you ever used clicker training? It can do wonders for fearful or shy dogs.

Even if you're not, I recommend buying some deli meat. Something plain (like low sodium turkey breast--nothing too fancy or heavily seasoned). Shred it into tiny pieces about the size of your fingernail or smaller and put them in a ziploc bag. Keep it in the refrigerator and every time you want to take her outside, go grab the bag and tell her, "Outside!" in a happy tone (or "Do you wanna go outside?" Whatever you choose, be consistent.) Drop a few treats on the ground for her to eat while you attach her leash. The idea is to make attaching the leash and going outside on walks a positive experience, so do this every single time.

The biggest mistake you can make is to coddle fearful behavior. Don't talk to her in a "Oh you poor baby" voice. Don't talk sternly either, of course! Just talk quietly and matter-of-factly. Be encouraging and optimistic. Be her pillar of strength and show her that the world isn't as scary as she thinks. Never drag her on the leash. Every step she takes should be of her own free will, and her progress will be rewarded by you with praise and treats.

If she is scared of a particular inanimate object outside, go up to it yourself. Touch it, knock on it, pick it up slowly.. whatever you can do to show her that it's not so scary. (Keep her away from people or dogs that would probably cause her to have a scary experience though.)

IF YOU'RE NERVOUS ABOUT HER BEING ANXIOUS OUTSIDE, SHE WILL BE ANXIOUS OUTSIDE. Dogs are very keenly aware of our emotional states, even when we ourselves aren't aware of how we feel. That leash acts like a telegraph wire-- if you're nervous, you will tense the leash without thinking about it, and that translates all the way down to your dog who then thinks, "Mom is nervous.. I bet I should be nervous right about now, too."

The bottom line is that if during one session all you can get her to do is leave the front door and stand cowering on the front step for ten minutes, then so be it. Let her do that. I promise you she won't do that forever. Avoid eye contact with her and don't talk to her too much while she's nervous, but JUMP on an opportunity to praise her and give her tons of treats if and when she decides to take that first step off the doorstep.

Also, be aware of your tone of voice. You shouldn't sound like, "Come on. Now we are going to train you to walk appropriately on the leash. " Instead, try to sound like, "Aren't you happy about this opportunity to earn lots of tasty treats and see the exciting world outside?! "
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Old 11-28-2011, 09:04 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Vampy Vera View Post
Also, maybe picking her up and carrying her around the area, so that she can feel safe in your arms, while at the same time she adjusts to the surroundings.
I would really try to avoid picking her up. It's really easy to do, but it will likely create a situation where she is a terrified mess on the ground and can only tolerate going anywhere if you're holding her. She's a big girl (well, sort of) and she needs to learn to stand on her own!

That being said, don't ever push her past her limits or you'll create a bad experience for her. Let her choose how fast she wants to go, where she wants to go, whether she wants to go at all.. but encourage her with the idea that "If you DO go, you'll get lots of tasty treats and attention from me."
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Old 11-28-2011, 09:06 PM
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i'm not trying to do all these things with her at once...these are just a few of the things I want to eventually get her used to. She just doesn't care for her harness..it's a little big for her so I'm looking for a better sized one. XS just aint cutting it yet no reason in particular she's scared to go outside. She's still pretty young, so I want to introduce her early. She'll get there I'm sure. Just looking for advice and experiences..
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Old 11-28-2011, 09:09 PM
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When Teddy was a puppy I used a Pinkaholic Puppia harness. It velcro'd around his chest and under his belly so it didn't have to go over his head or anything.

It was like this, only blue:
Amazon.com: Puppia/Pinkaholic Puppadot Harness Medium Pink (Small, Violet): Baby Amazon.com: Puppia/Pinkaholic Puppadot Harness Medium Pink (Small, Violet): Baby

How old is she exactly?
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Old 11-28-2011, 09:12 PM
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Thank you for the link. I'll check it out, that may be useful right now since she is pretty small. Miya is 11 weeks on Friday
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Old 11-28-2011, 09:17 PM
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Here's a helpful video. Don't just assume that she will "get over this" with age. She's likely at a fear imprinting age, which is an age period where fearful experiences stick with a dog forever if they don't learn otherwise before growing up.

Developmental Stages

Anything that frightens the puppy during this period will have a more lasting effect than if it occurred at any other time.

8 to 11 weeks is a fear imprinting period -- Experiences a puppy perceives as traumatic during this time are generalized and may affect him all his life. It is a fact that a dog is most likely to develop an avoidance response if subjected to physical or psychological trauma during these four weeks.

6 to 14 months is a second fear period -- Many dogs will show a rise in their level of aggression (reactivity) during this time. They may become protective and territorial. May suddenly be apprehensive about new things or shy or timid of new people or situations.
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