My 5-month-old Rottweiler is scared to go outside. How to help?

Poor Tyson! It sounds like he's very anxious about walks for some reason. Without more information, it's hard to say if he is afraid of the leash, or being outdoors in general. Other than taking him outside to potty, I would stop trying to take him on any walks right now - dragging him outside and forcing him to go is probably making the problem worse, unfortunately. Instead, start wherever he is comfortable and use very tasty food treats - things like chicken, roast beef, hot dog slices, or cheese often work well for anxious dogs. For example, you might sit on the doorstep with him at first and just feed him a handful of treats, one at a time. Do this a few times a day, until he seems comfortable and happy about sitting on the doorstep. At that point, you can try taking a step or two into the yard or driveway - sit down there and feed him treats again. Gradually work up to walking a tiny bit further each time, as long as he seems relaxed and happy - if he gets scared, just stop and back up to where he was comfortable. If you don't make any significant progress with this approach in the next 1-2 weeks, I would recommend making an appointment with a veterinary behaviorist to address his anxiety issues - this level of fear of normal, everyday things is very worrying in a puppy this age. The behaviorist can help you put together a more detailed plan to help him, which may include medication if needed for his anxiety. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in your area here: www.dacvb.org

Rott is a very handsome guy! I see that he is only about five months old, so one possibility is that he simply isn't fully housetrained yet. Most puppies are at least 8-10 months old before they are fully reliable in the house without supervision. It's also possible that he may have some separation anxiety, as potty accidents when left alone are a very common symptom of this problem. I would recommend confining Rott to a crate while you're gone, if possible. This will make it much less likely that he will have accidents or get into other trouble. If he gets upset in the crate, you can also try leaving him in a puppy-proofed room with hard floors so that accidents will be easier to clean up. You can set up a video camera to record him while you're gone, to see if he seems anxious or not - this is a good way to help determine the problem. If he does have separation anxiety, I would recommend discussing this problem with your veterinarian since he may need anti-anxiety medication along with training to help him learn to be more comfortable by himself.

Is it possile to go out another door, or to a different part of the yard? If not, you need to teach her, in very small doses, that it is okay to go out. Do not baby her ("Oh, poor puppy! It's going to be all right.), or she will pick up on your tone of voice and be even more scared. Instead, speak to her with confidence (Come on, Lola, let's go out!). If she gets through the door, stop, rward her with a treat, and stop the exercise. Next time, try to get a very little bit farther out the door. Keep inching out in increments until she is comfortable going outside again.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Some dogs just do not enjoy going outside too much and it takes some encouragement to get them to go outside. Most of the time this is something that happens when they are scared or nervous about their surroundings. This is certainly not uncommon. A few things that you can try are going very slowly and reward progress. As your dog makes progress going outside, go ahead and reward Petrus with praise and also treats. Try to find fun things to do outside that your dog may like such as playing ball so that he associates going outside with something good. Before you know it he will get used to being outside. Good luck!

This is normal for a puppy of her age. By tricking her though, you are slowing her learning ability and not helping her. The best thing to do is go outside with her and sit and let her play. AS she gets older and more comfortable, start moving around outside, doing your own thing so she gets used to moving and not paying attention to her. With age and training, she will go out on her own.

I'm sorry to hear that Coco is so frightened of being outside! Unfortunately, what you are describing is very common in dogs that did not receive adequate socialization as young puppies - all pups need to get "out and about" to see the world and have lots of different experiences during their socialization period, which is from 6 to 16 weeks of age. It sounds like Coco didn't get much socialization during this period, which is likely why she is so fearful now. It will be difficult to get her comfortable with the world at this age, but not impossible. You will need to take things very slowly and make sure that being outside is always a fun and positive experience for her - this may mean simply sitting on the porch with her feeding treats or playing with a toy for a few minutes, then taking her back in. You can work up from there as long as she is comfortable. Ideally, it would be best to work with a veterinary behaviorist on this - he/she can evaluate Coco in person and help you put together a detailed plan to help work on her anxiety. Prescription medication is also helpful for some dogs with severe anxiety like this, so you could discuss this option with your veterinarian as well.

Soil and feces can carry viruses for a long period of time, so trying to find an area Blakely can go where other dogs don't frequent is best until he has had at least 2-3 sets of shots (or the OK from your vet). If you don't have a spot like that, but have a patio area, you could try making your own "potty" area with a piece of sod or a litter box filled with dirt to get him used to going outside and on that substrate without as much confusion when you do transition to outside. Making sure you're taking him out often enough (every 1-2 hours for a 2 month old puppy, or after waking, eating, drinking, or playing) can also help reduce accidents since his bladder can't hold it very long at this point.