My dog is scared of traffic on walks and pulls. How can I fix this?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sometimes dogs can get scared even when there does not appear to be anything scary in sight. Remember that they can hear and sense much better than us so he may be perceiving something that is near which you may not. This can improve but it can certainly become a bit difficult at times. I recommend that you start taking him out for longer periods but very slowly over the next several weeks. Encourage him to stay out with treats and positive words. Also, in the beginning just take him out without walking initially just to get him used to his surroundings. Eventually little by little he will learn that going outside equals getting treats and attention and will improve with time but it does require time and patience. You can consider using the Thunder shirt for him which you may find online and can help a lot in these cases. Good luck and have a great day!

You may try to find a CD or other audio recording of traffic or even motorcycle sounds. Once you find one, play it in your house at all times at a low level. Gradually increase the volume. This helps the brain to become adjusted to the sound and normalize it. You should also get a high-value treat. When you are on a walk with him as soon as he sees a motorcycle call his name and give him the treat. Standstill and continue giving him the treats as long as the motorcycle is around.This can help to create a positive association with the motorcycles. You must be consistent and the treats must be very high value. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. I would recommend using corrective collars like a pinch collar or gentle leader. These can help stop the pulling behavior. You may also look into the low voltage shock collars. These collars emit a small shock that is similar to being snapped by a rubber band. You can use this to correct the behavior and these collars can all be found online or at your local pet store. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

This sounds very frustrating for both you and Scout! I would strongly recommend enrolling in some basic obedience/socialisation classes where she can meet various breeds and sizes of dog in a controlled environment and a professional trainer can help you both work through this together. It will take some time and patence but with some extra support it will be possible to achieen improved focus and manners whilst out and about!

Most will outgrow this as they get older and more confident but walking with a friendly buddy dog and clicker training can help to work as positive distractions to encourage her to keep walking with you

Poor Banba! IT can be very helpful to find a buddy dog which is friendly and comforting for Banba to walk with which can help her confidence and encourage her to walk in unfamiliar places; also taking her in the car to a quiet area such as a wooded park can be less daunting. Take plenty of treats and praise her for walking with you, try to ask her to stop and sit in open spaces for praise and treats and then ask her to walk on with you at your command and not her schedule!

Harnesses actually make pulling a lot EASIER for your dog, which could be making the situation worse. If Abby doesn't like head collars (many dogs don't), Gentle Leader also makes a harness version called the Easy Walker that is great (I use it for my own dog). It doesn't go around the neck so you don't have to worry if they do pull, and the leash attaches to the front of the harness on the chest. When your dog starts to pull, it puts pressure on the chest, and also redirects them back toward you like a gentle leader headcollar does. This can help mitigate pulling and may make your loose leash walking training go a bit easier. Another thing you can try when you resume walking again from a sit and stay position, is to walk backwards a few steps! Many dogs will either be confused at first, and thus stop pulling in their distraction, or think it is a fun game and will come toward you instead of pulling away. Once the leash is slack, you can then walk forward again. You may look silly walking backwards and forwards in the same spot for a bit of time, but it can help with stubborn pullers.