My new dog is terrified of walks and going outside. What can I do?

I would continue to take her out on the leash for lots of walks, giving her treats to distract her if there is a noise or something that may scare her. You can also get an anti anxiety supplement at PetCo which may help her to relax. Usually this will improve over several weeks as long as there aren’t more scary episodes. Please contact a dog trainer if she doesn’t improve in a month or so. They can help you learn how to build her confidence and get her used to various things outside. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Harley.

Congratulations on your new dog Hazel. New situations can be very stressful and it sounds like she may have not had a lot of training or exposure in her previous home. Find treats that she really seems to like. You may need to experiment around with different ones. Once you find the treats, reward her for approaching you with a treat. Reward her for sitting next to you or any other healthy activity that involves her being interested in you. This will quickly form a positive association. You will not always need to reward this behavior but for right now, it’s important. To train her to use a leash, hook it to her collar and allow her to drag it around. She will eventually move and get use to the weight. Then start to pick up the leash and slowly follow her as well as encourage her to walk with you. The key is to use high value treats, talk softly, keep things positive and be patient. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

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!

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

Dogs are situational learners and can sometimes make some very weird connections. I recommend to start clicker training her. You will also need some very high value treats or a high value toy. Whichever she thinks is better. Basically start in the house near the doorway with you and reward her for coming near you. Gradually work your way out the door. What you are trying to do is produce a positive association. It is very important that you remain calm and try not to get frustrated her as she will pick up on negative energy. You can also start feeding her in the back yard or playing out there to continue the positive association. Also give her positive reinforcement for looking at you frequently or when she is afraid. This will teach her to look to you for action. This will be a slow process. Be patient and keep her on the medication for now. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

If your new addition is otherwise feeling well (eating well, interacting and playing with you) she may be a shy puppy and/or adjusting to her new home. Some puppies are more confident than others and it can take some time for them to figure out their place in the new house. If you got her from a breeder you could certainly contact the breeder to ask about her personality previously with her littermates. The breeder will likely know if she was one of the more timid puppies. As most dogs are food motivated using treats can be really helpful. Or if she has particular toys she loves these can be used as well. Basically it's important to make her home a positive and not scary environment for her right now. For example if you get her to leave the house on her own show her praise and give her treats so that she knows this was a good behavior. It can take some time for some puppies to develop confidence. The other really important thing for puppies is a consistent routine as far as when they are fed, when they go outside, etc. Dogs are very smart and will learn a routine quickly and gain confidence in it. The other option is that she may not be feeling very well and that may be why she's reluctant to do some activities. It would not be normal for a puppy to just want to sleep all the time as they should have more energy then an adult dog. This would be even more concerning if you feel like she is not eating well. If any of these seem to be the issue, or just to ease your mind that what you're seeing at home is normal, then having her checked out by your family veterinarian would be a good idea. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Hi there and thank you for using Pet Coach to address your concern. I would recommend socializing her more and getting her out of the house and potentially into some training classes for dogs. You can also use the below products, which can be found online. 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. Please take the time to mark this question as helpful or not as it helps us to improve on the quality of our answers to other pet owners. Thank you kindly! 1. Adaptil collar 2. Thundershirt 3. NaturVet Quiet Moments Calm Chews with Melatonin