My puppy panics from loud noises on walks. How can I train her?

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.

I highly recommend getting in touch with a dog trainer in your area that can work with you on something called desensitization training. Basically, this helps your dog get used to things that scare/agitate them, such as cars or bikes going past, and gradually gets them desensitized and eventually ignoring it. Working on other techniques with a trainer such as loose-leash walking can also help with the random stopping on walks. A good first step, until you can get in touch with a trainer, is to bring a high value favorite treat with you on your walks. Any time Hermione is doing something you like such as walking nicely, ignoring something, etc, give her a treat and praise. If she gets over excited or barks at something, walk her away until she is calm, and then praise her and give her a treat when she is calm. These can help start on training until you have a plan in place with a professional.

Poor pup! It sounds like you both would benefit from a basic training class for working on some leash manners, and to work with a trainer about desensitizing your dog to fearful things (such as cars on the road.) A harness such as an Easy-Walk no pull harness or a Gentle Leader is also a good idea so that she can't pull or tug you places or get herself injured. Starting walking on quieter trails that are low distraction and gradually increasing the amount of distraction and noise on walks can help as well, but it will take time. If she becomes too scared, going back to the walking bath she was less fearful on and working up from there is best.

There are many different training methods for helping dogs to stop barking. Repetitions, consistency, and positive reinforcement are the three mainstays of training for almost all aspects of canine behavioral modification. Since she is stopping immediately sometimes, she is either recognizing your desire for her to stop or there is something that is occurring that both you and her are unaware of that is making her stop. You will have to think hard about the times that she stops and the times that she doesn't, and consider what may be different. If you are able to figure that out, training her will become much easier. Since I am assuming the majority of the barking occurs while you are walking Snowball, the best thing you can do is reward any positive behavior you see while you are partaking in this activity. Carry a small pouch of dog treats with you at all times. If Snowball starts barking and going towards whatever the stimulus might be, stop movement, have her her heel, and then the moment she stops barking reward her and continue the walk. Another method you might consider is training Snowball with a separate command that breaks her concentration in order to divert her attention elsewhere. If you are able to teach her the touch command, she might stop her barking in order to come to you in hopes of receiving a treat. The touch command is very simple. You basically are teaching your dog that every time you say touch, she is to come to your hand and touch her nose to it. While in the beginning this will likely only work from a few inches away, eventually with practice you should be able to divert her attention from quite far. If training does not seem to be effective, there are collars available that are meant to discourage barking. They range from ones that make annoying noises, ones that spray out something that smells unpleasant, and ones that shock the wearer. The shock collars should only be used in extreme circumstances when all other collars and training methods have failed. Hope this helps.

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.

Poor Mia! If she is too upset to take treats, this means that you need to be further away from the things that are scaring her. Some dogs need a lot of distance at first! When you are far enough away for her to be comfortable, you can praise and reward her for calm behavior, then gradually work on moving closer as long as she's doing well. It can be challenging to do this on your own at first, so I would recommend getting in touch with a veterinary behaviorist or a good reward-based trainer who can work with you in person. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in your area here (www.dacvb.org) or a qualified trainer here (www.ccpdt.org).

I certainly sympathize with your situation. My own 2 year old dog is the same way. The key to training him is to expose him to situations that are not too scary for him, but improve his confidence. This is not a quick or easy process, and will need to be continued long term. I have found the best method to be a desensitization and counter-conditioning system. When Max encounters something that is slightly scary for him (not too overhelming at first), ask him to sit or lie down for a treat. The goal is to get him to do something that he is comfortable with and receive a treat (positive reinforcement) for doing that behavior instead of being afraid. Do not give him any reinforcement (verbal or otherwise) for fearful behavior, but try to ignore it. Instead reward the behavior you want to see. It would be a great idea to have a trainer try to help you start this type of training program, so you might ask your vet for a recommendation on a trainer. I have been using this on my dog, and it works well, but requires a lot of work. I hope that was helpful! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.