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  1. #1
    Puppy
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    The Walking Blues

    I saw a previous post by someone who was having issues walking their newly adopted dog, but I figured I post my own since the issue is much different.

    I've had Ripley for almost 3 years now. He's always been a shy, fearful dog when out in public and after seeking advice from different trainers on the matter of his fear/shyness, I came to the conclusion that this is just the way he is. I got him at 7 months old and by then he'd missed out on all the proper socialization, so he never learned to be a social dog when it came to people. I don't blame him for that, and I decided it wasn't worth putting him through the stress of attempting to socialize him after having tried for a very long time. Every where we go he is withdrawn, even the dog park. I make sure people know not to approach or try to pet him, and we do well (for the sake of my other dog, who loves going out in public).

    Now that you know a little of his back story, I can tell you about the issue I'm currently having. I moved into an apartment in May of this year. It was a big transition for Ripley, going from a yard to having to walk for his potty breaks. When we first moved in, he went three solid days without a single drop of pee or poo. Since then he goes semi-regularly during our walks, which take place three times a day. And that's the problem. By "semi" I mean sometimes he goes, but he usually doesn't. He'll either pee or poop but wont do both, or he just flat out wont do anything. I think he only goes when he absolutely can't hold it any more, which is usually around 12-14 hours between potties. Any little noise, from a front door shutting to people having a conversation on their own porch will cause him to withdraw to the point that he absolutely will not go potty at all. There are only certain spots where he will pee or poop (two, actually) and both involve walking through some pretty dense bushes (he feels like he's hiding, I suppose). I'm afraid of running into a racoon or snake, especially at night. Even still, he doesn't always go.

    I would really like some advice on how to make him more comfortable walking around my apartment complex. It's gotten to the point now where he tries to turn back towards our apartment, and I will spend the entire walk trying to keep him from doing that. He tries to be sneaky about it sometimes. Also, whenever I stop walking to let his much older canine sibling sniff around for a pee spot, he will simply sit down and wait with his body pointed in the direction of our apartment. Sometimes he will get excited about going for a walk, and then he'll shut down as soon as we are out the door, and sometimes when I grab the leash he will go sit in his bed and wont come to me. I really wish there was some way to make going on walks less traumatic for him, but I can't control what goes on outside when it comes to noises (subtle as they are usually). Even when there isn't any noise...it could just be a person walking down the street and if he sees them, he's done and wont go potty.

    I hope I've explained my issue well enough, I'm terrible at this, but any help you can provide would be great!

  2. #2
    Senior Dog Labradorks's Avatar
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    I don't know the answer, but you may try talking to some really good obedience trainers who might be able to help you instill come confidence in him and get him out of his shell a little. Any way that you can move to a different environment?

    I'd probably not worry too terribly much about the poop and pee. I mean, it's not ideal, but if the training you need to do involved short trips and he doesn't go, just do what you have to do to help him. Do you get mad or frustrated when he doesn't go? If so, don't. That could be part of it. If you're in a hurry and anxious he'll go inside, you might be stressing out and that could be affecting him. I had a dog when I was younger that took FOREVER to go. There were plenty of times in the morning when I had to get to work that I just threw my hands in the air and said, "hold it all day then!". He was STUBBORN not shy. You could see the poop pushing from the inside and he would not go. He lived to be 17 (despite my threats) and never had any issues.

  3. #3
    Senior Dog Maxx&Emma's Avatar
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    I have seen some extremely shy and fearful dogs really come in to their own during nosework training. It was a huge confidence boost for them. Perhaps you could explore some training of this type. I wish I had a magic answer for you, I can imagine it is very frustrating. I completely agree with the advice from Labradorks, your frustration may be contributing to the issue, dogs are super sensitive to our feelings. As hard as it would be, you really need to check any frustration you may have.
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  4. #4
    House Broken
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    I think you need a behaviorist or experienced trainer that can give you hands on advice and see what is going on. Being so anxious that he shut down is not healthy and is very stressful to the dog. Owners often think ignoring or working around a not great behavior is kinder to the dog but unfortunately that behavior usually becomes worse as time goes on as it then becomes a habit and the only way the dog knows to react. Short answer is desensitize and it takes time and commitment. I had one dog that took many months of being worked with everyday, many times a day before he was confident going to new areas on walks without the other dogs. Walking an anxious dog with a confident one will sometimes give the anxious dog confidence- they will take the lead from the other dog. BUT, the goal should be to eventually be able to walk, go to new places with the dog where they are confident on their own, not needing the other dog. Prior to your dog shutting down, try running back towards your apartment building, once running, turn to the left or right- keep it very enthused, very happy and just work on keeping your dog distracted to the point they don't realize they are in an area they are not comfortable in. I like to throw in some quick commands here and there but keep it fun so - sit- dog sits- praise, very happy, very up in your attitude, then run some more. Lots of praise as you run around and end the exercise where your dog is comfortable, on a positive note. And sorry everyone, still can't make line breaks.

  5. #5
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    My other dog, a 32 pound schnauzer mix, loves his walks! He is happy and confident and spunky and I like that in him (despite him being 12 years old) so I adopted him with the hopes that he'd help bring out Ripley's confidence. It works to an extent but Ripley still would rather just get the walk over with and be back in the house, so he tries to take every shortcut. I will not try to say he isn't stubborn because by golly he is! But he's also very smart and knows a lot of commands and has good manners. He's an absolute joy to have in the house; he's playful, silly, and acts like the dog that I know he is. And it's funny you should mention being enthusiastic and upbeat with him on his walks, Lauren, because I am! And he just looks at me like I'm so crazy lady jumping around, like he's saying "Why would you do that, there's monsters around!"

    Labradorks, if I could move into a house with a huge yard in a quiet neighborhood I would This complex isn't very busy or noisy, it's actually quite peaceful and low key. Also, I will admit to getting frustrated with him on occasion, especially when the walk has to be a quick one but most of the time I play the "tough alpha mom," That is, I don't let him turn around and try and go back, and I don't let him try to steer me along in whatever direction he wants. He goes where I want to go and that's the end of it. I've always had to be somewhat stern with him when it comes to training, but I don't think it's a level of sternness that could be considered super strict or mean. He's the type of dog where I have to let him know his place or else he'll walk all over me.

    I haven't tried speaking to an animal behaviorist before. I'm assuming they are different than your average run of the mill dog trainers, so I'm going to do some research and see if I can find one in my area. Thanks for all the tips!

    PS: I've considered switching him to a head collar or a prong collar. Currently I use slip leads (Ruffwear brand). I'm toying with the idea that maybe if I use a training tool that requires him to focus more on what he's doing or what I'm doing then he'd be less focused on the scary things in his environment. Opinions?

  6. #6
    Senior Dog shellbell's Avatar
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    I would seek out a behaviorist over a trainer. And I would not use a prong collar. I have a fearful dog as well (he displays reactive behavior), and I worked with a behaviorist. In my case, my dog is extremely reactive to other dogs and sometimes people, but only when he is on leash or in a crate. So if we are walking and we see another dog, he pulls and lunges and tries to get at the other dog. Basically he is trying to get to them before they can get to him. I was told this is fear based, and that using a prong will only make him associate other dogs with a jerk on the prong, so that will just cause him to want to react even more, and reinforce his thought process that seeing other dogs is a negative thing. One thing I do when we see other dogs or people on our walks, is I carry treats with me and as soon as I see them, I start really baby talking him, telling him how good he is, and give him treats. So he will associate the experience with good things. And I taught him "find the dog", he'll look at the dog and then I give him a treat. We also go to agility class one night a week to help with confidence building.

    Not sure if you can apply any of the above to your situation, but it would really help to work with a good behaviorist.

  7. #7
    Senior Dog Tanya's Avatar
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    I echo those who said find a trainer/behaviorist, make sure they encourage positive techniques, you do NOT want to come down hard on a dog that is fearful. You need help though, beyond what normal pet owners on thsi board can give.

    You need a desensitization program. one that takes your individual dog and enviornment into consideration. Slow and steady.

  8. #8
    Senior Dog Meeps83's Avatar
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    I second (or third or fourth) the behaviorist.

  9. #9
    Senior Dog POPTOP's Avatar
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    Totally agree with a behaviorist. Know you have worked hard but there may be that one little thing that a behaviorist can tune into that you have not thought of.

    Good luck.

  10. #10
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    Thanks everyone for the input! I'm still on the search for a behaviorist (I'm super picky about my dog's well being, believe it or not ). I also looked into the "touch game" and even when I brought it up to my co-workers (at a pet store grooming salon), they recommended the same touch game. I think I'm going to give that a try! In the mean time, while I search for a good (and not too expensive) behaviorist, I'm taking up the offer my job has for a free 6-week training class. He already knows basic commands but I wouldn't mind doing it for the socialization.

    Once again, thanks everyone for the advice and input, it is greatly appreciated!!

 



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