[midnightbluemamma]

i recently posted a thread stating that my pup dosent like outdoors, well i took the advice ant tried it and its not helping, i tried to take her for a walk today, she is not only afraid of going outside but she is afraid of people, cars, water hoses, other dogs, among many other things, well back to the walk, i got acouple yards from our front door wen a young man started walking passed us, she cowered when i bent down to check on her she bolted, and i mean fast she yanked the leash out of my hand and ran she hid under a car then ran to the front door had a bowl movement then tried to squeeze through the door, i dont understand this behavior as i have her around people, and take her out with my jack russel, but she is just getting worse, please help.

[Vicki]

the most important thing is to take it slow and easy with her.....make sure any exposure to the outside ends on a positive note. My aussie rescue is reactive and I spent weeks walking up and down the same block near my house because it was quiet, he could handle it and he was successful. Then we turned the corner and came back. Baby steps with a dog like this always baby steps. Don't push her....start with just putting on the leash and when she's ok with that then walk her outside and bring her back in when she's ok with that take her for a very short walk. Try to learn her signals and before she can become afraid take her back inside.

[Curbside Prophet]

Yes, take it slow...baby steps as Vicki stated. Accept small gains as big rewards. Something you may want to try with a little help is, have a friend outside waiting for you and your dogs. Leash both dogs up as you normally would in preparation for a walk. Drop your Aussie's leash and walk out your front door with your jack in tow and leave the front door open...your friend is there in case your Aussie decides to bolt out the door and run. How does she react? does she run and hide? Peek her head out the door (if yes, encourage her)? Or does she follow you and the jack? If she runs and hides, seek the help of a professional. If she peeks her head out, do this for a few days and see if there is any progress. Try bringing some of the things she is afraid of inside, set them down, and let her approach them on her own (like the garden hose). Heck, coil it up and throw a few treats in the middle. Another thing you'll want to look into is how you react and feel when you take your dog for a walk. You'll have to keep in mind that your feelings and energy are transfered through the leash. So if you're nervous about the walk to begin with, you may be unknowingly encouraging your dogs behavior. Be calm, move forward, and do not react to your dog's behavior. Sometimes projecting leadership silently and calmly is all you'll need to begin with in your dog's transformation. So, practice this too. Elsa use to be deathly afraid of garbage cans...she would stop in her tracks when she saw one and wanted to flee. Garbage days were hell for her. But all I did was keep my distance, always moving forward calmly, and slowly over months got closer and closer to the garbage cans. Until one day, I could bounce her favorite ball off of one. She suddenly became less afraid of the garbage can, as play was more important to her. We can now walk by garbage cans without problems, and even weave between them on garbage days. But if I open one, she may pull away a little, but that's okay, I'll accept that, because I know as you should that progress can be made. So don't give up, and good luck!

[Vicki]

Those are great ideas! With my Aussie rescue, the first night we went to obedience class (along with our housemate Lucy the Border mix) I had a good friend work with him because I knew that I would be so upset for him that my emotions would affect him negatively. Eventually, as he gained more and more confidence, he 'asked' for me to work with him so we switched dogs. And, try not to tell her 'it's ok' and 'good girl' and such when she's afraid. It's really difficult not to do that but it may actually train her to be afraid. She will take your lead as to what's going on in her world and if you're fearful of how she's feeling, she'll take that to mean she should be afraid because so are you.

[midnightbluemamma]

see what i dont understand is that my pit pup wasent always like this she went on walks before, she has been around people, this is something that came out of the blue and is just getting worse, she isnt a rescued dog but that is how she behaves now, she is great with everyone in the house but anyone outside of the house and its like she sees a ghost, and either she runs to me or to hide.