Need your help/advice please- very much appreciated! Our dalmatian 4 month old puppy is scared of traffic- yesterday he froze in town with hubby yet after a little encouragement moved again. Yet, today, when out with me he froze so much that not even a treat would get him going. Had to carry him 50 metres then put him down again- then he walked normally for rest of way home. Something spooked him- pretty sure it was the traffic. Oh my gosh, my back is killing me. Have fibromyalgia anyhow. He weighs 16 kilograms, too. Not surprising he is a little spooked by traffic as when he was with the breeder- he never left the farm( breeder was a dairy farmer) once!! So he has gone from a quiet farm in the middle of the countryside to a town with lots of noises!! We have only had him for 9 days with us, also. He is sleeping now- worn out from it all. So is his owner ;-)! Have Andrea Bocelli playing on CD- he loves it, relaxes him almost straight away! Relaxes me too ! Anyway, apologies often do knight's move- get distracted, stray from the point in matter! So, would love to know how do we get him used to traffic. If he freezes again- what is the best way to make him realise all is okay?! Cannot keep picking him up! Many thanks in advance for your help. Warmest wishes from sunny Devon, sleeping puppy Sebastian & very sleepy owner Clarita xx Spoke to hubby on phone- he is working- he said to ask on here for advice. Hubby Chris says cheers to you all, too!
I wouldn't take him into town just yet if he is that spooked as it will be too much for him. Start by walking him near quiet roads with slow traffic. If there is a bench near by, sit down with him armed with a pot of very tasty treats. Try teaching a 'watch me!' command (easily done by holding a treat up to eye level) to get him to focus on you if you see him starting to get tense of edgy. Slow desensitization is the key here. Only when he is comfortable on the slower roads should you start taking him into areas with more traffic. Baby steps, as it is all very new to him. Lots of pups are a bit uneasy about traffic at first (and I understand yours is a bit older, but the same principal applies) but eventually they learn that those big noisy things with wheels are not out to get them.
Fantastic advice- many thanks!! Will show your reply to hubby Chris when he gets home from work. Bless You! Hope you have a very good day! You are a star! Hugs from Devon, Clarita
Had that problem with my Dizzy, I took a book and sat on the bench by a road and repeated frequently. Once she was comfortable with that we walked closer and closer to the road and she is ok with it now. Dizzy was so afraid to start with I couldn't get her to take treats or anything. I also had her on a harness by the roads as she would try to bolt just to make sure she didn't slip her lead. Good luck let us know how you get on.
Hi Clarita agree with the others, introduce your puppy to traffic carfully at a pace he can cope with. I would try taking Sebastian somewhere where cars can be observed at a safe distance. Go armed with a supply of high value treats (like chicken pieces) and a squeaky toy if he likes them and talk to him in a bright voice ignoring the cars, use the treats to get his attention and to help him associate the cars with good things. Once Sebastian is ignoring the cars try moving a little closer to them to a point where he is still comfortable and repeat the ignore the cars /give treats. If possible do this for a few minutes a number of times each day Eventually your puppy should get used to cars.
Try approaching an area with busy traffic. When you get close enough he starts showing distress, back off a little to where he is comfortable. Then do obedience drills. You need to be teaching obedience anyways. Work closer, backing off whenever he starts to show distress. Let him build up to heavier traffic. If you misjudge or a spurt of traffic freezes him, try what I do with young puppies that are slow to accept walking on lead. If getting out in front and coaxing doesn't get a puppy moving, try dropping behind it and running by in baby steps calling ''Go, go, go!'' In a happy, excited voice. It may get him moving again. Don't coddle him. That rewards him for showing fear. Remain happy and confident your self. Dogs take their que from their owners. If you let it stress you, he will be stressed too. With some work he may do fairly well. Don't count on him ever being completely comfortable. Dogs vary. Some never do real well around things they weren't exposed to before 12 weeks. I don't know why many people ignore all the studies. I think every dog book I ever read discusses the importance of early socialization.
Many thanks Alliwin. Very helpful advice just now. Pleased to hear that you solved the very same issue with your Dizzy. Will let you know of his progress- for sure! Massive gentle hugs, , warmest wishes from sunny warm Devon, Clarita & sleeping Sebastian(he loves Classical vocal music- especially All Angels * Andrea Bocelli;-)) who sends you kisses xx
Many thanks to you Minihaha( fantastic name btw) and to Labman! Think you are all wonderful! Amazed at the great support here plus very helpful advice- you are all bright stars!! Massive gentle hugs, Clarita & Sebastian xx
We had the opposite problem with Kia! We adopted her at 4months old and she would literally throw herself after cars! It was horrible! But we took the advice from the Dogsey folk and just reintroduced her to cars slowly, avoiding busy roads as much as possible and really rewarded her for ignoring them. It took time and patience but she's now 11months and no longer tries to launch herself onto the road - thank goodness! I guess its the same technique for you, as the others have said, slowly introduce him to traffic and show him its nothing to be scared of (or in our case, excited by!). It takes time but it works! Good luck and let us know how you get on Hugs to you and sleepy pup! Sarah xoxox
Sarah, Bless you for your most helpful words ! So pleased that Kia no longer launches herself at cars, too! Yes, the people here are fantastic!! Blown away with the support plus kindness of guys here. Seb went to Devon County Show- he was impecably behaved yet not only this yet coped extremely well with lots of different sounds/noises plus busy crowds!! He loved all the attention/fuss as well. Feel that we are making great strides in the right direction in all kinds of areas. He is a quick learner as well as eager to please. We never push him into anything- it is all at his pace. Our nickname for him is Sebastian The Wonder Dog. Not sure why some people think Sebastian is a posh or grand name- we just wanted a strong unique name for him that was all. He made friends today at the County Show with a female Dalmatian called Maisy as well as friends with a Labrador dog called Monty. Sebastian is fast asleep right now ;-) bless him! Hugs to you Sarah and to Kia, warmest wishes from a very warm Devon Clarita and Sebastian ;-)
