13 week puppy afraid of traffic

wes16586

We have a 12 week old puppy and I have been trying to train him to go walking for the past few weeks but its proving very difficult.

He is a miniature Jack Russell and is very confident and affectionate when at home. He has no issue when I put on his harness. When he knows he's going outside he gets very excited. We have a gated green area at the front of our building which he loves to run around and play fetch in.

I began to try and bring him on very short walks about 5 mins away. As soon as I walk him to the gate of the building he freezes and won't move. I have researched online and tried to give him lots of encouragement and small treats to coax him forward which only works for a few short steps. If a car drives past or a bus is parked up with the engine running he is terrified and its back to square one. He is jumping up at me and wanting to be carried.

I have carried him past the idling buses at the terminus and then coaxed him with treats a bit further and I can see he is not enjoying the walk at all so I usually turn back home as I don't want him to be tortured.

Has anyone got any practical advice for training a puppy in regards to noisy traffic. I don't want him to get into the habit that everytime he is scared I will pick him up and carry him.

tk123

This is one of the reasons I waited to get a pup - I knew I wouldn’t be able to socialise it properly with the way things are and I have an almost 11 year old dog who is still wary of traffic(!) amongst other day things so I can’t have a spooky pup. He’ll move in when a bus comes or stand until it passes - I got him to that level with cheese.

With Lucy I just sat on a wall that was a bit in from the side of the road during rush hour when she was a pup. So not at the side of the road flooding her but it was all still visible so she could just take it in. I can’t remember if I treated her or just sat petting her. I carried her out when the bins were being collected too and the bin men would pet her lol! She came from a great breeder so I’m not sure if what I was doing made a difference - a spaceship could have landed in front of her and she probably would have woo’d at it lol!

jimf

wrong or right if I have a pup that's showing a dislike to cars/traffic I pick them up in my arms and carry them for a while

imho I think its the noise more than anything else that scares them this is why small kids are great to socialise puppies

can only imagine what a car looks like to them at their close proximity to the ground

DBB

tk123 wrote: »

With Lucy I just sat on a wall that was a bit in from the side of the road during rush hour when she was a pup. So not at the side of the road flooding her but it was all still visible so she could just take it in.

This is 100% what you need to do op. Right now, your pup is telling you that you're trying too much, too soon, for him. He's not ready yet, and if you keep forcing the issue, even by carrying him right past scary stuff, you're in danger of doing harm.
So, bring him out to a quietish spot where he can see and hear cars at a bit of a distance, and sit him beside you. Forget about buses and lorries for now, they're for later. A housing estate road will probably do for now.
As cars pass, either give him a seriously tasty treat, and/or play with a ball, and/or make light of it all with an upbeat voice and silly play. Note... if he'd normally take a treat, but won't in this scenario, that's a sign he's overawed, and needs more distance... for now. So find another place a bit further back from the road.
You want to try to gradually, gradually make traffic noise and sights just a humdrum experience for him, rather than overfacing him at what is a terribly impressionable age.
As he becomes more relaxed with it all at a distance, then start to close the gap a bit, getting closer and closer to the road, then to busier roads etc.
How is he with the hoover and lawnmower at home?

wes16586

DBB wrote: »

This is 100% what you need to do op. Right now, your pup is telling you that you're trying too much, too soon, for him. He's not ready yet, and if you keep forcing the issue, even by carrying him right past scary stuff, you're in danger of doing harm.
So, bring him out to a quietish spot where he can see and hear cars at a bit of a distance, and sit him beside you. Forget about buses and lorries for now, they're for later. A housing estate road will probably do for now.
As cars pass, either give him a seriously tasty treat, and/or play with a ball, and/or make light of it all with an upbeat voice and silly play. Note... if he'd normally take a treat, but won't in this scenario, that's a sign he's overawed, and needs more distance... for now. So find another place a bit further back from the road.
You want to try to gradually, gradually make traffic noise and sights just a humdrum experience for him, rather than overfacing him at what is a terribly impressionable age.
As he becomes more relaxed with it all at a distance, then start to close the gap a bit, getting closer and closer to the road, then to busier roads etc.
How is he with the hoover and lawnmower at home?

Thanks for the really great tips. The green area I've been bringing him to is beside a very quiet road with the odd car driving past which he can't see but hears. I have been reassuring him when he gets spooked by it. I suppose he just needs a bit more time away from the main road until he gets used to the odd sound of the car.

He was terrified by the hoover at first but in the past few days he has become more curious. He'll stand away and watch me hoover now whereas when we first got him he would hide in another room.

tk123

Just to add in case you hear/read otherwise it's perfectly ok to reassure them if they get a fright eg it's ok/you're ok! The same way you wouldn't ignore a person if they were terrified and frozen to the spot/freaking out or assume they'll snap out of it. I always tend to acknowledge when Bailey gets a scare - it reassures/comforts him and then we (hopefully!) move on. Now for somethings eg fireworks that's not going to happen - but I know his limits so we try to avoid situations that will just be too scary for him. Eg he's afraid of cones so we hide in the nook for the weighing scales at the vets if there's a dog with a cone on lol :pac:

A carpark can be a good spot too - you can get as far or close as needed and watch from the car with the window/door open. Maybe one with a pet shop and he can go in for a sniff while you're there.

lulu1

Our dog is 10 and he will not cross the road for love nor money has to be carried accross:):)

mymo

I've 3 dogs, did the same with all 3, from day one I walked down the road with pup in my arms, a few treats and sat and watched the cars, and fire engines (the fire station was around the corner but moved recently), went to the river and watched the boats and rowing, etc. Always in my arms until after fully vaccinated, then I carry, let down to sniff around, say hi to people, etc walking isn't the priority first couple of months, it's all about the experiences.
Carry the pup, talk to it give a treat for good response to things, start from a distance and get closer, they are small and things are big and scary, take your time. Make things fun, is there a toy they love, bring it on walk to distract them, play near the noise, and take your time.

cruizer101

Is the puppy only 12 weeks old or do you have it 12 weeks?

Puppies shouldn't really be walked outside until 16 weeks when they have had all their immunizations.

tk123

cruizer101 wrote: »

Is the puppy only 12 weeks old or do you have it 12 weeks?

Puppies shouldn't really be walked outside until 16 weeks when they have had all their immunizations.

It’s fine to carry a pup outside for socialisation before vaccines. The more the pup is exposed to before 16 weeks the better. Also different vets/owners have different vaccination schedules some may have vaccines at 8 and 10 weeks, some may be 4 weeks apart, some give a single vaccine at 16 weeks, some may not vaccinate at all etc etc.

tiredblondie

When i first started to walk my girl, she was terrified of traffic - buses especially, she'd completely drop when one went past.
I spent around a month, every morning, just walking up maybe 4 doors and back down again until she got the confidence - we went completely at her pace - not a bother on her after that!

wes16586

mymo wrote: »

..... walking isn't the priority first couple of months, it's all about the experiences.

Thanks for all the tips guys. He was fully vaccinated before he was brought into the street.

Yes, I think I was too focused on the actual walking and exercise but he is still so small that the walled green area in front of our building seems to be working for now. I bring him out there twice a day for 30 mins each visit. He can hear children playing, seagulls squalking and cars and buses passing. I can see he is gaining more confidence each day and getting used to all the new smells and sounds.

Victor

lulu1 wrote: »

Our dog is 10 and he will not cross the road for love nor money has to be carried accross:):)

Older dogs will be losing their eyesight and will be nervous around vehicles. Or he may be a big softie.

lulu1

Victor wrote: »

Older dogs will be losing their eyesight and will be nervous around vehicles. Or he may be a big softie.

We have him since he was 10 weks old just spoiled rotton