I have a 4.5 month old Rottweiler puppy, and I've taken him out for walks several times. After a couple of times he stopped paying attention to cars passing by us (not that he seemed actually affraid of them, he just looked at them). But yesterday something weird happened, on our way to a park a few blocks away from home he behaved nicely as usual, but on our way back home he started getting scared of cars passing by. Does anyone know what may have started this? and how should I deal with it? should I correct him when he gets scared or would that make things worst?

Your dog is more than likely going through one of those goofy phases. It's most unfair to correct your dog for being afraid. You start correcting and making a big deal out of it you will escalate the problem IMO.

Help me too – but Keith I’m a little confused, I thought we should ignore the fear to not make a big deal of that but correct the behavior. Have I just been making it worse? <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

I’m having the same problem with my 7.5-month-old rott puppy. He’s not afraid of slow moving cars in a parking lot and has no problem being around a riding lawnmower, but when I walk him down our road he is afraid of the cars that pass us by. We live on a country road that’s about a mile long and people tend to use it as a cut through and travel at least 45mph-so they zip by us. I can tell walking down this road really makes him nervous, he’ll stay right with me but every so many steps he will do a quick look back and then of course he can hear the car as it approaches us. Soon as the car starts to pass us he will jump, usually out to the side to get away from it and then will return to his correct position at my side.

He is a soft dog, so each time he looks back I’ll lightly correct to bring his focus back to me, and then I have been giving him maybe a level 2-3 correction for pulling me each time as he jumps away from the car. I have also tried putting him in a sit until the car passes and using treats to keep his focus on me. We usually only have 2-3 cars that come by us on our walk and have been repeating this exercise 4-5 times per week for the past month or so.

Thank you,
Peggy

There's a difference between correcting and getting attention. If your dog keeps looking back when there is nothing there I'd just say come on let's go. There is a world of difference between a car going 5 mph in the parking lot and one cruising by at 45. Just don't make a big deal out of it. If in fact there is a car coming get some distance between you and the road and stop and have the dog just sit. Allow him to see the car approach and just talk to him in a regular voice, maybe kneel down with him. Perhaps have some good treats or a favorite toy and offer them to distract him from the car. Once the car has passed allow the dog to collect themselves and start your walk again. JMHO of course.

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Help me too – but Keith I’m a little confused, I thought we should ignore the fear to not make a big deal of that but correct the behavior. ......

I ignore it, myself. I don't coddle or soothe, but I also don't correct. I move the dog along, head up, focus ahead, and not give him any opportunity to focus on a scary thing. I agree that a new phase like that will pass, especially if there's no emphasis on it....... <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

JMO! I have adult "pre-owned" guys, but they often come with baggage. I ignore little things like you describe and just keep on moving along. The dog eventually sees that there's no percentage in reacting to the silly cars..... and if the pack leader ignores it completely, maybe it's not scary after all.

P.S. Editing to say that I hadn't seen Keith's second post, and that I'm not contradicting it at all! <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

Let’s see “how do you rebuild confidence in a dog when you accidentally socialized them incorrectly the first place?” Let’s see I’d start with a hungry dog, a bag full of wieners and better yet, a foundation in clicker trainer. Clicker training teaches; attention, willingness and enthusiasm, and builds confidence in how to behave!

Thank you for the input – makes me feel sick to think I had it so wrong on my walk with “Buddy” and was correcting him when I should not have been. I think I have a steak in the freezer with his name on it and we will continue to learn together -

Peggy

Thanks everyone for the replies.

I think I'm gonna go with ignoring the behaviour and keep moving so he'll find out by himself there's nothing to worry about. I'm not sure using a toy or a treat would help much in my case, the amount of cars that pass by us on our walks would keep me showing a toy or giving him treats all the way to the park.

Cheers
Luis

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.....makes me feel sick to think I had it so wrong on my walk with “Buddy” and was correcting him when I should not have been....

Heck, no! <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

We do what we know, and if we learn better then we do better.

You are refining your training. Dogs live in the now (unlike silly people), and he is not holding a grudge for something like that.

Luis Gutiérrez Said:

 Quote:

...I think I'm gonna go with ignoring the behaviour and keep moving so he'll find out by himself there's nothing to worry about...

This topic is pretty much summed up, but I just wanted to add
my experience <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

When I began walking my GSD around the block, she did very
well. However, on one windy day, she became scared of a big
blue tarp that covered a boat, parked in front of a house.

Every other day, no problem passing it, but on that windy day,
the tarp was dragging on the street & sidewalk.

The first time it happened, as we were passing it, Sable ran
behind me. I continued to walk as if nothing happened. After
we passed the house, I had her sit/stay, platz, then I led
her BACK passed that Scary Boat Tarp. She hesitated, and ran
behind me again. Again, I passed it, had her do OB, then led
her AGAIN to it. I bet the neighbors had a real laugh!

Looooong story short, by the time we passed it the xth time,
I had her do OB RIGHT IN FRONT OF IT. She did beautiful.

The next day's walk (again, windy), I CONFIDENTLY walked her
past it, and she - AT MOST - gave it a side glance, to which
I re-directed her with a "shhhh", ala Cesar Milan.

Just my 2 cents