14 weeks old and now terrified outside!

[Micha's Toby]

Toby is really confusing us right now. As of Sunday he became terrified of going outside. We are using the quick tug, the sitting it out with him, the treats for walking, making him sit , he occasionally pees outside now but generally is making a beeline to the house and the door in a panicked state. We put him in his crate and h does not have accident in there but as soon as we try taking him out of there he plays for a minute and then hides behind couch or goes upstairs to pee and poo.

He was born April 18 his dad a purebred lab and mom was cross between poodle and golden retriever. We got him July 8.

He was fine on walks if anything a bit too excited up until this past weekend. Friday night he did hurt his paw but he was fine outside Saturday. Last Thursday when Megan was walking him a guy on a motorcycle on a quiet street decided to tease him a bit. Nothing else occurred that we can think of that could have spooked him.

My daughter Megan found some of the noises on Youtube like Grassblower, trucks, cars , motorcycle and he does not pay any attention to them inside. So we are not sure its noise related.

Anyone deal with this and any ideas for us?

[Julie B.]

Hmmm. It does appear that the noises spooked him. (Sounds on Youtube may not have the same effect b/c he feels comfortable inside.) All I can suggest is keep taking him out. The more he uses the inside as a bathroom the harder it will be to stop. Also, I would limit his access inside. I also have a puppy, born 4/18 , and we gate her in the back of the house- no upstairs unless we are with her.

[becka]

I agree with Julie that your pup shouldn't have access to any part of the house unsupervised yet--not until he's housebroken and has learned some kind of clear signal for telling you he needs to go outside.

One thing I feel like I've learned from having a puppy (besides the need for unlimited patience ) is that few things happen in a logical progression--for every victory (sleeping through the night, going potty on command, etc) you may encounter a regression, especially if your pup is going through a growth spurt or teething. Doodles are also very smart and quite observant, and can react quite strongly to something that seems very minor to us. For example, Sadie always knows when something in her yard is "out of order"--she's been known to go a little berserk if she sees laundry hanging on the line, or if the wind has knocked a pot over.

If you don't overreact to Toby's fears (many experts say that it's not a good idea to comfort them too much when they're in a frightened state, because doing so can reinforce the idea that it's OK to be afraid of something that isn't harmful), and continue to make being outside a fun experience for him, he should get past this stage and will soon find other ways to baffle you.

[deepnite10]

My Toby is just getting used to the vaccum..so it s not surprising yours get nervous about new sounds and surroundings..

it may be necessary to potty train again to go outside..

take him outside..carry him if necessary and don t let him back in till he does his business..when he does, carry thru with the usual *good boy*s
and let him back in..eventually he ll get the idea that the only way to get back into the house is to potty first..even if he has to fake it..when he does that you know he s train d..

as far as being nervous outdoors..he s got to get use to his surroundings and the sounds..some dogs take longer than others..like kids..they all adapt and react differently..does nt mean something is wrong..

try carrying him outside with a leash on..let him down and begin your walk..you could say the leash will eventually be his gaga or extension of you, the authority and protector..

even then, when on the leash..loud noise will still startle them just as they would us..remember, that their sense of hearing is alot better than ours..and noises that would just annoy us would startle them..

[Riverkatie]

It is summer with you, so being outside shouldn't be to much of a problem temperature wise. Move some chairs outside and prepare to get comfy!

Puppies have a fear phase between 14-18 weeks or so. Gone is that happy go lucky baby. Now you have a pup who is on the alert for danger. Something, maybe the motorbike, who knows, who cares, has scared him. Now you have to teach him outside is OK.

Outside you all go, the whole family, the pup, the puppy bed, the coffee machine.....

Outside is fine, look we all like outside, have a treat. Settled happily on your bed outside? have a treat! Play with a toy outside? Have a treat! Cower behind the deckchair? Get ignored! Beg to go inside? Get ignored! Move away from door and initiate contact with a human? Have a treat!

I agree that restricting movement inside is a good idea....outside is much more fun! And it will help with potty training. A 14 week pup is not so bombproof that he can be called 'trained'. Ruff is 16 weeks today and has been clean and dry in the house since 11 weeks, but I would not consider giving him the freedom of the house. He is still a baby!

Outside is fun fun fun, inside is boring! Good luck! And let us know how it goes.

[Micha's Toby]

We have gotten him past the direct area of our house so he is getting better at least a 3 -5 minute walk. Tonight we have a private training session through his puppy class to see if they can help us get comfie with the main road and longer walks! He is so high energy and needs the longer walks to wear him out! I will let you all know what the trainer suggests tonight.