BLVCKSHVDE
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- May 27, 2018
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Hi guys,
Odin is quite scared of going outside. I mean, he's been out 4 times, 2 times for the vet and 2 times to go to the local cafe. Last time I took him out (the 4th time) he'd already taken all his shots so I was excited to take him out on a leash rather than being carried by me like all the other 3 times he was out. I put on his harness and strapped on the leash, opened my front door and Odin just froze in place right at the line that divides my house and the buildings' staircase. I figured he was just intimidated with the stairs so I grabbed him and took him down, once outside my building on the mews, I placed him on the floor. Surprising to me, he froze again, but this time his hind legs were shaking like crazy. I tried calling him, encouraging him, nothing worked. I had to grab him and take him around my arms the entire time until I got to the cafe. At the cafe though, he was fine. No problem interacting with other people, no problem being on the ground, he even took some pics at the cafe. (see photo below
)
Today, I tried again, but armed with treats. He was reluctant to leave my front door, but with a few treats, he now steps out the door with no issues, but now the stairs...... Ok, so I'm not crazy, of course I'm not going to make him go down the stairs. The staircase in my building are quite small really, they're 3 to 4 steps until you reach a platform where you turn to another 3 to 4 steps, so I left him down 3 steps on the platform and tried luring him up with treats. Treats didn't work, so I tried meal time (which every time I'm preparing his meal he runs towards me like a maniac), nothing. I went down and grabbed his front paws and placed them on the 1st step, then grabbed both his hind legs and prompted them up the 1st step. The last step I only helped him put his front paws on top, he was able to lift his hind legs and climb up.
Tyson wasn't like that at all. He had no fears of going outside on a leash, no fears of stairs up or down....... Odin though, he's scared.
Is there a more effective way to help him understand everything will be okay and surpass his fears? Will he be like this for the rest of his life? I really want him to be a outdoor dog and not one of those dogs that stay indoors, mainly because I go out a lot and what better companion than my little boy Odin?
Odin is quite scared of going outside. I mean, he's been out 4 times, 2 times for the vet and 2 times to go to the local cafe. Last time I took him out (the 4th time) he'd already taken all his shots so I was excited to take him out on a leash rather than being carried by me like all the other 3 times he was out. I put on his harness and strapped on the leash, opened my front door and Odin just froze in place right at the line that divides my house and the buildings' staircase. I figured he was just intimidated with the stairs so I grabbed him and took him down, once outside my building on the mews, I placed him on the floor. Surprising to me, he froze again, but this time his hind legs were shaking like crazy. I tried calling him, encouraging him, nothing worked. I had to grab him and take him around my arms the entire time until I got to the cafe. At the cafe though, he was fine. No problem interacting with other people, no problem being on the ground, he even took some pics at the cafe. (see photo below
)Today, I tried again, but armed with treats. He was reluctant to leave my front door, but with a few treats, he now steps out the door with no issues, but now the stairs...... Ok, so I'm not crazy, of course I'm not going to make him go down the stairs. The staircase in my building are quite small really, they're 3 to 4 steps until you reach a platform where you turn to another 3 to 4 steps, so I left him down 3 steps on the platform and tried luring him up with treats. Treats didn't work, so I tried meal time (which every time I'm preparing his meal he runs towards me like a maniac), nothing. I went down and grabbed his front paws and placed them on the 1st step, then grabbed both his hind legs and prompted them up the 1st step. The last step I only helped him put his front paws on top, he was able to lift his hind legs and climb up.
Tyson wasn't like that at all. He had no fears of going outside on a leash, no fears of stairs up or down....... Odin though, he's scared.
Is there a more effective way to help him understand everything will be okay and surpass his fears? Will he be like this for the rest of his life? I really want him to be a outdoor dog and not one of those dogs that stay indoors, mainly because I go out a lot and what better companion than my little boy Odin?
