# Piper Out of Our Garden!



## John N (Sep 11, 2020)

I consider Piper to be doing fairly well on the Training Front, Sit, Down, Paw, Sit & Stay Etc are normally well executed for a 12 Week Old, my new concern is around Walkies!

She sees her Harness and although excited she gets in Buckled Up, Lead on = Keen as Mustard, but going through the Garden Gate appears to suck all determination out of Her, I get to around 100 Yards with Her and she literally "Digs Her Heels In" and needs to be Dragged along!

There are Woods across the Road from us that I would have thought to be Utopia for a Puppy, but she is just not interested in anywhere but our Garden at the moment! 

Has anyone any Clues as to how we can get her Interested in Walking Outside?


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## Stevie D (May 22, 2020)

I had the same experience with Twix when we first started taking him out. I also have a forest trail across the street and he wasn't interested in walks at all. I had to pick him up and walk him to the middle of the trail otherwise he'd put the brakes on when he saw the big world outside the front door. He would even make a mad dash home when I put him down. At that time he was also very timid meeting other dogs outside of the house, even though he had two other dogs in the house.

All I can say is keep at it, and don't get frustrated. Dogs are really territorial and she likely sees the garden as her safe zone around the den (the house). Go slow with lots of positive reinforcement and Piper will come around over time. Twix at 10 months is now known as the social dog. He's extremely confident and lives for his daily runs through the trails, and can't wait to interact with any dog that he meets. I used treats initially paired with clicker training, so the positive reinforcement slowly gave way to clicks. I think that the important thing is not to punish or raise your voice with a pup that's scared or tentative, as that will create a negative experience and just lead to them withdrawing more. 

Our challenge now is getting him into the car because with COVID, we haven't moved around much and the only time that he's in the car is to go to the vet. But the same approach of lots of positive reinforcement seems to be doing the trick there as well. Hope that helps!


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

Your pup is right at the age where some go through a fear period. Take it slow, try to keep things up beat, and don't push her.
If she is still happy playing, and getting treats right outside your front door. Just play there at first. If after a few days she's happy getting 10-15 feet from the front door. Then that's where you play. You only add more distance if she becomes comfortable.


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