Afraid to walk down the street?

Question
Hello,
We recently adopted a German Shepard mix.  We take her 2-3x a day walking in our neighborhood.  Last week my husband took her outside just as a garbage truck was passing by.  Ever since then she refuses to walk down our block when just one of us goes walking.  She will go walking with us if my husband and I are BOTH with her.  She will go walking anywhere else.  My husband even put her in the car, drove to another location, and then took her out and she goes walking.  How can we make her unafraid to go walking down our block again?
Thanks!

Answer
Hi,

This is a common problem, something scares the puppy in a certain area and then they associate the place with a scary thing.  She will get over it, eventually, so just do what you are doing.  One comment - try not to baby her in the "scary place", you should just act normally, upbeat and give her treats.   She may not ever be 100% comfortable there but the more you make a fuss over her, the longer it will take.  

Puppies go thru fear stages, and this is normal, it is important to get the dog to work thru it so that they aren't mentally scarred for life.   Keep getting the puppy out to experience new situations and try to make them good experiences all the time.  If the puppy acts scared of say, a garbage bag on the curb, don't force them over to it, they have to get there on their own 4 paws...   just stand by it until the puppy investigates by herself.  Then praise and carry on!

Hope this helps!  Have fun with your puppy!

Lori