5 months old puppy nervous outside

Question
Hello,
I have a 5 months old puppy(Dogo Argnetino/American Bulldog mix) .He's got 2 months since I'm bringing him daily outside and socialize him.(pretty much everywhere you can think of). In the park or on the beach where is not very busy he feels more comfortable, however walking on the street it's a nightmare for him. He constantly looks behind him ,he's got all the signs of a nervous dog. He walks good on the leash ,had no problem putting the collar but he prefers to stay inside .. At times he freezes on the street ,looks around and refuses to keep on walking . I raised him since day one( his 8 siblings as well) so the possibility of being abused or mistreat it is excluded. Having dealt with dogs pretty much all my life I have some knowledge of how to train them and confidence but this time I am puzzled. I just can't figure out a way to make him more secure on himself . Nothing seems to work .He plays nice with other dogs , never starts a fight, meets his brothers regularly and has fun but soon as his on the street he just looks like he's been abused all his life . He does run to me for protection so that's why I just don't understand why he doesn't feel safe walking.  I've tried to boost his confidence in every way possible. Even walked with him and his mom (his mom is still around him by the way) so he can pick up her behavior. Any advice would be appreciated it . I love him very much and want him too be happy not only inside the house or park. Thank you.

Answer
Hi Isabelle,

Puppies go through fear periods, as you probably know, times during their development when exposure to a fear-provoking object or situation can have long-lasting effects. Sometimes it is hard to know exactly why a puppy or dog has developed anxiety or fears, so the best we can do is manage the fear and try to change the dog's emotional response to the feared object or situation.

I would recommend systematic desensitization, and by this I mean gradually exposing the puppy to low levels of the feared situation that do not cause a reaction while gradually increasing the intensity, one parameter at a time. In the case of your puppy, perhaps you could start with walking on the beach or in the park while giving him tasty food treats, then moving to an area nearer a street that isn't so busy.

Determine what specifically it is that causes him to react, and watch him carefully for his reaction. Work with him below his threshold for reaction while giving him treats that he really likes. Never force your puppy into a situation that he fears, but reward him for choosing to take one step in the direction of the scary situation. Take this very slowly!

You will have to start by determining just how crowded a street your puppy can tolerate, how much traffic he can tolerate, other dogs, noise, etc., then move away from that (or have fewer dogs or people or traffic in the situation) and try to expose him to a gradual increase of one factor (number of dogs, people, cars, proximity to the feared objects or situation) at a time.

Besides giving your puppy treats to change his emotional response to a positive one in the less than favorable situation, you can also reward him and reinforce his step forward into the situation by allowing him to come away from the scary situation, but it is important that you only do this when he is not showing any fearful behavior. Always work at your puppy's comfort level.

Keep your encounters with the anxiety producing situation, that is walking on the street brief, and gradually increase the duration, but only increase the duration with the other factors such as amount of traffic and other people kept at a minimum. Obviously you cannot control other people or traffic, but you can look for a street that is less busy.

I recommend clicker training. I like to use hand targeting as a way to re-focus an anxious or aroused dog. See these articles and watch the video, How to Get Started With Clicker Training: http://www.animalinfo.com.au/fact_sheets/index/2/25

Clicker training can help you boost your dog's confidence; it also helps to change a dog's emotional response to a positive one and cause the dog to come into more of a thinking state vs. a reacting state. You can find some good instructional training videos on clicker training on Youtube that are uploaded by Emily Larlham ("kikopup"), Donna Hill ("supernaturalbc2008"/"supernaturalbc2009") and "tab289."

Just remember to work "under your dog's threshold" for arousal. This will be kind of a boring process, but you will see gradual improvement if you take it slowly and make sure you are working under threshold.

Good luck!

Cindy