Nina doesnt like walks or to be outside

Question
Hi Ms Gadola! Before hand I am very thankful for your help. My dog is a miniature dachsund, she is 2 years old, female, not spayed.
I got Nina when she was only 3 months from a breeder. She is my baby and my love. Every since I got her I noticed that she didn't like to be outside very much. When going on car rides she was super nervous and anxious and was really happy when we came back home. That still happens. Now, I been trying to walk her and she forces me to go back to our apartment, she seems nervous and anxious too! She seems really happy just being hanging out with us at home. She only seems to feel comfortable in a small garden outside our apartment where she potties, but even though she feels comfortable there she doesn't like to stay there for long. It is really frustrating because we will love to take her outside when we go out but she seems to hate it.  It seems to be getting worst. The only time that she likes to be outside is when we take her in a stroller that we bought for her. The problem is that I want her to exercise too. I guess she feels happy in the stroller because since it is cover with a mesh she feels protected. Also I notice that she gets really nervous with loud noises that she doesn't know, because when we put music she doesn't gets bothered by it. We tried taking her to the dog park, and she looks nervous and shy. She is not shy in that little garden outside our apartment even she plays with dogs that pass by there. Please help us with your advice....
Thanks,
Carmen

Answer
Hi Carmen.  The first 12 weeks of a puppy's life are critical for socialization and introducing the pup to things that she's going to have to deal with for the rest of her life.  My guess would be that your pup was not taken outside often to get to experience the outdoors, car rides or leash walks.  You can't go back and re-do her puppyhood, but there are some things you can try to make her feel more comfortable outside.

I love to use clicker training for shy dogs because it helps to build confidence.  For help getting started with clicker training and fear issues, see my Resources page - http://www.distinctivedogtraining.com/resources.html  Under the "Fearfulness" heading, there's a link to a great, inexpensive booklet called "The Cautious Canine".  I highly recommend it.  Also on that page are links to sites that can help you get started with clicker training, like the Karen Pryor Clickertraining site.  I could also recommend a trainer in your area if you'd like.

First, train her to respond to a few simple cues. I would start with a hand touch (her nose touches your hand), sit, eye contact ("look at me") and "find it" (look on the ground for the dropped treat).  Teach these skills in the house first until she responds quickly, then practice outside in your garden area.  When you move outside, take better treats with you.  Her dog food would be fine for training in the house.  For outside, have some good smelly, soft dog treats.  Once she's doing well in the garden, practice just outside the door you go through when you take a walk.  When you make the move to this area, have the highest value treats you can provide (boiled chicken, roast beef, bits of smelly cheese).  Since she's so tiny, your food rewards will be very small.  Cut the treats up so that they are no bigger than 1/2 a pea.  Work in short sessions (2-3 minutes).

Training should be fun for her and once you are seeing quick happy responses in these places, you can begin to start to take it "on the road".  By then you should have lots of successful repetitions of these basic skills in places that she's comfortable.  Gradually move out of this safety zone - even if it's just a few steps - and ask her to respond to one of these cues.  Don't expect to go very far on this first outing.  If she stops responding and/or begins to show fear responses, stop and go back to where she's most comfortable.  Stop trying to walk long distances for now and just make the outing a short training exercise, then go back home.  Find other ways to exercise her that won't stress her so much.

If you'd like more information on how to train some of these skills or have further questions or comments, please let me know.  Basically, we want to build her confidence level and have her in "thinking mode" outside rather than a fearful emotional state.  This could take some time, but have some patience with her and you should see some success.