scared of road noise

[busterboo]

Buster's behaviour has definitely improved and training going well. However he has shown definite strong signs that he doesn't like walking next to roads - we live on a quiet estate and might see a couple of cars on each walk but every time we are near road rather than on fields/enclosed paths his tail is down between his legs and he is pulling to get away or stopping and refusing to move. I've tried coaxing and being firm, but short of getting hold of his harness and pulling him forward I don't know what to do. Any advice appreciated as always.

[elaine.e]

It sounds like he's frightened, so if he was mine I'd avoid making him walk close to roads at the moment. Can you think of a place that you can take him where you can be at what he considers a safe distance from traffic, and where you can sit or stand with him at that safe distance and let him watch and listen. If he's relaxed, move a bit closer, but do it at his pace so that he can stay calm and gradually come to realise that he doesn't need to worry.

[karen1960]

Hi

I have a 8 month old puppy called Poppy with the same problem.  We live in a village but unfortunately at the moment we have a lot of noisy traffic going through it due to a new housing estate being built behind our house.

I have tried various ways to overcome this.  Tempting Poppy to move forward with treats - this did not work.  Encouraging her to move forward by calling her excitedly by running/walking fast - this worked sometimes. However, I have found that the best way is to give her time to watch and recover from the noisy experience, then calling her name or saying this way.  Also I try to find a quieter walk to enable her to gain confidence.

I hope this helps.

Karen

[lescef]

Maddie had a phase of being frightened of noisy lorries and buses when the air brakes sound. I used to sit on a bench some distance from the corner of a busy road, watch and listen to the traffic and feed her treats when the noisy ones went past.

[busterboo]

Hi again
Thanks for your replies.
I think the idea about letting him watch the traffic and giving treats is a good one. I will have a think about somewhere to go with him to do this. I was getting really worried because when winter comes we won't be able to go the quieter ways as it gets too dark round there so hopefully getting him used to it again now slowly will work.
It's so strange because he always used to be fine with walking near roads. Maybe part of his teenage phase with charging hormones and changing behaviour!
Thank you all again.