How to make a dog less scared of outside?

If your dog is scared of going outside, stop forcing her to go on walks. In some cases where the dog is scared of going outside, you can go out for a quick potty break, then come back inside right away. But if your dog is too scared to even go potty outside, you’ll need to set up a litterbox for now. We need to get some of those stress hormones out of your dog – a little emotional detox, if you will. It also is probably time to visit the vet and ask about medication. Once your dog isn’t being regularly panicked by daily walks, it’s time to start working on building confidence. You can start this indoors: Get the Train Away App and start playing traffic sounds indoors while your pup works on a stuffed Kong. Now that your pup has some basic confidence built up again, it’s time to face her fears – slowly and steadily. Start the training just before your dog showed signs of fear before. Teach your dog not to be scared of the outdoors by picking up the leash, if your pup looks at you, toss a treat behind her, and then proceed with small steps, such as walking towards the door, stepping through the door, and going down the sidewalk, always rewarding your pup for calm behavior.

Dogs learn from positive association. The best way to help a shy or fearful dog gain confidence is to expose them to what frightens them at a low intensity. Pair this exposure with something positive, like a tasty treat. This is called counter conditioning and desensitization, and when done successfully, it helps them feel more comfortable around the source of their fear. Allow your dog time to get used to people. Instruct others to ignore your dog, and let your dog decide whether they want to approach someone. Dogs that adjust on their own are more likely to approach people safely. Build up trust with your dog before bringing them to public settings like the dog park, a friend’s house, or a dog-friendly restaurant or brewery. Putting your dog in a stressful situation will set their progress back. Go slow and give them time to gain confidence and trust.

The most effective way to help dogs feel more confident outside is to change their association to the great outdoors through a combination of desensitization and counter-conditioning training. The first step is desensitization training, which allows the dog to experience the scary stimulus at a level that doesn’t evoke stress. For example, a dog who is nervous about encountering garbage trucks could be exposed to a truck that’s several blocks away, parked and silent, so that he can see it, but he’s far enough from it that he won’t react to it. Counter conditioning, which works in tandem with desensitization, helps the dog form a new association to the stressor through positive associations. With the garbage truck at a distance, feed your dog a series of high value goodies when he notices the truck, like bits of cheese or hot dogs, so that your dog starts to make a connection between the scary garbage truck and the wonderful goodies. Using a training process called “shaping” can help dogs that are afraid to go into their own yard. This type of training breaks down the process of walking outside into manageable pieces and rewards the dog for successfully navigating each one. Pet parents can begin the process by standing just outside the door with a handful of treats. When your dog takes a step towards the door, mark the behavior with a click from a clicker or verbal marker like “good!” then toss a treat to your dog where he’s standing. Allow him to make his way out at his own pace, and mark and reward each step of the process until he’s confident crossing the threshold.