Dog scared of leaving the house

[Tassja22]

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I'm looking for some advice, I have a 6 year old jack russell x King Charles spaniel who we've had since he was 8 weeks old, he used to love going for walks and got really excited just by saying walkies but for the last few months he has become gradually very scared and anxious whilst out. He doesn't react when we say "walkies" and it's a struggle to get him out of the house. When he's out he's constantly looking around for "dangers" such as people opening a front door or children walking towards us and will turn around and want to run back to the house. He only seems happy to walk when he knows we're on our way home.

Nothing has ever happened while on our walks and he used to be very social with people & other dogs but now seems to cower away from everyone.

I would be grateful for any help or advice that we could use to take his fear and anxiety away.

 

[dogmatize]

Hello . I would just like to say that I think such a change in behaviour would warrant a trip to the vet, just for a check over. It does make me think that maybe your dog is having hearing issues. If he's not reacting to "walkies" is he reacting to other commands?

If he can't hear as well as he used to he may be getting startled when out and about, when things appear when he's not expecting it.

 

[gypsysmum2]

How sad to hear that he has developed a fear of the outside world.

The first thing to remember is that he needs to be able to distance himself from anything he is frightened of. By moving away from it he will feel less anxious and so be able to learn that it is harmless. Fear prevents learning so he will never learn that the outside world is safe while he is feeling fearful. Take plenty of time to allow him to move away and then view the scary thing from a safe distance. If he will eat treats (sometimes they get too tense to eat) then give him a treat if he moves just an inch towards something that provokes a fear response.

Dogs can sometimes make associations between things. One case I know of is a dog that has noise phobia and will not leave the house with its owner. She will, however, leave the house with other people. She associates the scary noises with her owner's presence.

Facing their fears does not work. It is much better to take baby steps and allow your dog to find out that the world is not scary in tiny steps.