Scared to Go Outside, Doesn't want to Walk, 10.5 month old Olde English

[PrincessGrace]

Hi all! I am so happy to find this resource. We have a 10.5 month old OEB. She is the best except that recently she has become afraid to go outside. Granted, we live on a busy street with trucks going by all day, but, she was not afraid a month ago. We have resorted to retraining her all over but she doesn't WANT to go out at all. She used to ring the bell to go out and now she does not let us know when she needs to go out. We are in a dog training class and the trainer said that she is probably not going to change now. I don't want to believe that because she KNOWS that going in the house is wrong. So just a little more background, she was doing fine then she became afraid of going out and since she was so afraid to go outside, she got a Urinary Tract Infection. So she started going in the house a lot more but she is finally healed and she is doing well with going outside because we take her but, she does not let us know when she needs to go because she does NOT want to go outside. We use roast beef to reward her when she goes outside and have been crating her more (she loves her crate). We are just so upset about her not wanting to go out because she was a perfect dog until recently. My wife is pregnant and can't deal with pulling a 65lb bullie down the street. Please help.

 

[BruceP]

Im sorry I cant help but Im sure someone that can will be along soon. I just wanted to say, to EBN. LariP and I have a 5.5 year old named Princess Gracie. You'll probably find a lot of posts here about her. She truly is royalty.... to us anyway. Im glad you joinded and I hope you find a second home here.... we need more royalty...

 

[RescueMe]

Welcome to the Forum..We are glad you are here..I have fostered several older girls that have had to be trained to go potty outside, so they can be retrained. Im not sure what to do about being scared of outside. I would say to make sure to give her positive outings and reward maybe?

 

[JAKEISGREAT]

I'm so sorry you are feeling so much stress. I think I would very..very slowly reintroduce her to the outdoors. Something scared her and that's what you have to figure out. I've found Bully's are extremely sensitive to things out of place and loud noises. I have to escort my Jake by that dreaded broom every night on the way to bed! turning something negative into something positive will be your bet bet! For that trainer to tell you your Bully won't be able to get past this is ridiculous! Dogs get past much..much worse things..and yours is very young. I think I would take her out to a new neutral place for awhile.then maybe slowly reintroduce her to her old routine. You can do this..and so can she!

Maybe [MENTION=2071]Davidh[/MENTION]..[MENTION=2894]2BullyMama[/MENTION]. Have some ideas!

 

[kim n the guys]

do you have any idea of what scared her so terrible before?

 

[PrincessGrace]

Thank you so much all. Yes, we indeed do give her positive rewards when she goes potty outside and she will actually walk down the stairs but the problem is that she doesn't let us know she has to go which is so frustrating because she used to ring the bell like a good girl and now we have to read her mind. Oh and I did see we are the 2nd Princess Grace here. She is truly a princess and very elegant, except when she burps and farts.

 

[PrincessGrace]

We have no idea what scared her. She does not like trucks but lately she seems to tolerate them. I had a super long walk with her yesterday as on weekends there are less trucks around. We really just want her to let us know again that she has to go.

 

[Poppy]

She is absolutely gorgeous!

Well I am no professional but your trainers comment is incredibly stupid. Dogs can be trained out of anything. Their ability to "let go" as long as they have the support is amazing.

I would put her on a strict schedule and stick with it to prevent accidents. At her age she has the ability to hold it in, and with positive reinforcement she will want to please you as time goes on. If she relieves herself outside then praise the heck outta her. If not, don't get upset. Calmly take her in and put her into the crate and try again later. Avoid giving the crate negative association but more so as a tool to encourage her to hold it until she's outside. If she's roaming the house I would keep a 6 ft leash dragging on the floor so you can quickly pick it up when she shows sign of looking for a place to pee.

A big thing that will help is exercising her loads. It will encourage bodily functions and she won't have the energy to hold onto her fear.

Also make sure you are calm when taking her outside. This will make her follow you more easily then if you are mad or anxious or frustrated.

Does she have a martingale collar on? This may help your wife walk her easier than a normal collar or harness. Harness are great for bullies but if they don't want to do something they can put their brakes on really easy with a harness. They have pinch collars out now that are plastic and NOT pointy on the ends, gosh I can't remember the brand. They have to be used correctly to avoid negative association. It's a last ditch option to get her to follow you, I'm just thinking for your wife it might make it easier on her.

Ok I'm blathering on now, last thing - see a professional behaviorist instead of a trainer for this. They can explain to you her body language (and yours as well), just a different perspective then trainers IMO.

 

[mommydanford]

Maybe try retraining like you said, and each time you take her out have her touch or ring the bell and say potty or whatever phrase you use to get her to go. Getting her out for long walks is a great idea and I think will help her get used to the noises again. Lots and lots of praise, but you know that already. I was never able to get Molly to ring the bell, she just didn't like it at all, the cats rang it so I took it down. Now I can just say "Molly, do you need to go potty?" and she will go to the door if she needs to go, also if I forget to ask she will come to me put her front paws on my leg and paw at me then get down and just look at me. I know she needs to go then. Good luck, and I'm sure with a little patience she will start letting you know again.

 

[PrincessGrace]

That is what we have been doing but we are going to be really strict this week. I have never heard of a martingale collar. We recently switched to a harness and when she does not want to walk we pull her a bit but she refuses so we just go in. We have been giving her loads of praise and treats when she goes outside. We have lots of stairs so she gets exercise there and we take her for 30 minute walks (when she wants to walk) so we have been exercising her lots. We live in Brooklyn and we are a friggin mile from the nearest park so it is tough to get her to walk all the way there. We are thinking of going to a behaviorist IF she doesn't snap out of it.

 

[PrincessGrace]

This forum is absolutely amazing. Thank you all for the positive vibes. It truly helps to speak to people who know bullies. They are totally different than other dogs. The "trainer" said that dogs are dogs and I never believed that because I've had dogs my whole life and I have never experienced the bulldog. They can be super stubborn and moody but also so affectionate. They are excellent dogs and I think we will always have one!

 

[malaviKat]

Maybe the bell scared her? Sounds like her new indicator is going downstairs. (I could be wrong of course.)

We tried to teach Chance to ring a bell if he needed to go out but (for various reasons) it didn't work for either of us. He just goes to the door.

Good luck to you, your wife and your girl. (She's gorgeous!) You'll be fine.

 

[PrincessGrace]

Thanks so much. Nah, the bell didn't scare her. We do have a dog walker and we asked if something happened on one of the walks and we think they just didn't tell us. She doesn't like the sound of big trucks and we live on a street that there are always big trucks. She was fine with them though until about a month ago.

 

[PrincessGrace]

My wife just took her out and she refused to do anything, had to be pulled to walk anywhere and then just laid down on the street.. wonderful

 

[Saalwi]

I've had some experience with my weim (she was pretty much not interested in walking on a leash out of doors till she was almost a year) ...everything outside noises, cars, weird stuff in people's yards, etc...scared her to where she would lay down and wouldn't move for love or money....it took a lot of patience but I just kept trying...lots of praise and a few more feet everyday 2-3 times a day, I also took her to a trainer that specialized in good canine, therapy dog, and agility work, the more training I did with her the more confidence she had...it's pretty amazing but these dogs can really transform if given the right tools....my bulldog does have a little "walking" quirk which is he won't go without her...and if I remember correctly when he was first learning how to walk I had to carry him to the top of the street before he would consent to continue on his own...each one is an individual.

Any chance you could switch up the routine....maybe drive her somewhere and then walk home....to give her a different sensation....she's totally aware of any frustration on your part and that will only keep shut down to whatever your trying to teach her....hang in there and find a better trainer...she's beautiful.