I adopted my dog when she was about 12 weeks old. She had zero exposure to other people, vehicles etc. She was born on a very remote homestead. When I first brought her home she refused to go outside to go potty she was so scared. I had to keep a harness on her to walk her around the backyard for a month and even then the further we got from he back door, the more she would pull and jump to go back inside.
She’s better about that now but still does not like be outside alone, will do her business and then sit and jump up at the door and drool everywhere until brought back inside.
I have tried taking her for walks to expose her to other people, cars and everything else you see during a walk. She pants, shakes and tail is tucked the entire walk. Cars and motorized vehicles are the worst – if she didn’t have a harness on her, she would take off running.
Additionally she does not like anyone she does any know and will bark and hide from them out of fear. I have tried dog CBD in her food and it doesn’t help. I continuously take her on walks trying to desensitize her to everything, I have brought every type of treat that she loves when given at home, but during these walks she refuses to eat anything she’s so scared. I want her to know the outside world is not scary and enjoy it outside of the house, especially since we live in a city that is extremely dog friendly and dogs are brought literally everywhere: grocery stores, malls, etc.
The strangest part is at night – she’s a totally different dog. Even with the vehicles and sounds around, she plays and runs in the yard, will walk outside just fine. It’s like a switch goes off in the dark.
I’m looking for advice from people who have had similar experiences with their dogs and possible success stories? I have consulted with an ethologist (it’s pricey). The next option is to talk to the vet to put her on anti anxiety medication.
submitted by /u/Bright_Ad8594
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