Dog Health Questions: Dog doesn't like beign away from me in strange places?

He is fine with me leaving the house for exams for example. But when we're at dog training we had to do recall relay in teams. Someone held my dog whilst i walked away then called him but he didn't like being next to them and wanted to come to me. (He's a Pug btw) He's okay greeting people though. When we were at puppy classes a few months ago he wouldnt approach the other dogs during off-lead play without me going first and when we had to swap dogs around i quickly glanced over at him and noticed him sat there worried and pulling to get to me. He didnt want to be with the other people. What should i do to make him more independant? He's fine being alone without me in places he is used to. On walks in fields ill get him to lay down and wait whilst i walk away quite far then get him to come but hes okay with that, even if it is a somewhat strange place. I think its just with other people. Like when i had to take him to the Vets to stay there all day he had his teddy in his mouth to comfort him and the vet came over to put him in the kennel thing and he kept trying to climb onto my lap and didnt want to go so they had to pick him upm he licked their face and off he went and he was fine all day. Is it because he isn't used to others handling him? I mean walks and things. No one has ever held his leash but me. He's been okay being handled by a Judge at a show though.....

What shoudl i do to make him less dependant on me? He seems a bit worried or confused when someone else holds his leash. and he sees me not holding it.

Dog Training Tips - Dog Distraction Training

Recommended Answer:
It sounds like you have a very well behaved Pug already.
It is quite normal for dogs to react this way- your dog just wants to be close to you because he is feeling insecure.
The best solution to this problem is to keep doing what you are doing- taking him out, meeting other people, letting other people handle him, and leaving him in the comapny of others for short periods of time.
Next time you are trying the 'stay' command at obedience, only walk a very short distance away from him- before he starts reacting. This might be only a metre or two.
Recall him and reward him with a 'jackpot' (a Jackpot is a big reward- say, a long play or 5 regular food treats in succession) because he hasnt reacted when youve walked away (because you havent walked far enough from him for him to notice that you have gone!)
Gradually build up the length that you can walk away from him.
Practice this away from obedience as well, if you can. Take him to friends houses and do similar exercises.
Keep training times short and sweet- you only have to do it once per training session, probably 3 times max for your dog to start understanding what to do.
It is very normal for a dog to behave differently in unfamiliar surroundings- and the way to treat this is to do exactly what you did when you first started training him- take him back to the start and take things in small steps.
Plenty of practice and lots of positive reinforcement when he does behave himself will help you to get through this!

When your dog does misbehave- when he does become attention seeking and sooky when near other people- dont reward him by giving him praise and pats- it is exactly what he wants. Instead, try and ignore him as best as you can, dont give him pats, etc, until he is calm and behaving himself, then you can reward him for behaving.
In this way you can train your dog to be calm and assertive, rather than fearful and reactive.

It does sound like you are already off to a really good start with your dog, and that you are already doing most of the right things- good luck with your training, and I wish you and you Pug the best of luck!

10 Dog Training Mistakes You Must Avoid

• If I didn't know better, I'd think you had an insecure and/or unsocialized dog, but that doesn't seem to be the case so much. Well, dogs react to the energy of the people and animals around them. How confident are you? If your dog doesn't see you as a leader figure, it will take it upon itself to worry about everything. Also, if you snuggle up to your dog when it's scared, that can also make it feel insecure, surprisingly. Does your dog get enough time to meet and greet people before being handled by them? Aside from that, I don't think it's super weird for a dog to be wary of strange people and places at first. Then again, you may just have a dog skittish by nature. But it can be helped.


• Well I am wondering if the stress is actually coming from you. You seem stressed when you leave him with other people, so he is sensing that Sometimes pugs like to be the follower and not the leader in a group of dogs The situation at the vets sounds like a stress you created, you were feeling stressed at leaving him at the vets and he picked up on that stress. I wonder if introducing people on his territory, like at your house would be a better start for him Pugs are a cling breed, so you are right, as long as he can see you he is fine, it is when you get out of his range he would be stressed. They can be fine if left alone sometimes and in other situations they allow you to be gone for a time limit and then they go looking for you. I wonder if there is a pug breeder in your area that could help you with this. The barking you can address the second it starts with a command like "shame" So the second it starts point, snap your fingers and say "shame" and when he settles down, then praise him. You have to teach him what behaviors you allow and which ones you don't. Sometimes people think dogs are barking for no reason, but it is simply that you are used to the sound and tune it out. Maybe a cell phone vibrating on a kitchen counter, a neighbor child on his scooter, a delivery truck driver might be things you take for granted, that might be something your dog is getting used to