Dog Health Questions: Dog training advice: walking on a leash?

My 4 year old dog was abused as a puppy and has tons of anxiety problems. One including, walking on a lead. She'll do it fine in the house, but as soon as we try to walk her passed the driveway she shuts down. She'll flatten out and roll on her back and do anything to get out of her leash. She'll walk fine if we take her in the car and go somewhere else. She comes to the petstore and trots around like a pro and she'll walk around the trails at the dog park, only because they're away from home.

So we've hired three dog trainers to help us, and each one said to drag out dog along until she submits and walks. This worked fine for a little bit, except she was beginning to dread walking and training at all. She was really frightened and I didn't like having to drag her along every time she had an anxiety attack.

So what I have been doing for the passed few days, is having someone drop me off at the park with my dog, then we walk home together. She walks fine as long as she's not leaving home, so it's been working pretty well. I've been having her sit at every corner so I can give her treats and lots of cuddles, hoping to put walking in her mind as something fun.

I was wondering what any fellow dog trainers think of this technique. I'm hoping to start being dropped off closer and closer to home, until the point where we can just leave the house and have a normal walk.

Thanks for any advice!! :)

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Recommended Answer:
First, your dog was not abused, its just genetically weak, nerves, etc. Second, at some point it will have to walk, like it or not, third, its YOU that is holding the dog back from walking with your projection of emotions over it.
Put a prong on the dog and attach a leash, then just walk, no looking back, no treats, no nothing, just walk, it WILL come, if only to be near its head, I promise. I have used that same method on many dogs that refused to walk on a leash, took about 10 minutes to get them to do it, never failed.
Once again, quit projection your own emotions to an animal that has no way of understanding them, it will benefit both of you. Hope I helped.

ADD: Ok, I will play...your dog is 4 and was "abused" as a puppy...please tell me how it was abused, what was done to it?

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• As I was reading your question, I was trying to think what I would do. You came up with EXACTLY what I was going to say. Good Job!!!!! If anything will work, this will!
  
  You are an awesome dog owner and are willing to spend the time. I firmly believe you and your dog will conquer this together.


• for a start its really frustrating for the owner and the dog picks up on this, so a good start is to learn to control how you deal with this situation, but you need to do it in steps, if you have a back garden go from the house to the back garden then to a park whats not as busy and keep introducing more and more sound as you go on, maybe take him for a walk at night and this might learn him that it isnt that bad outside and he can get used to the roads and the different smells and sounds, but when he starts to get nervous you need to attract his attention, and when he gets nervous have a treat to hand and get his attention espically when its as his noisiest and keep doing this and she will be looking at you for attention when all this is going on around you and then she will forget about it, its not easy, it takes a long time, shes had this habit for 4 years so its going to take a little bit of time to get that 4 years worth of information out of her head, but dont give up. walking a dog and a dog walking alright just makes the perfect pet . good luck we've been through this and it can be hard


• What you are describing is not a dog shutting down – if you had seen that you'd know the difference. I purchase a dog many years back now that had been kept in the house/garden so not socialized. The world outside was an unknown quantity because it had not been exposed to a wide variety of situations & experiences which is what socialization is, as a puppy.
  
  The pup was fine when the lead was clipped to the collar, but pasted itself to the wall when I stepped outside. Overload of competing stimulus & it wanted to turn tail back to the safety of the house. I did not fuss over or reassure him as that would have been counterproductive & reinforced his anxiety, & adopted a normal confident attitude & tone of voice.
  
  I used treats to teach him the “watch” command, kept his attention focused on me while we walked up the road & each walk longer than the last. He has been born mentally sound but needed time to adjust to the world outside the home, & that he did fairly quickly.