Scared Of Other Barks

by Michele
(Pasadena, MD U.S.A.)

Jewels

Hello,

I have a 9 week old mini poodle. She goes to the bathroom outside very well, except when she hears barking. She runs up onto the deck and cries until I take her in and then she pees on the floor.

Even when I put a leash on her and keep her in her bathroom area, she cries and jumps up on my legs for me to rescue her. I ignore her and tell her to go pee, but she just continues to cry. What can I do to help her not be afraid of certain sounds? It's much too cold out now to stay out there for more than 5 minutes at a time.





Hi Michele
This is tricky. It's a shame she's so scared, but she's going to need to overcome this and it will be just a matter of time and patience really.

I would suggest continuing as you are but don't 'baby' or 'coddle' her when she gets scared. Just use a happy, positive voice and tell her to go potty everything is okay.

If she refuses to do her business, when you take her inside, put her in her crate right away. Watch her while she stays in there for a few minutes, then take her back outside. You don't want to give her the opportunity to have an accident in your home. Using a crate gives you much more control over this.

I would also recommend that you socialize her as much as possible. She's a tiny puppy, so you should be able to carry her and take her places without putting her at risk of disease. DOn't allow her to come in contact with the ground of any public places until she's fully vaccinated though.

You can find lots of tips and advice on puppy socialization on my Socialize Your Puppy page.

Good luck with her, she's adorable :o)