Striking Fear into the heart of a puppy.

[Zephyrpower]

Ok, I know this is normally not a good thing to do, and I don't nessecarily want to make my puppy deadly afraid of anything, but right now he's pretty much not afraid of anything (except vaccuumers and hairdryers, or other noisy electronic things) and I'm afraid he's going to endanger his life or get himself hurt one day.

Just the other day I was driving home from a walk and like a lot of people I let him stick his head out the window to catch a cool breeze and suddenly he jumped out the window! That's right, my puppy jumped out the window of my moving SUV(GMC JImmy) with his leash attached to something in the car. I stopped as soon as I saw him jump and opened the door and he was just stand there with a grin on his face. Fortunately I had an extra long walking leash so even though it was attached to something inside the Jimmy, it didn't drag him around by his neck or anything. That and I was moving pretty slow (probably 10-15mph).
Still that's pretty risky and I don't want it to happen again in less safe circumstances. Also, he has no fear of cars and a couple of times he's run out in the road when cars were coming. Fortunately I got him out of the road and the cars slowed down. Normally I have him on a leash when I'm anywhere near a road but there has been a time or two when he slips out the front door or gets away somehow.

So my question is, how should I make him fear things and actions that can kill him? My family's dog got hit by a truck and now he's afraid of cars enough to avoid them. Again, he was pretty lucky and didn't suffer any injuries from getting hit...he actually somehow just got "bumped" by the tire and rolled away as soon it made contact, but he learned his lesson.

 

[ToscasMom]

I would say he's too young to have his head out the window of a moving car. He didn't know any better. Fear isn't exactly what you want to teach him. You want to keep him safe. You want to put him in a doggie harness in the car so he is not only safe from jumping out of windows, but safe from flying thru the windshield if you have an accident. After that, you also want to start obedience training him and keep him on a leash so that he won't be running out into the road. Puppies are not that smart, they think everything is butterflies and chirping birdies. Keeping them safe from things like moving cars is our responsibility. Keeping him leashed is the proper thing to do except in very safe environments where he can romp. A loose puppy is a puppy about to be run over by a car. Actually the same goes for a loose adult dog who is not off-leash trained.

He hasn't done anything wrong in his mind. He's only doing what you let him do. To punish him is to punish him for something you enabled him to do.

I advise that you get control of your dog not with fear but with the understanding that you have to teach both him and yourself the right way to raise a puppy. This can best be done with training with a professional.

A puppy without understanding will grow up into an uncontrollable adult

 

[Doberluv]

I think more the question should be: How to instill fear into his owner. You need to be responsible for his safety. He's a dog. You're the human with the higher reasoning ability. There are just some things that dogs shouldn't and can't be responsible for. Keep the window raised high enough so he can't fit if he jumps. Keep him on a leash ALWAYS when there is ANY chance of getting hit by a car. You need to be more careful with your pup.

 

[bubbatd]

Agree Dober !!

 

[otch1]

Couldn't have said it better!! Time for a training class Zephrypower to address what's appropiate handling of a puppy, what reasoning capabilities they have (and don't have) at certain stages. What you need to do to make sure everything in his life is "puppy proofed". From you front door, to house, and car... he's learned about front doors and car windows now, meaning "freedom"! So, before he ends up like parents dog, it's your responsibility to make sure there is never another escape! A training class will help you address this.

 

[Zephyrpower]

I think more the question should be: How to instill fear into his owner. You need to be responsible for his safety. He's a dog. You're the human with the higher reasoning ability. There are just some things that dogs shouldn't and can't be responsible for. Keep the window raised high enough so he can't fit if he jumps. Keep him on a leash ALWAYS when there is ANY chance of getting hit by a car. You need to be more careful with your pup.

You're right Doberluv, I do need to be more careful. I do keep him on a leash whenever he's anywhere he could get near a road where cars go by, but the one time (months ago) that he ran out in front of some cars was because I had to tie my shoe while walking him and I didn't hold on to the leash well enough. Another time he slipped out the front door when I was taking the trash out, he ran all over the neighborhood but fortunately there weren't many cars around then...it was just nearly impossible to catch him.
Now I make sure he stays before I open the door to leave, I always have him on a leash when we're anywhere near a road and I make sure he can't get away when I have to tie my shoe.

I know that I'm fully responsible for keeping him safe in almost every scenario, but I was hoping there was a way to train him that cars are something he should be cautious around, just in case an accident happens again and he gets out. Also, the one time he got out the front door, I couldn't get him to come back, even when I tried to lure him with treats or get him to chase me back onto my property...he was way more interested in exploring the alley and the trash piles near the trash cans.
So if I followed him he would run further but the only option I could imagine would be to stay in my yard/house and call him or wait for him to return...what should I do in that scenario?

 

[krisykris]

I've had one or two scary experiences when my pups have slipped through my feet out the door, or under the one loose board in my fence even WHILE I was supervising them. It's really not their fault, they're just being puppies and having fun. I personally always leash my dogs even while we're in the yard for the most part just because I worry about them slipping out of that small area in the fence now that they know where it is. I also work on my come command intensively. I always say come in a happy peppy voice and my pup's generally always come running right to me for a treat or a hug. It's hard not to yell your puppies name frantically if it escapes, so be sure to stay calm.

 

[RD]

Let your dog be blissfully fearless. It's a good thing, especially in a puppy.

It is up to YOU to protect him.

 

[Dreeza]

agreed to what everyone else has said.

However, I know what you mean...Oakley used to get out as well (it seems like no matter how careful you are, if they are determined, they WILL get out!) and run across the street.

He is now trained quite well, and knows the "COME" command, which can stop him from running into the street. A HUGE thing we did with him is ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS stopping before crossing the street. He has to sit, and then look up, get our approval, and then walk nicely next to us in order to cross (we walk him off leash a lot). Now, we can play outside with him without worrying about him running into the street. We test him a lot too. We'll throw a toy into the street (obviously there are no cars coming...we live on a relatively quiet street), and if he runs to go get it, we yell "NO!!", and he immediately knows what he has done wrong. He is now really good at stopping at the curb, sitting, and giving us this most pathetic look like "mommy...you did that on purpose, PLEASE let me go get my toy!!!" However, he always has to wait to go into the street with one of us.

Technically, i think we may have scared him a little of the street. I am guessing in his mind, it is something to be scared of stepping on w.out permission, and w/out us. We just did this by yelling "NO!!" everytime he put a paw on the street without our permission. We would also really overemphasize it, and act scared ourselves (which im sure he could sense)

sorry that was retardedly long. Hope that helps!

 

[smkie]

Let your dog be blissfully fearless. It's a good thing, especially in a puppy.

It is up to YOU to protect him.

well said

 

[krisykris]

I think one of the biggest problems I have when training to keep my pups out of the street is that there are NO sidewalks in my neighborhood, so I have to walk them on the side of the road =/

 

[ToscasMom]

Gotta watch em every minute Zeph, I swear they can fit thru keyholes. lol.

 

[cocker/minpinmom]

i really think that you need to get your dog into a good training school.
with one simple command he/she should be able to sit anywhere,go anywhere with you while you do anything and you shouldnt have to worry to much.

But it also depends on the breed of dog,one of my dogs listens very well but the other one no way.

i can have one dog off the leash and she will stay with me but the other foget it she has to be on a leash at all times ,she is a puppy and is still in training and she isnt easy to train.

Just train him/her and hopefully that should help and it's good that it has no fear a skittish dog isnt as much fun cause then you will have different issue's to deal with.

everyone makes mistake's just try to be more careful from now on, now that you know that your dog will jump treat the dog like a baby if it's not safe for a child would it be safe for a puppy?

i don't even want my puppy jumping off the couch for fear of broken leg or something

 

[Doberluv]

Your puppy needs obedience training; a really solid recall, sit/down/stay etc. A training class would help. It always helps the odds if your dog does escape to have a reliable recall whereby nothing in the environment is more interesting or more motivating than coming to you. Obedience training is a must. But it's still not a replacement for physically controlling your dog on a leash where there is any possibility of him getting out onto a road. The odds are vastly against him when getting out where cars are. Certain things need to be managed even when a dog is very, very well trained.

My Doberman has a stupendous recall. He comes every time I call him, even when focused and in mid chase of a deer or squirrel. He's unbelieveable. Would I let him walk along with me next to traffic with no leash? No way. There's always a chance that he might not obey that one time. And that one time is all it takes for him to lose his life. I'd be devestated.

 

[Zephyrpower]

i really think that you need to get your dog into a good training school.
with one simple command he/she should be able to sit anywhere,go anywhere with you while you do anything and you shouldnt have to worry to much.

But it also depends on the breed of dog,one of my dogs listens very well but the other one no way.

i can have one dog off the leash and she will stay with me but the other foget it she has to be on a leash at all times ,she is a puppy and is still in training and she isnt easy to train.

Just train him/her and hopefully that should help and it's good that it has no fear a skittish dog isnt as much fun cause then you will have different issue's to deal with.

everyone makes mistake's just try to be more careful from now on, now that you know that your dog will jump treat the dog like a baby if it's not safe for a child would it be safe for a puppy?

Very true Cocker,
It's been awhile since I've attempted to teach him anything new. The basic commands he knows and obeys under certain conditions are "Sit, Stay, Fetch and Laydown...oh and Go pee, LOL" I also feel I should train him "Drop it", not to jump on people, and Come when he's outside and other commands that he doesn't always obey when he's distracted. I've been wanting to teach him these commands but I've been busy and it's hard to find the time or methods that would work well. I think it might be time for me and Pudges to go back to school!

Btw, he is at least 6 months old now...still as cute as ever!

P.s. In case anyone was worried about our family dog (technically belongs to my sister) he is still alive and well, the truck's tire barely bumped him I think and he rolled away from it and seemed to avoid the brunt of the force...I don't even think he was bruised. He's about 5 yrs old now and is very good at staying in the backyard and not venturing near the road or even the front lawn.

 

[EliNHunter]

You've gotten some good advice, here. And I would just add that even with training, some dogs are just "wired" to be a certain way. Therefore (unfortunately), it may have to be YOU that gets trained that keeps your pup out of harm's way. I had a lab (Yogi) that would bolt at the first chance. There was NO calling or training or ANYTHING that would ever keep him from doing that. Therefore, he was ALWAYS on leash when outside of our fenced in property. If I had to tie my shoe while on a walk, I'd make sure the loop on the end of the leash was through my other foot. The smart ones know us human owner weaknesses and will take advantage! He was TOTALLY trained in obedience and knew every command. But he was too hard headed to obey them when he wanted to "go for it" and didn't care. Thank goodness he never got hit

 

[Bdown]

have you ever thought about a training collar?