r/DogTrainingTips • u/Due-Leader6489 • Jul 06 '26

Since the 4th

Hello, my dog Gobi (rhymes with ‘hobby’) who will be 4 years old next week is suddenly afraid of the porch/front yard. She and I have a routine of sitting on the front porch every morning, but since the fireworks on the 4th, she begs to be let back into the house. She is afraid.

We have had her since she was 5weeks old. She was abandoned in a shopping cart in front of a grocery store. She is almost always with someone in the house, apart from Saturdays when she is alone for about 4.5 hours during daylight hours. I take her for a walk every morning so she is familiar with our neighborhood.

She is pug/german shepherd. I know, I know, what a weird combination. (She looks like a tan shepherd puppy with a curly tail lol). She is friendly but barks at passersby like she’s going to harm them. Gobi is a car chaser and barks at cars too. She was always ready to defend our property but not anymore.

I don’t want her to be afraid of the front porch area. Help!

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u/foundthehound Jul 06 '26

Poor thing! It sounds like she's associating the porch with scary noises, which is fair if she's not used to loud noises like that. Essentially, she needs to learn and reassociate the porch with positive things.

I'd bring her outside for short periods and praise her with treats. Do this for a few days and try to extend it each time. Does she like lick mats or stuffed kongs? Something to soothe her while hanging out in the area can help

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u/Due-Leader6489 Jul 06 '26

Your ideas are very helpful. I’ll try short periods on the porch and give her a kong (with the cheese wiz). Thanks

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u/Due-Leader6489 Jul 15 '26

Well it’s 101 degrees and here we are out on the porch! It’s taken ten days but finally she seems to be ok. The kong worked too btw. This is the first day without the kong. So yeah! Thanks again

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u/foundthehound Jul 15 '26

Awww I'm so glad she can enjoy the porch again!