I had a search around, but couldn't find an answer to this one. We live in the sticks and the next neighbour 150m up the single-track road has a few Beagles. 5 month old Nelson is sometimes a bit unsure when walking past the neighbour's house, but this afternoon he went really wild (which is quite out of character). He was repeatedly jumping up at me and nipping, ripping a hole in my T-shirt (the first time he has every done something like that). The Beagles were not in their usual pen (possibly inside), and there was no noise coming from the house. I came down to his level, stroked him a bit. I spoke to him calmly, trying to sound confident and "normal", but he was still really on edge. He even refused a kibble. As we're in thick forest, between two lakes, there are only two options: up the road, up down the road. I'm really hoping the two walking options aren't going to be cut by 50%. For now I'm thinking we need to stick at it, and not avoid that route. Is that the right think to do? Am hoping that someone might have had a similar experience and can offer some good advice
It's obviously distressing for him, so I would say that you shouldn't simply ignore this behaviour and continue to walk past the house without changing anything, because it could easily make the issue worse. I would work on desensitisation and counter-conditioning, which could take some time. Basically, this means replacing his bad feelings with good ones. The easiest thing to use being food (make it something really good, like roast chicken), but any toys that he likes would also work. Before he starts getting anxious, reward him for each and every pace he makes towards the house. As soon as he stops, back up a few paces and start again. Make it super rewarding to walk towards it, but don't force him. Judge your own dog's stress levels, but after two or three times of him stopping, reward him for taking a step towards it by turning around and walking away for good. Be prepared for a couple of weeks that you may start walking up the track, to turn around and walk back down it. That's fine. He may not always get better; some days he may not make it as far as others, and that's fine, too. You could also try taking his meals with you in his bowl, and feeding him just before he gets anxious.
