u/TallyTruthz

Hello everyone! Several days ago, my fiancé and I got a 4 month old Belgian Sheepdog. She’s a complete sweetheart and so smart. Her breeder said that she was mostly potty trained, but she did say that it would probably regress a bit when we bring her home. She’s had a couple accidents inside, which is to be expected. She’s really good about peeing outside, but getting her to poop is a real challenge. However, she’s so scared to go outside as the neighbor’s dog barks pretty intensely at her through the window (we’re both on the first floor). We’ve never let them interact, and don’t plan to as the neighbor is a bit strange and has said that his dog isn’t the friendliest with people (but he has said that his dog likes other dogs, but we’re not going to risk it)… And there’s only one singular entrance in the entire building.

How do we help make her more comfortable going outside? We’ve tried treats, but food is the last thing on her mind when she’s nervous. Praise and pets seem like a big motivation for her, and she’s already incredibly bonded to us, but she’s just so reluctant to go outside.

She’ll be starting Puppy Obedience classes in August, and she gets lots of playtime inside. We just want to be able to do playtime outside (away from the apartment), without her being so stressed out.

Any tips would be great!