Sparky (5 and a half month BC)has really improved on his lead now, but we are still having to put a gentle leader on him to stop him pulling when he is near traffic. We live in a quiet road, but it is just off a very busy main road, and he is terrified of the lorries and motorbikes that come firing down there - (supposed to be 30 mph, but you'd never know it).
I've been walking him up to the main road and sitting at the roundabout there nearly every day, but he goes straight into a down and pulls like mad (even on his GL) to get home again. Yesterday he was really shaking. We have a huge park nearby with woodland to explore, and he gets long walks there now each day. It's no hardship to pop him in the car to drive down there, but should I persevere with the busy road? Do they ever get over it when they are this scared? Any tips very welcome.
Tracy

Hi Tracy, no advice Im afraid just posting to keep you company. Sorry to hear poor Sparky is so scared after all your hard work on desensitising him to traffic. Would it be possible to just walk down the main road to the park without sitting at the roundabout so he gets the idea that the traffic is followed by a run? If its the noise he hates ( and who can blame him) what about a tape of traffic noise like the firework tapes ?

Thanks everyone
I am now torn! Lorelei, took him out for a short trip (it's only about 300 yards to the main road) today, without reaching the roundabout, but he nearly did my back in with his lunging in the other direction. It's so sudden, one minute he's trotting along close, the next minute he just flies the other way. I am considering a Dogmatic head collar now, rather than the gentle leader. Does anyone have one?
Icequeen - the park is only about half a mile down the road, so it is feasible to walk it, but so scary - at one point the pavement narrows too. Just feel so naughty driving down the hill, with it being such ashort journey. Feel so lazy!
Sandrah - we only got Sparky at 12 weeks, so not sure how much he was exposed to traffic beforehand. He is great in the car - loves coming with us, and will even sleep in it for short naps if we let him. Having read your post though, I am inclined to give him a break. The other option is to show him the traffic through the gate to the park each time we go - before the big walk, perhaps? I just want to be able to take him with me wherever we go, and sadly this usually means having to face the traffic somewhere along the line...:(

Keep gong with him!

can you walk to your park by the busy road? this will let him go past traffric and then get to have lots of fun in the park. Also have you tried walking him back when he is tried so maybe he will have the attitude "i can't be botherd to pull"

Keep us all posted on how it goes.

Rox

Bit of a funny age 5 months. My Border Collie decided she didn't like traffic as a pup, not scared but over excited and decided to chase. I decided it wasn't worth putting us both through the ordeal. I think you can make matters worse by over confronting the problem, especially with a sensitive breed like a collie.

I don't need to take her onto busy roads in our every day life, she is an angel in the car with busy traffic, I just drive to the woods and we are both happy. I tried all the distractions imaginable but once a collie has something in their head there is no stopping them.

She is now 15 months and not so bad, she will tolorate them in the daylight but still dislikes the headlights at night, wet roads made her worse too.

Personally if it is making her life miserable and no doubt yours and you don't need to walk her along the roads, I would give her a break at least for a couple of months.

Good luck
Sandra