Just wondering what I can do to get Leon used to traffic? He is so petrified of it although having said that the situation is improving but very slowly. At the moment the things I am doing are not making a fuss of him when he's scared so as not to reinforce it and trying to get him to play on the side of a field where there is traffic the other side of the hedge so he can see/hear it but not reach it (if that makes any sense at all).

HI

Is he food orientated? If so, you could take him out on his leash and have a pocket full of treats. Walk with him, and everytime he seems to get nervous distract him with some treats.

I don't know if it'll work as I have never had those problems with Luna. My vet live in town, so she has been used to traffic since I got her at 8½ week. I don't have a car, so we have had to take busses and trains.

Jeanette

A lady that comes to club had the same problem, she took her dog to a layby and the dog was in the boot of the car so was in his own enviroment, first time she wound down all the windows and let him get used to the noise,then the next time she has a tailgate in her car and she went to a layby, i think it was beside a dual carrage way and she lifted the boot lid and just let him be in the back of the car, she sat with a chair beside him so he could still see her, and when he settled as he was pacing and whinning she said he settled just sat in the boot she praised him and gave him a little treat, shut the boot and off they went, she did this everyday for over 3 weeks just lifting the boot and sitting there she had a flask and took the paper, because she showed she was not bothered he eventually got used to it,then she started getting him out of the car and walking him around the car and onto the grass behind the car and put him back in the car, she said that she did not use the same layby all the time she changed it so he got used to different traffic, some laybys were light traffic, some where heavy with trucks etc,  she said it took her about 4 months in total to get him used to all the noise, but when she got her new puppy she did this straight away and has had no problems with the new puppy, and because she had told us about it at club, alot of us when we got new dogs, we would do the same, people must of given us funny looks when you are just sitting there with the boot open and reading a paper. I don't know if it would help but you could try it.
Carol

What a good idea! Might have to try that. And yes he is so very food orientated I think a combination of both suggestions might just work...thank you both x