I have 2 puppies that are 10 months old. I also have their parents. When I first started walking them around 16 weeks old they were timid but didn't bark on walks. We had a second litter when they were 6 months old and I stopped walking them to avoid bringing any potential viruses into the house with the new litter. They were afraid of the new litter at first but by the time they were 5 weeks old they were all playing together. Now the new litter is all gone and I have started trying to walk them again and the boy barks as soon as I open the door to walk them. He barks for almost the entire walk no matter what I do. If I walk him with his father he is even worse and both of them bark. If I walk him with his mom or sister he still barks but not as bad as with his father. I tried a thunder shirt and that didn't seem to make any difference. I know he lacks socialization outside the house but I thought that having lived with his parents and younger siblings would have helped. I tend to wonder if the Christmas decorations in the neighborhood set him off more than usual cuz he's never seen any before. I really need a starting point with him so I can at least get out the door before he starts barking. We go in and out through the garage so none of the other dogs can slip out the door. They are all beagles and I have 4 of them. I definitely think it's anxiety and not excitement. He's a timid and nervous boy. He doesn't easily let humans pet him and he barks at other dogs out of fear. I have taken him into pet stores and Home Depot to try to socialize him some. He does ok there and lets people pet him most of the time. I tried taking him to the dog park and he was terrified, tail tucked, backing up against me, showing teeth if another dog got too close. I tried bringing him with his sister and just had 2 scared puppies. The rest of their litter is doing great socially. I know they can do well with other dogs because they live with other dogs, I just need to know how to start introducing them to dogs outside our household. I tried having their brother visit but they hadn't seen him in a couple of months and acted scared of him too. So, where do I begin? How can I get the door open without him barking? How can we start having playdates with his brother? How can I introduce him to the dog park? I feel terrible that he's so scared and horribly embarrassed that I can't walk him without barking like a lunatic.
