[ChanelRB]

I have a 3 year old dachshund. While I'm at work during the day, I used to drop him off at my parent's house (he loves them and their dogs). My parents have been out of town for the last 2 weeks so I decided to hire a dog walker to come take him for a walk in the middle of the day while I'm at work.

I hired an amazing dog walker. He came to meet my dog beforehand and met with me for half an hour beforehand. My roommate has a dog who is aggressive, so it was important for the dog walker to become familiar with the dogs.

The first day, I made sure I was home to make sure that the my roommate's dog didn't bite the dog walker. My dog went outside with the dog walker, but refused to leave the front yard. My dog is very attached to me, so I figured he didn't want to walk because I wasn't there.

The second time, the dog walker came when I was at work. At first, my dog wouldn't let him put the leash on, but then dog walker sat with him for 5-10 mins, then took him in the backyard for a bit and eventually my dog let him pet him. The dog walker was then able to take him for a walk.

The third time, the dog walker got my dog outside, but my dog refused to leave the front yard.

The fourth time, the same thing happened.

What do I do? How can I get my dog comfortable going for a walk with the dog walker?

 

[Dia]

It may take a while for your dog to get used to the idea of going somewhere with a stranger, but this isn't really a bad thing. In my opinion, the *walk* itself probably isn't as important than the mid-day break. The dog walker can come and spend a little time with your dog, play with him a little bit, give him a chance to do his business, just generally let the dog get to know/trust him at his own speed. He can invite the dog for a walk, but no problem if the dog says he doesn't want to. He'll probably come around in a week or two, or maybe three. That's my opinion, for what its worth.