Is my puppy normal or do I need to hire more training to help us?
First time puppy owner here. Throwaway account because I just lurk on Reddit mainly.
I have some sort of mini poodle mix I adopted. Gemini was three months when I got her and is a little more than five months now. From the start, her anxiety was a source of anxiety for me because I just want her to have a good life. Puppy class was a wake up call.
I started doing several 10 - 15 minute walks outside most days. Sometimes on trails that are easy for her, sometimes that are a little more difficult but not anywhere near max difficulty. We also visit a dog-friendly store (10 minutes MAX and we leave if she's struggling) three or four times a week. Sometimes my neighbor lets me take along her older, chill dog and that seems to have helped a little. Gemini graduated puppy kindergarten and the trainer said Gemini made a lot of improvement in just a couple weeks.
Aside from the puppy class, I’m going to take her to obedience 101 in mid-March.
All that out of the way, I have a list of stuff I’m dealing with when out and about and was wondering if this was normal puppy stuff that will go away if I keep doing what I’m doing, or if I need to hire more help. I'm trying to train a neutral dog. It's okay if she's not social as long as she's not aggressive.
- She often plants her feet and won’t move while walking on the leash, regardless of what's going on around her or where we are. I end up practically dragging her, making ridiculous happy noises and waving a treat at her so she doesn’t think I hate her. If I wait her out, we’ll be in that exact spot for a minimum of 15 minutes.
- Sometimes Gemini will move along after planting her feet, other times I have to pick her up, move her a few feet, then put her down to try again. Other times she walks loose leash or barrels ahead at top speed.
- Outside, we often still have to stand to the side while people or other dogs pass. I give her a treat as they approach, and then another after they pass and am slowly beginning to only give a treat only after they pass. She gets soft praise throughout the entire process if she’s calm. Other times I can lure her to walk past with a treat.
- Once people/dogs pass, Gemini tries to pull after them.
- Sometimes she gives a little woof at larger dogs, though we’ve been working on that by watching people walk their big dogs from ever decreasing distances.
- In stores, she’ll sometimes give the same little woof at people. We take a few steps back until she doesn’t seem so alarmed and I feed her treats. Sometimes we creep a little closer but not more than maybe half a foot if only out of courtesy to the other person.
- And then sometimes, she can pass by a person or (calm) dog as if she’s been doing it for years! Especially in stores. People can pass within half a foot of us and Gemini’s only concern is not getting stepped on.
- She peed herself when she heard a big flag flapping in the wind.
- We got past scooters and bicycles pretty well, still working on cars, but Gemini lost her mind today watching two guys skateboard down a hill. That was the first time I ever heard her give a real bark. She did better the second time we saw them, but was clearly not happy with the arrangement and would only take the highest of high value treats.
- Sometimes she’s afraid of weird sounds like bouncing basketballs, other times she wants to approach. I let her get within a few feet, treating and softly praising the entire time. But then the next day she’s scared again!
- Sometimes she'll let strange people give her a treat and a little scratch under the chin, but that's it. And then other times she backs away until she's by my feet and I explain that she's scared and wants space.
Posted Feb 25, 2026, 5:47 AM UTC