Pomeranian unable to relax outdoors

by Mark Whitenack
(St. Joseph, MI)

My 3 1/2 Y.O. Pom Raskal is a great dog. He is very sweet, good with people and a good dog in a lot of ways. Don't get me wrong, he has been trained to be good and I have put time into properly training him and setting up boundaries.

One big problem is He can never seem to relax and be in a calm submissive state outdoors.

things that set him off:

other dogs regardless of size - He exhibits fear/agressive behavior and wants to "take them on"

squirrels, birds, blowing leaves, loud trucks or machinery, children ( we think he believes they are other dogs), people on bikes...the list goes on.

When I walk him I keep him at my side and make corrections so that he does not walk out ahead of me...unless we take a break to "sniff around"

He is always alert and tense when we are not moving. Always looking around for trouble. If he sees one of the things that sets him off...he goes "ape-sh**t" pardon the language...:) I generally correct this by saying STOP in a firm but kind way and use body language to make this firm. It usually works a bit, but then he goes right back at it. I have tried to turn him on his back and hold him down gently to try to make him go into a calm submissive state...but he generally stays tense and stressed.

Any suggestions on how we can make him be calm submissive relaxes outdoors?

Thanks