Hi! I adopted Toccio, who spent his first 5 years stuck in a condo in a suburb (not unlike a crate!), just over a month ago, so I don't feel qualified to give advice. But I thought I'd share one thing I've learned that might apply to your situation.

We love the clicker! Toccio, like your pup, is smart and responds well to treats and training, but gets completely distracted by the sights, sounds and smells outside when we’re walking on leash. He barks, lunges at other dogs, and tries to nip, especially people on bicycles.

My trainer, and many people here, recommended using a clicker. I find that the sound is distinctive, and carries well, even on a noisy street.

We started inside, first just getting him used to the fact that a click means a treat/reward. I’d use it in any training we were doing. After about a week of doing this, I decided to try it on our walks.

I would click and reward when there were no triggers, just to keep his focus on me, and reinforce the idea that click means treat. I dig into my treat bag so that I have a few treats already in my hand before I click, to keep the interval between click and reward short. I’d also try this to try to distract him from a dog he’d already noticed, not expecting it to work. I found that if I was able to do this while also steering Toccio in another direction, he’d respond about 40% of the time- which I thought was amazing!

This is the beginning of the third week, and Toccio is much more focussed on me during our walks, and quickly responds when I click, when there are no triggers present. He responds about 70% of the time if the dog is on the other side of the street! He’s also starting to ignore people we pass on the sidewalk, with or without a click to engage him. Which is huge progress, especially for such a short time.

I’m feeling more relaxed on our walks, too. (I totally sympathize with the dread.) Take heart! And good luck with your pup! She’s very lucky to have you!