We have a beautiful Labrador, now 4.5 months and doing well. She is a quick learner, friendly and not shy about the house, very bold with our two year old dog. She attends weekly training, and is fine, if a bit reluctant to join in at times. The one problem we have is that she is very nervous to go on walks. She will not leave the house on her lead (she now hides in her crate when she sees her harness), and if we carry her a little way, she then stands shaking. She travels well in a car but is again nervous when we arrive at a venue, although eventually comes along, (especially if we let go of her lead). She really perks up when another dog or a person comes to give her a fuss, and then is back to her nervous self. She loves meeting her litter mates in an enclosed field and is a different dog out with them. I had no idea this might be an issue given she is so lively, and her brother loved walking anywhere and everywhere. It seems to have got worse over the past week, which might have coincided with a walk during which her brother ran off and she seemed upset by his absence (she was howling for him, and he was gone an hour due to a nasty case of selective deafness). As far as we know, she has not had anything else upsetting happen on a walk and we bring plenty of treats, offer lots of praise etc.
Any thoughts on how we can help her be more confident?