shy puppy

[Charmane]

Tutts is very shy when she is around new people and I have no idea why. Ever since I got her I always take her with me everywhere and she has always been around new people. She still crouches down with her tail between her leg or hides behind my legs when people come around but if they just look at her she wants to visit them but if I take her over or if the person comes over she is scared to death. Why is she like this? Does any one else have a dachsie that does this? Can anyone tell me how to cure her of her fear?
Thanks
Charmane

[cps]

Hi - I work as a trainer so I can give you some basic suggestions, but it's hard without knowing the dog's history. Is this a rescue dog with a history of abuse, or did you get him from a breeder as a small puppy? Obviously prior abuse in a rescue dog would explain some of the behavior.

Also - how is your dog with other dogs - or is it just people?

You don't want to force a shy or scared dog to confront whatever it is that frightens them (in this case, other people). But you do want to try to expose him to as many different situations as possible. Take him to the park, walks, the pet store, etc. You can praise him if he's behaving well. Treats help.

Do NOT hug him and say "it's ok". Dogs do not understand most of the words we say - they understand our actions. If the dog gets a hug, he learns that his fearful behavior is rewarded and will be likely to repeat it.

What you want to do with strangers - leave a bowl of treats just inside the door (obviously where he can't get at them). Have anyone who enters kneel down and tell them not to look directly at the dog (direct eye contact can be perceived by him as threatening). Have them offer the treat in an open palm, and let the dog come to them. They can also try offering the treat from behind their back. If he doesn't take it, they can walk away, ignoring him.

In the beginning, if he takes the treat, praise him (you are reinforcing the behavior you want), but don't have the guest pet him yet - this may be too much. Once he's calmly taking treats from strangers (learning that people are pretty good - after all, they are the source of treats!), they can try petting him - but start on the neck or shoulders, coming from underneath the chin - a hand coming over the head is also a threat. Remember, dogs communicate with each other through body language, and inadvertently some of our body language can convey things to them that we don't intend to.

You want to desensitize him and this takes time, and should be done in small steps. Be patient and gradually - slowly - increae both the time of exposure and closeness to the frightening object (other people).

An obedience class may help as well. It's excellent for socialization and exposure to other dogs and people. Even if you trained him yourself at home, the class might be worthwhile just for the socialization aspect.

[LisaH]

cps gives excellent advice. I just wanted to say that our Annie has always been very shy, from the time we first met her at the breeder's when she was 6 weeks old. Her brother and sister were very outgoing;
Annie was just the wuss of the family. Dogs have their own personalities, just like people, and Tutts may just be naturally shy.

The suggestions that cps made should help. Food is THE great motivator for dachshunds; if Tutts associates visitors with treats, that'll go a long way toward making her feel better about them!

Good luck!
Lisa and Annie the Chicken Dog

[dutchman]

cps advice fits with much of what I have learned. I've had/have two shy dogs. Aggie my mill mother rescue was very passive shy and Tanner another rescue is aggressive shy. Believe me you have the easier one to live with. Aggie was two when I got her and not quite four when I lost her. In the two years we had together we made a lot of progress going from a little girl who would pee while having her tail firmly tucked between her legs if we meet another dog on our walks and who would retreat from any human contact to being able to walk boldly among dogs of all size and many people at a local outdoor dog show. The first step was getting her to bond with me you don't have to worry about that one. I thin started taking her to places like Pet Smart, parks, to work a few times (I can't do that very often). I didn't go to an obedience class with her thinking she would be too scared but I now think I should have once we were bonded.

Tanner my aggressive shy boy is a bigger project. While we have made big progress since I got him the end of July last year he is still not one to be trusted unsupervised in public and especially has a problem with people at our home.

Good luck,

Tom and the boys (Frank and Tanner)