My Puppy is so afraid

[Jazzie's Mom]

I have a 9 month old blue dapple mini female. I have had her for about 1 month. When I went to the breeder where I bought her, she came right to me and jumped in my lap and went to sleep.

I live alone, so it is just her and me. She was with her mother up until I bought her. Now she is afraid of everybody that comes near her. She loves other animals, but when it comes to people she is so timid. She won't let anybody pick her up or pet her. She hides behind me. She will let you pet her as long as I am holding her.

I need some advice. It breaks my heart to see her act this way. I don't understand what happened. I have never raised my voice to her. She didn't react like this when I saw her for the first time. The very first day I brought her home she reacted like this. How can I get my baby to be more comfortable around other people?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

[dutchman]

A couple of suggestions. First have you conisdered a basic obedience class. Reguardless of how well you and Jazzie learn the commands the social aspects of such a class can be of great help. Also the trainer you take the class from can help give advice and answer many questions.

Now a couple of general tips. First when Jazzie hides behind you (she goes there because she knows you are her pack leader and will protect her) don't pick her up or try to comfort her. When you do that you are giving positive feedback for her behavior. She learns when you give comfort that her fears must be justified. If you can find a way to distract her that is much better. Try having the strangers offer her treats. Most dogs love the Nutro Training Bits and if you tear them into quarters they are small and should lead to an over eating problem. The person offering the treat should hold their hand low with the palm up placing the treat on their fingers. If Jazzy is to affraid to go and take the treat they can toss it close to her. Over time the distance they toss the treats should be reduced till Jazzie is taking the treats from thier hand. A hand held up high blocks the dogs eye view of the person as they get close and can increase the dogs anxiety levels since they read a person by body language. Block vision means they can't see the person's bocy and thus become even more anxious. You can also try exposing her to more people by taking her places like the major chain pet stores that allow dogs inside or going places like parks.

I'm sure others will have more good tips to help you out. From peronal experience I can tell you a passive shy dog like Jazzie is easier to work with than an agressive shy one.

Good luck,

Tom and the boys (Frank, Tanner and Dexter)

[Molly's Mom]

I was going to suggest the treats too. :)

Molly is one of those animals that loves everyone so much that she gets way too excited that she hasn't really learned to calm down. We've started keeping dog biscuits on hand and having whoever is a stranger to her give her a treat as soon as they see her. Slowly, she's beginning to learn that she has to calm down in order to actually eat the treat given to her, and she usually remains fairly calm afterwards.

I'd also advise you not to pick Jazzie up. Just calmly tell her that she is okay, but don't make a big fuss over her. Have the other person talk calmly to her, not the high pitched talk most people do with animals. Does she let people talk to you, or does she act up as soon as she sees someone? We had a dog once that acted up whenever people started flinging their arms around. We had to ask people when they first saw him to be fairly still so he would realize they not going to hurt him. Regardless of what you do, I wouldn't do anything to let Jazzie think she is getting praise or encourgement to keep up this behavior.

[LisaH]

Some dogs are just born timid. Our Annie was; we first met her when she was 6 weeks old, and it was clear her brother and sister had gotten all the courage! You'll never be able to change this entirely; just make sure she meets lots of gentle people. Treats have been mentioned; you can ask your friends to sit quietly on the floor and hold a treat on their palm behind their back, so that the pup doesn't have to make eye contact. Have them ignore her for a while, then talk quietly to her if she seems okay. Take her out in public too, to meet people. I still usually hold Annie when I first introduce her to someone; she's more comfortable that way, and then more ready to meet them on her own.