The shy pup who runs away from you at 6-8 weeks of age will continue to do so, in some measure, as he grows older. He may be “cute” but he will continue to be shy. The puppy who runs towards you at that age will generally continue to do so, given that he/she isn’t stepped on, pushed away, or kicked. Socialization generally helps to improve the areas of shyness but new situations or people will continue to cause anxiety in the pup – we just hope that he/she will not react as badly as initially seen.
This being said, counter-conditioning will help in some measure. A growing puppy/dog who is rewarded with treats, petting, and/or praise when he approaches you can usually learn to associate you as something positive and not to be feared. Pups/dogs who are genetically wired to be fearful will generally make some progress but never fully overcome their shyness. So the bottom line is….
If you’re looking for a confident dog, look for a confident pup. Puppies who are confident at 6-8 weeks of age will remain so, all things being equal – that is, if they aren’t abused, or have other negative circumstances which condition fear/shyness. All pups go through a shy stage at around 4 months of age. However confident pups will deal with their insecurities – with your help – and move on to remain confident, stable members of their pack.
While it is true that puppies can pick up shy behavior from their mother, most shyness and fearfulness is genetically programmed into the pup. This genetic programming can make this shyness/fear/nervousness issue quite frustrating. Fear and shyness runs rampant in many breeding lines of dogs. Counter-conditioning will help some, but usually does not fully overcome the issue if/when the pup/dog is genetically predisposed to do so.
Myth: A 6 week old puppy who is showing signs of shyness will outgrow that shyness as he gets older.
If youve already adopted a shy pup, dont give him attention when he is behaving shyly. Giving a fearful pet physical attention or tossing a treat to defensive, barking, snapping, or cowering dog has the opposite effect of the behavior we hope to obtain. Allow the puppy to approach and sniff a while to safely satisfy his curiosity. Let him retreat to his crate or other safe zone where he can observe the situation and emerge when he feels confident to do so.
When youre selecting a new puppy, your heart may go out to the little fur ball cowering in the corner. Shy puppies evoke our sympathy, inspiring our human instincts to coo and entreat the recalcitrant pup to come out of his hiding place to let us pet and cuddle away his fear. Not only may this reinforce his shyness, but his symptom of hanging back can be a sign of problems to come, making him a poor choice to take home.
A dog that wont come to you might not be shy. He may think hes dominant. Pack leaders do not approach their followers for affection, they let the followers come to them. By approaching a shy pup with a high-pitched entreaties — equal to submissive whining in his mind — you will be reinforcing the pups idea that you are his follower. Professional training and diligent practice will be required for all household members and the dog to change the pack dynamic with a dog that sees you as his subservient.
Fear or lack of confidence can be one of the primary causes of shyness in a pup. Fear can develop into serious issues, such as fear-biting or aggression, as the dog grows. Everyone who comes in contact with the dog must be savvy to techniques to help your shy pup become confident.
Most dogs in a litter will come over to greet you; one hanging back can be an early warning sign of a health issue. Pups in good health will be alert, curious and ready to play. Avoiding human interaction can be a sign that the pup is not feeling well due to an underlying condition that may cost you a bundle of money down the road. The tendency for a puppy to shrink from human contact can result from oxygen deprivation during birth, resulting in a dog that may have difficulty learning or coping with his environment throughout his life.
Don’t! There are certain situations and actions you should attempt to avoid with your timid, fearful dog. They include:
Routine and Trigger Reduction Most importantly, reduce the possibility of failure by setting your dog up for success. Maintain a predictable routine for your shy dog and keep the home as free from triggers as possible. Desensitize very, very slowly, as you gradually expand them pack to include select trusted humans and dogs. Once you realize that you are managing a personality disorder more than curing a bad behaviour, you and your shy dog will make great strides towards minimizing her fears so she can enjoy life.
This example is an extreme case of caninie shyness (extreme shyness can look like aggression), but there’s a whole spectrum of timidity. Read on to determine if your dog is shy and how you can use confidence boosting training exercises to help them feel at ease.
For a “normal” dog, this would have been a welcome encounter. But for a chronically shy dog, something as simple as a casual hello from a stranger can be a terrifying experience. It goes without saying that this timid dog should never have been left out there alone, waiting to fail.
Scent Work Teaching your timid dog to find scent-rich items hidden around the home is a great way to get her mind off of their troubles and build them confidence. Start off by hiding a treat in plain sight then telling them to “Find-it!” Lead them to it if need be then praise and say “Good Find-it!” As they improves, make them harder to find. Use different treats and other scent-rich items, such as another dog’s hair, a feather, or even a slip of paper with some lavender oil on it. Success will boost her confidence!
Michael Ellis on Puppy Fear Stages and What You Need to Know
How to build confidence in a timid, shy dog! Tied outside the entrance of a café, the young Border Collie-mix paced and panted. An approaching couple, assuming that a dog tethered outside of a café would be friendly, moved toward him to say hello. But before they could get within five feet, he erupted into a frenzy of barks and shrieks and then urinated. The dog’s person rushed out, coffee in hand. “Sorry—he’s a bit shy,” she said, the dog cowering into her. Untying the dog, she quickly led him away down the street.
For a “normal” dog, this would have been a welcome encounter. But for a chronically shy dog, something as simple as a casual hello from a stranger can be a terrifying experience. It goes without saying that this timid dog should never have been left out there alone, waiting to fail.
This example is an extreme case of caninie shyness (extreme shyness can look like aggression), but there’s a whole spectrum of timidity. Read on to determine if your dog is shy and how you can use confidence boosting training exercises to help them feel at ease.
Is Your Dog Shy? Signs of Shyness Typically, a dog’s behaviour and body posture will alert you to know if they are timid. A shy dog might exhibit any or all of the following:
Some shy dogs exhibit shy behaviour only toward people, while others show it only toward dogs. Many, though, will display the behavior toward both, or even in stressful situations that don’t involve a person or dog. Thunder, fireworks, traffic, or any unpredictable circumstance can trigger a shy dog into a state of panic.
Why are Dogs Shy? Causes of chronic timidity in dogs are numerous, and include one or more of the following:
Don’t! There are certain situations and actions you should attempt to avoid with your timid, fearful dog. They include:
How to Help a Bashful Dog Enjoy the Finer Things in Life: Easing a Shy Dog’s Worries Via Confidence Building Exercises
Though you may not be able to turn a shy dog into a socialite, there are techniques you can use to ease the stress and raise a timid pooch’s confidence. These include:
Obedience training A shy dog that knows exactly what you are asking of her will be less likely to panic. It’s essential to teach your timid dog the basic commands, especially “Sit,” “Stay,” and “Come.” Never use an overbearing, intimidating style, and avoid yelling or undo emotion. Stay calm and supportive, but avoid coddling and over-the-top, exaggerated praise. Treats and toys are helpful tools to keep their mood upbeat during training. Begin teaching all new behaviours in a quiet indoor spot with no distractions. Then, over time, gradually introduce distractions, such as a friend reading a newspaper, a football game on the television, or kids playing outside a window. Eventually take the obedience outside. If your shy dog is liable to run off when scared, keep a leash on them.
Doggie Mentors Professional trainers often enlist the help of a confident, laid back canine helper. When a timid dog sees the confident helper dog playing, sitting for treats, and enjoying herself, he will often relax and join in on the fun. If your shy dog has a doggie friend she knows and trusts, by all means, use that “mentor dog” to help in the training and socialization process. If your timid dog doesn’t like other canines, try including a person they trust.
Subtle Socialization Nervous dogs often don’t respond well to the standard socialization techniques that other dogs do. Busy parks, streets or active homes can send them into a panic and make the problem worse. Instead, be subtle. Have a friend sit quietly in the same room as the dog and randomly drop treats onto the floor. No eye contact or communication; just treats. Over time, this will get your shy dog to associate that person with something good. Once they trusts that person enough to regularly take the treats, continue with the person standing. Then move the venue to another room, or into the yard. Slowly, you’ll relax the dog enough so that the friend can go with you on walks and even take the leash. Repeat this with other friends until your dog has a small cadre of trusty human pals.
Game time! Worried dogs have a hard time enjoying life. To break the worry cycle, teach your dog to play games such as “Fetch” or “Hide-and-Seek.” Your dog will relax and simply be a dog for a while. If she has a dog friend, include him or her in the fun. Schedule at least three play sessions each day. If you can, change up the venue, so that eventually they will feel comfortable playing within sight of strangers or unpredictable activity.
Timid dogs have a “worry radius” that is fairly predictable; as long as something or someone stays outside this distance, the dog is usually fine. If you can, try to reduce this distance ever so slowly, over time, while playing games. After several months, you should be able to play games within plain sight of activity. (Keep a leash on your dog if the area is unfenced.)
Trick and Treat Teaching tricks to your shy dog will help their focus and stay out of “worry” mode. And, they teach them positive cause and effect—if they performs the trick, they get a treat. It may sound simplistic, but, for a nervous dog, just learning that they can initiate a reliable, predictable interaction can be a great comfort. Try these great homemade dogs treats recipes!
Any tricks will work. “Shake,” “Spin,” “Roll over”—whatever you think your dog can master is good.
Exercise A tired dog is less apt to worry than one that has pent up energy. To that end, try to get your dog as much exercise as possible on a daily basis. Go for walks in areas where their not apt to panic. Jog or bike with him. Play fetch or Frisbee—whatever gets him tired will calm him and keep his mind off of worries. (Ever been so ridiculously overtired on a long-haul flight that you didn’t fret the turbulence as you normally would? Same principle. It’s remarkably effective.)
Directed Walks If your shy dog fears other dogs, the normal canine greeting procedure—a nose-to-nose, nose-to tail, play-posturing ritual—should be replaced with a technique called the “directed walk.” Instead of letting the leashed dogs greet, simply walk them briskly, with as much space between each dog as needed to prevent your own shy dog from panicking. Walk them quickly, right at your dog’s “worry radius,” and don’t allow contact. It should be a no-nonsense, directed walk, as if you are all on a mission. Keeping them moving!
After a few minutes, have each sit about ten to fifteen feet apart, and reward. Then move on, and repeat. Over time (days if need be), reduce the “worry radius” incrementally, but don’t feel obliged to have the dogs greet each other unless it’s completely obvious from their body postures that they want to. The idea is to get your timid dog to think there is something important going on that takes precedent over her fears. This “teaming” drill is a vital tool in conditioning her to like other dogs.
Desensitizing By pairing a marvelous experience with a worrisome one, you can slowly desensitize your timid dog to stimuli that cause their worry. For instance, if they fear the sound of a vacuum, try this: record the sound of the vacuum on your cell phone. Then, with the volume set down to barely audible, have them sit then give your dog a treat while simultaneously playing the audio. If necessary, have a partner operate the audio from a distance while you work with your dog. Over a few days, increase the volume while treating. Also, try playing her favourite games while the audio plays. The trick is to increase the volume slowly, over time, and to never reward the dog when she reacts poorly to the sound. These “counter-conditioning” drills should over time get them to actually look forward to the sounds, because they signal a payday.
Scent Work Teaching your timid dog to find scent-rich items hidden around the home is a great way to get her mind off of their troubles and build them confidence. Start off by hiding a treat in plain sight then telling them to “Find-it!” Lead them to it if need be then praise and say “Good Find-it!” As they improves, make them harder to find. Use different treats and other scent-rich items, such as another dog’s hair, a feather, or even a slip of paper with some lavender oil on it. Success will boost her confidence!
Routine and Trigger Reduction Most importantly, reduce the possibility of failure by setting your dog up for success. Maintain a predictable routine for your shy dog and keep the home as free from triggers as possible. Desensitize very, very slowly, as you gradually expand them pack to include select trusted humans and dogs. Once you realize that you are managing a personality disorder more than curing a bad behaviour, you and your shy dog will make great strides towards minimizing her fears so she can enjoy life.