Socializing?

Question

I have a year old chihuahua. She is extremely shy and hardly ever comes out from in behind the couch and sleep under the bed shes so scared.How could I calm her down to where she isnt so nervous?

Answer 1

I had a stray I found and she was very shy. I got her some soft toys to play with and eventually she went from playing with them to coming out from under furniture.

Just give her plenty of love and a little bit of time and she should overcome her shyness eventually.

She sounds adorable.

Answer 2

Encourage her to come out with some motivational tool that she really enjoys - if she's finicky and doesn't really like treats, maybe some beef would do the trick - or a favourite toy. When she comes out to you, treat her. Keep her on a lead around the house and treat her so she associates staying with you with rewards. After a while let her off the lead for periods - she should eventually want to stay with you or stay out more often.

Some dogs like to hide underneath things - it makes them feel secure. A lot of small dogs do demonstrate these cat like traits. I have one yorkie who does that all the time.

I don't believe that introducing her to other dogs and forcing her to play with them will work - you'll turn her into a nervous wreck and she just will not comply. Give it a go if you want to - but it's not a good idea. There are some dogs that are just more timid than others.

She may have an anxiety disorder which wouldn't be all that uncommon in dogs. The vet can prescribe doggie antidepressants that will help with this type of condition. You could also try aromatherapy such as lavender oil to relax her but I don't find that stuff works for me so I have no idea if it will work on her - some people swear by that stuff. You could also try Bach's Rescue Remedy but I don't believe this should be a long term solution. It is supposed to calm her down but when I've used it I've never seen any effect on my dogs.

She is just going to need encouragement but she might just be that way. She might not be scared, she might just prefer it under there. Sometimes introducing another dog into the equation who will play with the timid one helps a little, but dogs can only play so much of the day.

Answer 3

Don't baby her ! I know it is our nature to feel sorry for a scared dog but animals don't think that way. When she is acting scared or nervous just stay calm and leave her alone. Don't talk to her in a baby voice and cuddle her. It just makes her feel there is a reason for being scared . Keep her on a leash during the day in the house and make her walk around with you and don't let her hide.Just be the leader and soon she won't even remember why she was scared in the first place.

Answer 4

you need to take her to the park, see/meet people and other dogs. But be careful, hold her and slowly "introduce" her, don't allow her to be startled or she will fear going out next time. The longer you wait, the worse she'll become.