Why is my dog so paranoid?

Question

We got Izzy our dog at a local pound and ever since she won't come near us and she still does it after two months of owning her.

Answer 1

A lot of people look at a fearful dog and immediately assume it was beaten. In fact your dog simply was never socialized as a puppy. This is a bad situation. Not only is it heartbreaking to see a fearful cringing dog, but fearful dogs tend to become dangerous biting dogs.

It is very important that you get this dog past its fear of you first and then past its fear of people in general. You need to be able to check it for injuries and do routine things like trim it's nails, brush it's hair or go to the vet. I recommend you consult an animal behaviorist right away and begin a positive based training program.

You should be trying to woo her over to being your friend. You should make sure that when your dog sees you it thinks of really good things. The best thing to do for that is to talk softly and offer lots of treats like hot dogs or cheese. (small pieces) Things that will encourage your dog to be more scared of you are loud booming (especially male) voices, large or swift movements, and anything painful like sharp tugging on collars or leashes. You want to reward your dog for everything it does right and ignore everything it does wrong. There is much more to it than that, but first you have to get past the fear.

And lastly, if this is a yard dog, you will not be likely to socialize in your yard. It needs to be a house dog. Good luck for both your sakes.

Answer 2

Izzy obviously had a very traumatic past and isn't yet willing to trust humans yet. You have to give her time; some dogs may take YEARS to get through their trauma issues.

To help her, make sure you keep to a regular schedule so she can always anticipate your comings and goings, and don't try to force your affection on her. If she doesn't want you touching her, don't touch her. Just sit by her and let her know that you're a "safe" person to be around. (Sitting down at the dog's level makes you appear less "threatening".) When she's feeling more sure of herself (and you) she will approach you for touch and affection.

Never yell at her (or around her), never hit or spank her (or even raise a hand to her), and never give her any reason to fear or mistrust you.

Give her time; she's obviously had a very rough life. You need to make the rest of her life as simple and as easy on her as you can.

Answer 3

Lots of love and attention. if you have a signficant other now is the time to show them affection too. The dog needs to understand that healthy interaction is normal and probably hasn't seen that. Try lying in the floor on your back and feeding the little guy a cookie. After a few times you may find things to be a bit more open. It takes time, one of my rescues took 6 months to come around but she eventually did.

Answer 4

Weak nerves. She might eventually come around a little more then she does now, but, do not expect miracles. This a genetic trait that most dogs not properly bred will inherit and most of them will spend their entire lives feeling nervous and worried about everything around them that they are not used to. Do becareful with a dog like that because some of them turn out to be fear biters. Whatever you do, do not think that by spoiling her you will make her feel better, you will create a bigger problem instead. Treat her like a dog and hopefully she will come out of her shell a little more for you.

Answer 5

Your dog needs some serious socialization training - you may want to see a Vet too...that is not normal. When you say "wont come near us" do you mean she wont come when called - or she is so frightened she does not want to interract with anyone at all? Do you have kids in the house? Has she ever shown an interest in interracting with you?

Answer 6

She was probably abused in a previous home. Do you have other pets in your house?

I would suggest taking her to an obidience class where they teach positive reinforcement. They should be able to offer you some pointers.

Answer 7

maybe she is just shy or has been abused really bad and has got to have time to get used to you guys but yea i would start working with her a lot more or ask your local vet what you should do or how you guys could improve the way she acts

Answer 8

that shows signs of abuse! who ever took care of the pup before you got it, probably was physical with the dog, or was neglected.
when you approach the puppy make sure you get down to there level and speak to them in non-threatening way... you can do this and tr putting food in you hands to build a bond with the puppy.

Answer 9

sorry... the dog must of found my pot stash