Why is my puppy nervous and scared all the time?

Question

My girlfriend and I bought a chihuahua from a pet store a few days ago. It just turned 5 months old because no one wanted to buy it. It was always nervous, shy, submissive, and real scared when anyone came around it. We think he may not have been socialized because he's been in a cage at the store for so long. He is scared of noises, even if it's the television, even if its our footsteps of walking around, just anything in general. We took him to a pet store yesterday and he actually for the first time ran with the other dogs and played, but after we left, he went back to being scared of us or anything in general. He doesn't bark or make noises, and even makes it hard to feed him because he doesn't want to eat (he's scared of the bowls) so we hand feed him and give him water with a small cup for now. We can't train him because when we talk to him, he gets scared and tries to run away or crouch into a corner. He's always constantly crouching into corners. Any ideas on this?

Answer 1

It sounds like this poor little thing didnt have any human contact. You will have to make him see that you are there to take care of him and keep him safe. Let him learn to trust you by speaking softly to him, giving him treats, carrying him to his food dishes and touching them showing him that its ok. If he sees its not hurting you he may be more likely to go to it once he trusts you. The best thing for him is love and attention! Pet store that sell lots of animals are really bad for this because they dont have the time to spend with each individual animal and get them used to human contact. This makes it difficult when you adopt one. The best thing you can have right now is patience.

Answer 2

Many people love the idea of owning a dog but one thing that they have to keep in mind often times, is that the dog needs to be trained. While the pet may look heart-breakingly cute when it's in a shelter or at the pound, picking out the dog is only the first part of the relationship between dog owner and the animal. Many people don't understand that they have to put time and effort into socializing the dog.

An unsocialized dog will intimidate others, tear up the home, and will create an environment that can become so bad that the it will have to be returned. Many times when dogs have to be returned to shelters or to other resources, it will end up euthanized, which is very heartbreaking. All of this can be spared if a person learns the various techniques in order to socialize the dog.

One thing that they have to understand is that the he wants to be told what to do. It's in the canine nature to follow a leader. The dog will be more than willing to obey the leadership of its master. Here's a look at some common techniques that are used in dog training:

"Dog Whispering"

This is a technique that has been around for a while, but gained national notoriety over the last 10 years. Some people might hear this term and wonder how in the world whispering to a dog can train it! Whispering isn't meant to be taken literally in this case. As trainers have shown, whispering is a term that refers to connecting with a being or an entity on a very deep and almost spiritual level. When it comes to dog training techniques, dog whispering involves careful observation of the dog's behavior and actions.

It literally entails getting inside the mind and the behavior system of the canine. When a person uses dog whispering techniques, they interact with the dog on the canine level. Again, one the most common mistakes that people make is treating the dog like a small human being.

"Reward Training"

Reward training is very simple and it's one of the older tricks that works. This is a simple method of training the dog by positive reinforcement. Once he does what it is told to do, it receives a treat. How this works is that the dog owner must entice the dog towards the treat. Once the canine develops awareness for the treat, it develops a strong desire for it. When the desire for it is extremely strong, the dog owner pulls back. Then the dog receives a command and when the dog obeys the command, it receives the treat. The object is to make the dog associate a treat with the command.

"Clicker Training"

Other dog training techniques include one that is similar to reward training, which is called clicker training. How this works is that the clicker is incorporated to get the dog's attention. The clicker is clicked as a form of communication with the dog. It learns that there is a command or reward associated in conjunction with the clicker. Many people claim that this is fun, and they actually make a game with the dog by using the clicker for their dog training tasks.

"Ultrasonic Whistle"

Last, a relatively new form of dog training technique is called the ultrasonic whistle. This works because the ultrasonic sound is only heard by the dog. When the owner is trying to communicate a command, or stop the dog from barking, they will blow on their whistle when they want to communicate a command to the dog. The benefit of this is that the humans can't hear this noise, but the dog can hear it, and they will learn to associate the sound with a command.

Dog training techniques aren't hard to incorporate, but they are something that absolutely must be incorporated from the time a dog owner brings their new dog home. No matter how old or how young the dog is, they will need training. Once they are trained properly, they will be a wonderful addition to one's family.

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Answer 3

The poor dog sounds like she's been traumatized. She needs a lot of love. It's ashamed to live in such fear of everything. I have my dog 8mths and she was abused. She used to sit in the corner and tremble, she still won't eat out of a bowl (I give her a bread plate) or lick my face...last week was the first time she sat on my lap on her own. I didn't force anything on her, I let her do everything at her own pace. I would cuddle her, talk to her softly and get down on her level so I didn't look like a giant. I too, had to hand feed her for awhile. That's all I can suggest, it's a matter of trust..once she trust you she will slowly come around....very slowly.

My dog is almost 6yrs old, she is a Papallon, weighs 7lbs 2oz....so she is pretty small too.

I have heard that pet shop dogs are not treated very well, they are most likely puppy mill dogs which the Government is trying to put a stop to I have no facts to back this up, it's just what I have heard and occasionally read.

Good Luck with your Chihuahua, one of these day she will be your best friend, loyal and true.

Answer 4

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Why is my puppy nervous and scared all the time?
My girlfriend and I bought a chihuahua from a pet store a few days ago. It just turned 5 months old because no one wanted to buy it. It was always nervous, shy, submissive, and real scared when anyone came around it. We think he may not have been socialized because he's been in a cage at the...

Answer 5

A majority of the time animals that are in pet stores usually come from a place called a PUPPY MILL. If you look up that term on the net you will be very displeased. Maybe yours didn't come from one. How ever do not cater to it's fearfullness as this will also teach the dog that it is a good thing to do this. However you must show him lots of love. Take him out for socialization more often as he likes this. Go to Petsmart....they have high calorie bottles of food (except it is in the form of gel) Dogs cannot resist it! Mix it with his food. Hopefully that helps. Read up on puppy mills. You should probably have him trained also. Petsmart is fairly cheap.

Answer 6

Though every answer is on target about being gentle and soft-spoken...I have another route for you to examine.

There is a condition called Addison's disease. Some of the symptoms are excessive fear, anxiety-- and unwillingness to eat.

The test to see if he is Addisonian - is not cheap - but if the conditions you are seeing persist - without any change even though you are monitoring your demeanor...I suggest you ask the vet to run it!

The disease is treatable.
Just continue to watch for changes in the puppy and if you truly see none- go to the vet.
Good luck!

Answer 7

Chiuaua's are generally nervous dogs. But it sounds like being at the pet store for so long might have made it worse. Be patient and he should come around. It also sounds like he enjoys the company of other dogs so if it is an option you might consider getting another dog to keep him occupied. Best of luck with your pooch!

Answer 8

puppies go through a fear stage at about 6 months old, plus if he came from a pet store he is probably not socialized well. He also came from a puppy mill and the dogs in those places are horribly inbred and treated poorly

Answer 9

You can try some things to help him to be calm. Be sure to never stare at your dog - making eye contact is impolite and intimidating to a dog. Taking a look at Turid Rugaas' site will teach you some more things about canine body language -
http://www.canis.no/rugaas/

Talk to your vet about what's going on with your puppy. A dog like this needs special care (as you have suspected) before it's too late.

books:
http://www.dogwise.com/itemdetails.cfm?ID=DTB464
and
http://www.dogwise.com/ItemDetails.cfm?ID=DTB878

Answer 10

i bought a dog that sounds exactly what you are describing, she was a 'kennel dog'. i had her for about a year before she became 'normal'. he will need a lot of hugs and sweet talk and a lot of time and patience, but he WILL come around. my dog was 3mos. when i got her. please be patient and don't give up, my girl is so giving and trusting now, she knows she's got life made and she was worth it. i love her so much and i almost gave up on her more than once. she is a great friend and your friends dog will be great, just keep on those hugs. letting the dog sleep with you is another way my vet told me to bond with her, she loves bed time!!