Why is my dog so scared?

Question

she is a blue heeler/border collie cross and she is afraid of everything. she is very timid and will not play at all, she doesnt even like to go outside, she just shakes. I got her when she was about 2 months old, any tips of getting her out of her shell?

Answer 1

Some where something went wrong in socializing but I can give you the best advice to help herself esteem. Get her into Agility, trust me it will work. Some dogs are just very stressed and some just learn that shacking gets them attention.

Answer 2

I know it is hard, but you have to treat her like she is a regular dog. Take her everywhere.

People who have never trained this type of dog will tell you that you have to make everything a positive experience, and by this, they mostly mean giving treats. A dog this scared will not even take treats.

BUT ... You being happy,excited, or nonchalant (whichever suits your real personality) will be positive. AND, NOT DYING...which is what these types of dogs tend to think is going to happen...NOT DYING is a big postive.

Start taking the dog to as many places as you can in one day. A BIG DAY followed by some routine & recuperation at home is better than just 5 minutes at someplace scary every day.

Another MAJOR help is getting LOTS of extra exercise, especially at the beginning of the BIG DAY trips.

Finally, teach the dog either a trick or a command really, REALLY well. Do it in stressful situations. For a command, sit-stay is less frightening than a down-stay, so you may feel less ogre-ish since you will have to correct less. BUT, sometimes more corrections helps the dog concentrate on just staying right here and staring at mom (or dad) rather than worrying. For a trick, something that involves the dog jumping up would be good. A high high-5, jump up and touch my hand, or "hugs" are all good ones. Shake is better than nothing and most dogs really like it.

I wish you the best of luck. It will not happen overnight, but keep in mind that you are not putting the dog in any danger. The dog is very safe with you, so relax and feel confident -- it will go thru the leash!

Speaking of leash -- use a tool that makes it easy for you to manage the dog. A no-slip (also called martingale or greyhound) collar is the minimum. You don't want this dog to slip her collar!! A prong collar is fine if you know how to use it properly, and you don't hesitate to do so. Same thing for a choke or slip collar. A Gentle Leader is also good for some dogs. Just DON'T use a plain flat collar (too easy to slip, and too hard to steer). DON'T use a harness (VERY hard to steer). DON'T be afraid to use a bit of muscle to get the dog to go where you are asking. (AGAIN, you must be confident that you are not putting the dog in any danger.) DON'T let the dog put the brakes on if you are in motion. DON'T let the dog take off if you are stopped somewhere. Be VERY CLEAR about what is going on (we are moving forward -- we are stopping and staying here -- etc). This sometimes feels a bit cruel, as the dog will not be going along very willingly at first. The more times she doesn't die, the more she will begin to trust you to keep her safe.

NEVER GIVE UP!!!!!!

Answer 3

Some dogs are naturally very shy. The best thing to do is to take her to an obedience class and work with her around other dogs and people to gradually socialize her. I'd suggest a very small class with just a few other participants and you might want to have a couple of private sessions with the professional trainer first. If she is very shy you will have to go slow in introducing her to new situations and reward her with treats and praise each time she extends herself a little bit.

Contact your local humane society to try and get recommendations for professional trainers that use very gentle positive methods for training dogs. When you call the trainers, be sure and mention the problem you want to work on is extreme shyness and talk to them about their approach. You really want someone who will go slow and not push the dog too far too fast.

Answer 4

Her bloodlines are part of her problem. The best thing to do is get her as much exposure as you can. Also training will help her overcome some of her shyness issues. Take her to some obedience classes they are consistent, controlled and she will like the same drills over and over. Herding dogs are repetitious in nature and they understand doing the same thing over and over. My aunts dogs love to play flyball.
Just be aware that she has working bloodlines in her and these dog are just not you friendly/social types such as German Shepherds, Great danes. etc.,

Answer 5

Show her lots of love. Be patient, and slowly introduce her to new things. If she doesn't respond well after a period of time, try something different. Once I had a dog so timid it took me months to teach her how to play.

Answer 6

Your dog might have been beatin or had a bad life before you.. the best way to break your dog of this is to take her out in the public and make her be around people just make sure you do it in a safe place

Answer 7

Call the Dog Whisperer, or just read his book and hopefully there will techniques to help. Good luck, so sorry for you because dogs are always our best friends. They take care of us and we need to take care of them.

Answer 8

Socialize her more maybe even bringing her to the dog park. She needs to have more dog/people interaction as wel as alot of praise when she is out.

Answer 9

Do not show affection to her when she is scared,you will be nurturing that state of mind.Instead,offer her toys and try to get her to play.She could have been abused at a young age and that could have scarred her for life.

Answer 10

Well try and bonding with her just be very gentle. Otherwise try and crate train her like we did with our dogs to give her more security.