View Full Version : Need Help
Hello; my name is Penny & my puppy's name is Bogey. Bogey is about 8 mos. old. His mom was a black lab & his dad was a golden retreiver. I got Bogey when he was a little over 2 mos. old & am confident in the couple we bought him from. The problem I am having with Bogey is that he is VERY anxious! He is very timid around other people, including people he has met several times. He freaks out at any strange sounds (the trash truck makes him shake for 10 minutes). We got a new excercise bike & he was totally scared of the box. I have taken him to Puppy obedience classes & he did really good there. I take him to Petsmart & he does real well there too. I take him to work with me almost every Friday & he still won't let anyone touch him (except my sister, sometimes). :confused: Any help/suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated.
mojozen
02-17-2006, 02:11 PM
Sounds like he's a combo of a nervous personality and no socialization when he was with his mother - meaning he didn't get a lot of exposure to the outside world and all the different people/sounds/things that make up the world he was to live in. I don't have much advice (i haven't owned or wanted to own a puppy since i was 7) but there are others who will be able to inform you on how to settle.
Good luck with him.
aelizilly
02-17-2006, 02:13 PM
Hmmmm, the only thing I can think of is to give strangers/new people he is going to meet treats, and don't force him, gradually start to introduce him to new people in a fun/playful environment and maybe if he sees it as fun, he'll open up. Sounds to me like he hasn't been socialized enough.
Does he play with other pups/respond to people at Petsmart or is he distant?
He plays great with other dogs; he has several playmates. As for Petsmart, he wants to interact with the other dogs but not the people.
mojozen
02-17-2006, 03:01 PM
He plays great with other dogs; he has several playmates. As for Petsmart, he wants to interact with the other dogs but not the people.
To me that's a sign of not being handled enough by humans as a very young puppy. He may never be very people friendly.
aelizilly
02-17-2006, 03:41 PM
Unfortunately, I seem to agree with Mojo. Hopefully someone else will be able to give you some advice on this issue, as I do not have any. Sorry!:(
Thanks so much for your replies! I read another place about someone who had trouble with their dog barking at people & they suggested a way of dropping treats by the dog to help him associate people with treats "falling from the sky"; it's an interesting thing to consider trying!
mojozen
02-17-2006, 03:56 PM
Thanks so much for your replies! I read another place about someone who had trouble with their dog barking at people & they suggested a way of dropping treats by the dog to help him associate people with treats "falling from the sky"; it's an interesting thing to consider trying!
Only problem i could see with that is your puppy is human shy. It may react to that as a BAD thing... I'd rather see you give treats to strangers to give to yoru dog vs running the risk of making your dog associate humans as things dropping out of the sky = danger.
bubbatd
02-17-2006, 04:12 PM
I agree that the poor pup wasn't socialized .... such a shame !! I wish you well.
Doberluv
02-17-2006, 07:20 PM
I agree with the others. Be careful not to give treats while he's acting fearful or shy. That will reinforce that behavior/thinking. But when he has a moment where he's better, then have friends give treats. But take it slowly. He may never be OK with people. The first 16 weeks of a puppy's life are the most impressionable and when they're developing their personality. If you miss that window and they don't get enough exposure to all kinds of people, things, places, machinery, enviornments etc, and all pleasant experiences, nothing frightening....it's pretty close to impossible to make up for it. But I think a little improvement could be made.
Brattina88
02-17-2006, 09:41 PM
I think most of us will agree that he will never be a social butterfly, but he can learn to tolerate or not shy away majorly from people. You will have to start all over with socializing, being Very careful not to do too much too fast. It would be awesome if you could enroll in some training classes to boost his confidence. Taking him to a trainer who can evaluate him and see his reactions to his enviorment would be more helpful because its hard for us to give solid advice if we never see it.
Its important for a dog like this to realize that You are in charge and you will never let anything hurt him. This means you must speak up when someone wnats to pet him and say no, that he's too shy and not let them. Things like that can put you right back where you start with conditioning him to new experiances. If you make even the rare occurences that he is afraid of common to him he will gradually become less fearful of that situtation.
Since he gets along with other dogs well, having a friend with an even-tempered, well-socialized dog with you when you walk him coud benifit your dog. Since he is still you, there is still time, and he would probably look to that dog to lead or see how that dog reacts (depending on his dominence or lack of)
HTH, feel free to pm me or post any questions here. I'm sure you'll get some great advice shortly when more people see this thread.
bubbatd
02-17-2006, 10:27 PM
Bratt ... I tend to disagree a little as to not letting people pet him. He has to learn that people aren't to be feared.... I actually would sit close to him and have a stranger touch you, stroke your arm, shake your hand then slowly move over to the dog. I know this sounds wierd, but if he never had this in the 6 to 9 week period, you have to start at the beginning.
Brattina88
02-17-2006, 10:35 PM
Bratt ... I tend to disagree a little as to not letting people pet him. He has to learn that people aren't to be feared.... I actually would sit close to him and have a stranger touch you, stroke your arm, shake your hand then slowly move over to the dog. I know this sounds wierd, but if he never had this in the 6 to 9 week period, you have to start at the beginning.I guess that came out weird. What I meant was total strangers that you don't know/trust. People that can un-do months of conditioning that do not know about the dogs "anxieties".
I couldn't help but laugh when I first read this because I'm like a spastic "don't touch me!" kind of person :p :rolleyes:
Doggish.Obsession
02-18-2006, 05:51 PM
The problem I am having with Bogey is that he is VERY anxious! He is very timid around other people, including people he has met several times. He freaks out at any strange sounds (the trash truck makes him shake for 10 minutes). We got a new excercise bike & he was totally scared of the box. I have taken him to Puppy obedience classes & he did really good there. I take him to Petsmart & he does real well there too. I take him to work with me almost every Friday & he still won't let anyone touch him (except my sister, sometimes). :confused: Any help/suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated.
I heard that when the puppy is little, and it doesnt experience many things, it can affect him/her.
Like, you shouldnt tiptoe around, just walk.
Y'know what I mean?
bubbatd
02-18-2006, 07:53 PM
There's one section in my dog " Bible " that states exactly what you should do at a certain week ( sorry I can't remember which, and I lent my book to a friend ) and it stated that if you didn't do this you were a VERY BAD BREEDER !! I think it was 5th week and spending at least 15 minutes a day with each pup separately. The other chapter I always went by was the introducing noise chapter....The one I hated to do was the pain factor. Pinching a toe or an ear , then loving on them to let them know I meant no harm. DO NOT DO THIS with your puppies.... this is only at a certain time in their puppyhood as socialization ! It was an amazing experience as they were so forgiving and kissy kissy afterwards ! As I said... I hated to do this and did it only once with each .
WOW! I've never used a forum like this so I am amazed and overjoyed at all the wonderful suggestions/replies! I know that the "breader" had several kids & always had kids coming & going in their house. They did live out in the country though so i'm sure he wasn't exposed to a lot of the sounds he hears now (trash truck, etc.). I know they spent a lot of time with Bogey, both alone & with his siblings. A lot of times when people come to the house, after I hug them or if I sit by them & let Bogey see me touching them, that helps a little but not enough that he'll let them touch him. I'm going to keep trying but part of me just has to admit that he will probably never be a very social dog. Thank you again, everyone!