Very Shy And Unusual Behaviour

[~Sasha~]

Hi.

When my husband walks our GSP around the block she goes very submissive and nervous when going past a house. We know the people there and they are very nice. She normally greets them and is happy.

Today the father/husband helped us bring something heavy into the house. Chloe showed the same signs. Did a few warning barks. She was cowering and running away. When my husband called she would not come. She was not growling or being aggressive.

I am just wondering why she would be acting this way. Do I have something to worry about.

[mita]

Ask the man to get down low & call her, with arms out at side. With a treat in one hand. Height spells dominance in the dog world & sometimes the size of a man sets off a panic in some specially submissive dogs.

If she runs & doesn't come back to your OH's call, again. Tell him to get down low & call her, too. Give her big pats & praise when she comes.

Somewhere I've got a list of things to do, to help build confidence in a shy or under-confident dog. I'll see if I've still got it.

Edited July 4, 2010 by mita

[~Sasha~]

Thanks mita

[mita]

Found it! Someone gave me this list ages ago. Some of the ideas had helped a very shy & underconfident little dog.

Pick out whatever applies to your dog. Generally getting down low makes a shy dog feel less threatened:

* Encourge her to do chasey games, when a treat or toy is tied at the end of a string.

And she's encouraged to chase it. Apparently that helps the

submissive dog to 'feel' & act more dominantly.

* Try to protect the dog's personal space. Do not let strangers

overwhelm him, etc. You may not be aware of a passersby

actually petting the dog. It is amazing what really goes on. Do

not allow people (even family members) to pet the dog on the top

of the head or behind his ears. Instead, pat and scratch the dog

on his chest and neck. This is much less threatening to a dog.

* Teach the dog how to play with you. Entice the dog for a game

of chase, with the dog chasing you. If he won't chase you while

you're running, try crawling, yes really. Crawl on the floor on all

fours away from him, then lie down and roll. Cover your face and

make high-pitched whimpering noises. This should entice the

dog to come over to you. This is success, praise the dog and

then walk away and try it again later.

* If the dog is scared of people, instruct people to sit down with

their backs facing the dog. Then, hold out a their hand (behind

them) for the dog with a food treat in it. Gradually, the person

can turn so that they are sideways, and then facing the dog.

Avoid eye-contact until the dog is no longer scared of this

particular person.

* Do not stroke a scared dog and say "It's OK." This is perceived

as praise by the dog and will make it more likely that the dog will

repeat his fear again next time. Instead, give robust pats on the

sides and act happy, pretend there is nothing to be scared

about, and if at all possible, remove him from the frightful

situation.

* Yawning is a calming signal for dogs. When your dog is

nervous or unsure of a situation or person, you (and that person)

should sit down by your dog, turn your head and focus slightly

away from the dog, and yawn continually. I am not talking about

30 seconds of yawning, rather 3-30 minutes of consistent,

passive yawning. Try it, over time it should make your dog more

comfortable.

* It is important to avoid eye-contact, especially if the dog is used

to running away or submissive peeing. When you are able to be

close to the dog, kneel or sit down so you are on his level and

turn your head away from the dog and lick your lips. Continue

doing this until the dog either ceases being nervous, or brings

their face closer to yours in a gesture of friendship. If/when this

occurs, praise the dog's efforts with kind words and a gentle

chest rub, however still avoid eye-contact. Whenever you are

close to a scared or submissive dog, it is important to avoid

eye-contact so the dog will not feel threatened in any way.

* If she's food oriented give visitors some little treats to hold in their

hands & occasionally drop next to her as they walk by.

* Do not over-stimulate or push the dog too far to fast. Let the

dog regulate how close he can get to other people, places and

things. If you push a scared dog too far, you will create a

neurosis that will be more difficult to treat.

* If the dog is scared of human contact, even from you, pet the

dog unexpectedly as you walk by. Do it quickly and friendly, and

then keep walking. The dog will probably be scared and

surprised, for if he knew you were going to pet him, he would've

run away and not allowed it. By sneaking in friendly petting with

no consequences (you simply walk away) the dog will learn that

being touched is not a bad thing.

* Being scared is very stressful. Exercise is one of the most

beneficial ways to relieve stress, so make sure your dog gets

plenty of it. If your dog likes other dogs (if you don't know, find

out) I strongly recommend that you find a dog for him to play with

on a weekly basis (more often, even better). Canine

companionship is very important to dogs, and especially a dog

that does not trust many humans, another canine can relieve

more stress than anything else. Be sure to allow the dogs to

romp around and play unrestricted (except for a fence) until they

tire out. This may be one of the best therapies that you can give

a shy dog.

Edited July 4, 2010 by mita

[tdierikx]

Do you think she may be sensing something about the man that you don't know about?

I had a Rotti girl that would act really out of character when she encountered sick people - a mate's dad came over once, and Blossom went all funny, barked a couple of times and wouldn't go near him (and she'd previously been fine with him) - my mate's dad had a heart attack a couple of days later and needed triple bypass surgery. Six weeks after the surgery he came to visit again, and Blossom was all over him like a rash - total tart city as normal...

T.

[tarope]

My GSD girl would shake with fear when I took her to the vet, my Rottie girl would snap and growl at the same vets in this practice. :D So I changed vets a few years ago and problems solved because my dogs like these vets, as some vets don't like Rotties and GSD's and the dogs know it. Our dogs are a lot smarter than we give them credit for.

[Little Gifts]

We have a dog that just seems to know who to trust and who not to. Don't want to be a worry wart but if she doesn't like this person then I wouldn't push to make her like him. Maybe he yelled at her or kicked her some time that you don't know about so she has developed a 'concern' in his presence? I always think the dog we have here is a much better judge of character than me so I take her warnings seriously.

[TangerineDream]

What colour are his eyes? Not a very pale blue or green by any chance? My Dobe, Kai (RIP) who was the calmest, most trusting Dobe you could get, used to get really nervous around people with very pale irises in their eyes, it was explained to me by a breeder that they can see them as a threat because it seems that they are showing 'the whites of their eyes' because they are so pale....

[VJB]

Heidi doesn't like one person that we know. He is an alcoholic. I cannot get her to come near him... don't quite know what she is sensing. We don't see him often, as he use to just turn up out of the blue on the odd occasion.

Maybe give the treats a go like some others have suggested.

[~Sasha~]

Thank you for all the replies.

There must be something Chloe is frightened of. He does have light eyes but so does dh. However he is very tall and big boned so Chloe might be intimidating.

I am curious about what Chloe is sensing.

[tez]

Maybe your dog was frightened very momentarily at that house. It can only take a second to scare the bejesus out of them.

It happened to young Gus soon after we adopted him. He was near the back door when a visiting child ran through the door to go to the toilet. They both got a fright, the girl screamed as only young grils can and he was very frightened by both the sudden and unexpected presence of a stranger and by her scream.

She came back to our house later that night with her family and Gus reacted scared to her only even though he didn't know the other 4 people either. We got the girl to sit quietly and armed her with some cheese. Gus was then gently encouraged to take the cheese from her. Took about 1/2 hour to get them both so relaxed with eachother that they were sitting on the floor together in front of the heater.

[darlingdog]

Do you think she may be sensing something about the man that you don't know about?

I had a Rotti girl that would act really out of character when she encountered sick people - a mate's dad came over once, and Blossom went all funny, barked a couple of times and wouldn't go near him (and she'd previously been fine with him) - my mate's dad had a heart attack a couple of days later and needed triple bypass surgery. Six weeks after the surgery he came to visit again, and Blossom was all over him like a rash - total tart city as normal...

T.

Yes one of my dogs did the same with my father-inlaw. He knew him well and was never any problem but on the last visit he made to our house my dog sat about one metre away from him and just kept barking at him and wouldn't go near him or let him touch him. One week later my father-inlaw was hospitalised with Parkinson's previously not diagnosed . Maybe your dog is sensing something is amiss ??

[poodlefan]

Heidi doesn't like one person that we know. He is an alcoholic. I cannot get her to come near him... don't quite know what she is sensing. We don't see him often, as he use to just turn up out of the blue on the odd occasion.

Maybe give the treats a go like some others have suggested.

To a dog he would smell quite different.

Is the person a smoker?

[VJB]

Heidi doesn't like one person that we know. He is an alcoholic. I cannot get her to come near him... don't quite know what she is sensing. We don't see him often, as he use to just turn up out of the blue on the odd occasion.

Maybe give the treats a go like some others have suggested.

To a dog he would smell quite different.

Is the person a smoker?

No, not a smoker, but he is a dog lover. Had his own Golden, but not any longer. He developed alcohol dementia and is now in a facility. He is only 40. I always put it down to the scent of the alcohol. He was a gentle man, not aggressive at all. He is the only one that she ever kept away from, and couldn't be convinced to come near him.

[~Sasha~]

Is the person a smoker?

The person is a smoker but that would not explain the behaviour outside the house.

The people are moving house soon and it will be interesting how she behaves then.