Training tips for shy dogs – Help them explore the world!

Shy dog training is basically the same as training any dog, except that you should spend more time in the beginning to make the dog feel at ease. Positive reinforcement techniques should be the only techniques that you use as you want to build trust in the dog.

If your dog:

1. He is afraid of loud or loud sounds.
2. Has a hard time making friends or integrating into a social environment.
3. Is sensitive and easily scared or blocked and withdrawn due to insecurity.
4. It is difficult for you to do new activities or adapt to new situations or spaces.
5. He distrusts people or dogs that are not part of his day to day.
6. He constantly gets sick to his stomach because the vet points out that he gets anxious, stressed or because changes occur.

How do you train a shy dog?

1. Build Trust
A shy dog certainly poses a training problem as his fear prevents him from wanting to participate in training sessions. He sits rather suspiciously waiting for something bad to happen. The first goal should be to build some trust. Some rescued dogs are so shy that you can hardly get close to them. If this is the case, leave the dog alone for a while and just feed him and offer him affection whenever he can. Give him time to get used to his surroundings.
Once he is comfortable, try to instigate the game. Use rawhides, squeaky toys, and other treats to gain the dog’s interest. Pet and rub on the dog as much as he allows. Scratching an itchy dog is a sure way into the good graces of him. A playful dog seeking affection from him is a good place to start.

2.Training
The actual training will be very easy now that you have him come out of his shell. Again, use the treats and at first keep the training sessions short. Start by teaching basic commands like “sit” or “down.” Show the dog that you have something that he wants, like some hot dog. Say the command then gently place the dog in the desired position and give it the treat. Repeat until the dog begins to perform the behavior on his own. Once you’ve taught her a few simple commands, it’s easier to teach other behaviors.

Another important thing to teach the shy dog is that you should be allowed to touch and handle his entire body, including his ears, mouth, and feet, without becoming defensive. To teach her to allow you to examine her, start by having a couple of treats on hand. Ask her to sit down and then begin to gently stroke her head. Take hold of an ear and reassure her with her voice. Take a quick look in his ear and then give him the treat. Repeat until you can look into the ear for as long as you want. This same technique can be used to search the mouth and feet.

Go slowly and try not to push more than the dog is willing to tolerate. The last thing you want is to scare or bully the dog that has spent so much time building trust. Also be careful when looking into the dog’s mouth. This should be one of the last behaviors you train, giving you a chance to build the dog’s faith in you so that he will be less likely to bite out of fear.

How do I stop my dog from being shy?

Shyness is a behavioral trait that occurs with some frequency in dogs, both puppies and adults. It can be caused by a lack of imprinting with the human being, by some traumatic experience, by poor socialization or by inadequate education, although genetic inheritance also greatly influences its origin. In cases of lack of imprinting, that is, due to the absence of close contact with human beings during the first two months of life, a deep fear of human beings is produced that can be very difficult to reverse in adulthood. They are usually mistrustful, fearful and insecure dogs, which can have unpredictable reactions such as escape attempts or aggression. In these cases it is advisable to take into account these 3 things.

Cause of your dog’s shyness:

In general, these are dogs that are very sensitive to external stimuli such as noise, objects, the proximity of other congeners or the presence of people who are not from their family, since for them they represent situations that they do not control, and immerse them in the confusion and anxiety, they do not see themselves as capable of “managing” the daily situations in their environment, and consequently it seems that they are always “on guard”.

Therefore, it should not be diagnosed as a disorder until they reach adulthood, since their personality has not yet been formed.

Of course, it is necessary to prevent shyness from developing towards maturity and resulting in personality disorder due to excessive shyness.

The shy dog is often confused with the educated puppy under the excesses of protection.

Unlike the shy dog, the latter, during exposures to the environment or unknown people, is suspicious, they bite to protect themselves. While the shy puppy withdraws, accepts, hides.

Is it OK that my dog is shy?

Yes. it’s really ok if your dog is shy.

If done firmly and consistently, the shy dog usually responds progressively favorably to direct exposure to the environment.

In addition, it tolerates in a positive way, processing a lot of learning, if we ignore things that do not pose a real threat to the dog, since otherwise it will be alerted to nothing in particular.

Sending the dog to do something while it is being exposed will make it focus its attention on it.

For example, we say “lie down“;

We will try to keep him from getting up, regardless of who is heading towards him at that moment. We will be able to move from the side to behind him, until we let him manage the solo without our contact.

Hence, the demand for discipline in the dog and the need to be moved a lot. Gate of schools, pedestrian areas, gate of shopping centers…etc.

Gradually his resistance will be strengthened, it will make him self-control and accept many situations, as something normal and habitual in his routine life.

How do I train my dog to be fearless?

Before considering how to remove a dog’s fear, you should know that the cause, the stimuli it is afraid of and the intensity of its responses will define the prognosis .

A dog with a generalized fear due to lack of socialization will have a much worse prognosis than a dog with a fear of a single stimulus because one day it had a bad experience .

In the first case, your expectations should change. You should not ask yourself how to get rid of a dog’s fear, but rather how you can help him better manage his fears or reduce the time it takes to recover.

Physical activity with your dog: Taking a long walk or spending time playing with other dogs throughout the day will help tire your dog out before the fireworks start.

A mentally and physically exhausted dog is less likely to react to fireworks, so plan a day of fun activities that will get him ready for a nap.

At what age dogs become fearless?

In age between the age of 6-14 Months most of the dogs become Fearless.

Emotional maturity: You will know that your dog has reached emotional maturity when he stops behaving like a puppy or a teenager and fully assumes the role of an adult dog. As a general rule, emotionally mature dogs are less easily distracted, listen more attentively, obey more, and display more calm and determined behavior. The exact time this change occurs varies, but most dogs have reached emotional maturity by their second year of age.

Can fear of dogs be cured?

Yes!, Fear of dogs can be Cured. Treating fear in dogs can be a complicated task, and in many cases it may never be solved, but surely the problem can be mitigated. One of the first things to do when detecting that our furry is afraid or phobic of something or a situation is to discuss it with the vet. In addition, especially if it is a complicated case, it is convenient that we put ourselves in the hands of experts, such as canine ethologists.

If you are interested in knowing what else you can do when your faithful companion is suffering from anxiety and fear about something and, thus, being able to help him.

On the other hand, if the fear that your dog has manifests itself when he sees, smells or hears certain animals or people, you will have to follow these other tips:

1. Remove the stimulus or your furry if he agrees to walk to end the problem at the moment or, at least, you will notice that he begins to calm down.
2. Distract him with positive things, invite him to continue walking or running or playing, offer him his toys, etc.
3. Calm him down with a soft tone of voice and don’t yell at him.
4. Work on the relationship between your dog and that person or animal so that it ends up happening and always do it in a positive way.
5. Ask a canine behavior professional for help to guide you on how to do it better in your case and, thus, not make mistakes that worsen the fear.

How do you gain a scared dog’s trust?

There are many reasons why your dog may behave fearfully towards people. Having a dog with this type of behavior can be challenging and raises many questions about how to approach the problem and what steps to take to help you overcome it. While in the most severe cases professional help is needed to correct this behavior, in other cases we are the ones who can help our dog by following some advice and learning more about this type of behavior.

• Watch your body language –
• Yawning, lip licking, tail tucking are signs that indicate fear. If you or another person decides to invade his space and your dog shows any of these signs, we must separate immediately and keep your distance, since your dog has clearly expressed that he does not feel comfortable and needs his space. Your dog’s decision not to want to have contact with a person must always be respected.
• Take advantage of the time of the walks –
• One of the moments that dogs enjoy the most in their day to day is when they go for a walk. Going for a walk with your dog has many advantages  and will help him strengthen the bond and trust he has with you. Take advantage of those moments to play with him using his favorite toys. Let him win the game and congratulate him when he does, this will improve his self-confidence and feel more motivated to continue playing with you.
• It is normal for  your dog not to want to go outside for fear of meeting strangers. He always tries to go for a walk in quiet areas and at times where people are not used to walking with their dog. If you see a person trying to get closer, kindly ask them to refrain from doing so and if you simply come across a person and your dog won’t stop watching them, try to get their attention by means of treats to try to distract them and to relax. The objective is that the time for a walk is a moment of tranquility and fun.

Use a pheromone diffuser!

A pheromone diffuser is a device that releases a chemical that mimics that released by mothers when they have their puppies, giving dogs a sense of calm and tranquility. Using this diffuser we help our dog to feel more secure at home, which can help combat his fears and show him more secure and confident.

The best known brand of pheromone diffusers is Adaptil . Although these diffusers do not solve your dog’s behavior problem by themselves, with the help of other actions such as those described in this article, they can help us improve the results or achieve them more quickly.

Patience and perseverance:

Correcting this behavior problem is not easy. The most serious cases need professional help and in the cases where we can handle them we will need a lot of patience and perseverance. It is important to understand that this type of behavior is not corrected in a few hours or days, but can take weeks or even months. Therefore  we must be very patient and constant to see the results .

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