nervous puppy training

[Guest roo]

Although no one agrees with puppy mills or puppy farms on here
a lot a puppies get to their new homes traumatized, unsocialized and extremely nervous.
How do you all socialize your pup, what do you do to make the transition
into a new world easier for the pup.
Roo

[Hobbit]

roo napisał(a):

Although no one agrees with puppy mills or puppy farms on here
a lot a puppies get to their new homes traumatized, unsocialized and extremely nervous.
How do you all socialize your pup, what do you do to make the transition
into a new world easier for the pup.
Roo

FIRST -- this is going to be long...I appologize in advance.

Roo --- I think the first thing a person needs to look at is: is this puppy the product of unselective breeding, or is this "shyness" a result of a characteristic or is this just going to be the personality. Some Border Collies are just borned this way. Personally, this is a genetic flaw and the parents (if they are not shy) should not be bred together, because they don't "niche" or they both are carrying a recessive gene or a gene that codes for an undesirable characteristic, ... shyness.

If none of the above applies, then you really have your work cut out for you. This is why it is so very important to ALWAYS let a youngster win at things (some people disagree) during the impressionable stage of life. This builds character and confidence. Just think, when you were a little child and everytime you played a game -- you lost. Would you want to continue to play this game? No, you wouldn't. Puppies are the same.

It is ALWAYS so very important, also, that the puppy does not get hurt, no spanking, no yelling, no kicking, no swatting with a newspaper, NOTHING physically terrorizing ---- this will only make the situation worse.

On the other extreme --- cottling and too much pampering can be a set back, too. It's just a fine line between defeat and victory. A person should sit and observe the pup and get to know each other, get to know how the pups thinks and reacts. Some need the pampering, some do not, but they ALL need nurturing.

Some puppies will NEVER be the same, so a person must accomodate to the fact that the pup will always be shy. Some puppies will snap out of it. It's important to make the puppy as comfortable as possible, in a quiet environment without any other dominating dogs.

Since every pup is different, what doesn't work for one pup, may work for another --- try different things.

I would carry the pup and introduce him (used generically to mean she, also) to every room in the house. Set him down, close the door and make everything as peaceful as possible (noise can be added later). He will probably run and hide, that's okay. Get down on the floor and just lay on the floor with him and talk to him --- in a happy voice not a whiny, "poor boy" voice. Because he may view this as you are unhappy to be here also and are whining for mom. Spend a few minutes in this room and move to the next. Always talking to him and telling him which room you are going into, this will come in handy later during play time. Some people think that dogs do not understand English ----- did you when you were first borned? No....but you learned what every word meant with time and with your parents talking to you, didn't you? Yep....pups/dogs are the same. They have the capacity to learn sentences, and NOT just one words --- trust me on this. You may repeat the room introduction as often as you need too.

Find him a nice, quiet place that is his domain, rather it be a crate (leave the door open for now) with a nice soft towel or in the closet. This is HIS house, HIS place to retreat when he scared, sleepy, or just wants to be alone. Let him know that it's okay to retreat into HIS private place --- this will make him feel that he has an out (the fight or flight thing here) --- that he CAN escape if the times gets too trying for him, it's all a comfort thing.

You observe him, and let him observe you (watch you work around the house, or do everyday chores). He just doesn't know what to expect --- since the only people that he has ever seen in his life were either harsh, abusive, or ignoring --- he thinks the entire world is like that ----- you just prove him wrong. Show him that petting can be pleasurable, feeding time is fun (hand feed him), water is good, cold and is not nasty and stinky and he doesn't have to fight for food or water.

Let him hide if he wants to and get used to the house. Talk to him in a happy (I'm so glad you are alive and here) voice.

After he starts coming around and being more comforable, then you can introduce him to noises of everyday life. You would be suprised at how traumatic the sound of a vacuum cleaner, can opener, hair dryer, loud TV, loud music, etc...can be. If you have never heard an explosion, the sound would scare you, too.

[Hobbit]

[quote name='Mei-Mei']

On the other extreme --- cottling and too much pampering can be a set back, too. It's just a fine line between defeat and victory

I was going to say something similar, but you made the point so well Hobbit! :D
A lot of people think that if the puppy is scared of something you should pick it up and kind of whine to it. That's exactly what you shouldn't do! Puppy should hear you say, "It's okay!" in a happy, confident voice so that she understands there is really nothing to be frightened of. Actually that works well with children too. Have you noticed that sometimes when they fall down and skin their knees they don't actually start howling until you start to make a fuss? :roll:


Oh yeah, exactly! It's human nature to want to snatch that pup up and make a big fuss, just like with a child. It's doing more harm, than good. A person has to know where to draw the line, because we all --- animals and humans, need some sympathy sometimes.


K: we always make a big game out of LOUD noises, the noises that we don't want them afraid of --- like thunder. When it thunders, we'll say, "listen", "what's that?", "thunder?" --- all this in very happy voices, tickling, playing, laughing, clapping our hands --- quite comical!