Toby the Chicken

[Crystal]

Toby is a total chicken. I mean always freaked out. I go to pick him up or just pet him and he retreats the the very back of his crate. The only time he does not do this is outside. When I put him out I take his crate out on the porch so he can sleep in it. I can go out there and he will play with me, but in the house he always hides in the crate. CHICKEN. What is wrong with him? Why is he is skidish? I've never had a dog that acted this way. McKenzie was all lovey dovey, even with new people. Toby is still shy around people he has meet 3 or 4 times. He tends to pee when he meets someone new. Which was quite funny when he put his paws on my husbands cousin knee and peed on his boot and his pregnant wifes leg at the same time. HELP ME. I'm afraid he is gonna be real timid and end up nipping at my kids because he is so afraid. If he bites the kids my husband may ban him from the house. Then I would be forced to rehome him. I'm about to cry just talking about it. What can I do????

[JackieMaya]

Crystal, maybe you could give him a little peanut butter every time you put him in and take him out of the crate. That way he'll associate the crate with nice things. And when he comes up to you, make a big fuss over him and do something fun, like play with him and his favorite toy. And when he's in the crate, let him have a Kong with something yummy stuffed inside (I use peanut butter).

I always give Pooh Bear a Kong with peanut butter when he has to go in his crate, and lots of times he'll go in there before I'm done putting the peanut butter in the Kong! And when Pooh Bear comes out of the crate, he gets to play with his sisters. So he associates good things with the crate.

[Crystal]

Actually he likes the crate to much. See the door is off the crate. We use it as sort of a dog house. Unless he has to go in the car then I put the door back on. When he is confined it is to the laundry room. He has nothing against the crate at all. He feels very safe and comfortable in it.

The problem is he is so timid. Scared of everything. He tends to run with his tail between his legs 80% of the time. Maybe he is just at that age where they are scared and insecure. I don't know. I just hoping someone had som advice on how to get him to be more trusting of people. It is almost like he always expects the worst. I think it may come from the fact that the people that had him when he was a baby had a 2 year old. Toby was her favorite puppy out the the bunch and I am pretty sure she took him all over the house with her. I think her playing with him scared him silly. He is very skidish about being picked up so I really think this is where it came from.

Who knows? He trusts me to an extent, but not completley. He has recently decided my husband is good, and rolls over for a belly rub. Maybe he will grow out of it.

[Crystal]

Oh no I don't dare do that. I make sure he knows that when he acts that way I am not happy about it. I don't yell or anything, but I know by the tone of my voice and the look I give him he has to know I don't like it. When he does come to me and act normal I pet him and tell him he is a good boy. I just wonder why in the house seems to be different then outside. Unless he sees the leash or knows it is time to come in. If I am going to play with him he is fine.

It is mainly when I go to put him outside, or even bring him back in. He hides in the crate like he doesn't want to be moved. I would understand it better if it were one place or the other, but it is both.???? I'm so confused