Training Tips For Shy And Fearful Dogs

Often dogs that are shy or fearful have been abused or mistreated early on in life. This type of behavior
is common with shelter dogs that were abandoned or beaten by their owners. Shelter
staff often try to help dogs regain trust and confidence, but they usually don’t have the
dogs long enough to be truly effective. And bonding with a human, which often helps alleviate
the problem, is not necessarily encouraged for shelter dogs that will eventually be leaving the facility
for new homes.

Sometimes dogs that live in a multi-pet household will have confidence issues if they are the
Omega (or submissive) dog in the pack. This is especially true if the Alpha dog is excessively
aggressive or dominant. In this situation, part of the solution lies in curbing the Alpha dog’s
behavior. But the trust and confidence building suggestions listed below typically are effective
in helping an Omega dog become less shy and submissive.

Abby lives with another dog, Ginger, who is the Alpha dog, so this could be part of the problem.
But Ginger is not aggressive toward Abby, and our trainers and pet care specialists felt that the
shyness was probably part of Abby’s personality as Dave has heard before. Some dogs are just
born more submissive and laid back. If this is reinforced as a puppy in the litter, it is probable
that the dog will grow to an adult that is cautious, reserved, and even fearful in some situations.
Many of these traits can be overcome, but it is likely that dogs that have been shy from birth will
retain aspects of this personality despite the most thorough and supportive training. The law
enforcement people concur with this assessment.
“When dogs are selected for our training, we test
them for shyness or overly aggressive behavior,”
Shane said. “Truth be told, we prefer the more
aggressive dogs. Usually we need this type of
personality and we are able to curb it a bit with
training. But a shy dog or one that lacks confidence is a danger to itself and others in our
situations. And experience has shown that it is very difficult to train that behavior out of a dog.”

No matter which training method you use, it is especially important to remain calm and pleasant
with shy dogs. Usually these dogs are deeply sensitive to their owners’ emotions and respond
poorly to anger and any type of negative discipline. The use of negative reinforcers is not
recommended for shy or under-confident dogs.

How To Deal With a Nervous or Shy Dog

1.) OBEDIENCE TRAINING
Here our old standby isn’t just one of many suggestions. Obedience training is essential for dogs
that are shy or lack confidence. Training her to sit, stay, heel, and all the other wonderful
activities that happen during obedience training give dogs a major boost of confidence. Once
they see that they can do something well and earn praise, they begin to feel more sure of
themselves and come out of their shells a little.

Think of how you feel when you start a new job or project. You may lack training or
direction and therefore be reluctant to act. But once you have someone show you how to do
things, and you get a chance to practice and prove that you can do it, you feel
much more confident. And being good at what you do impacts your whole outlook
on life. It’s the same for dogs. If they feel like they are good at their job, they
are happier, more relaxed, and secure. For shy dogs, the training activities
must happen outside the home. Traveling in cars, going new places, meeting new
people and dogs are all part of the training to help overcome shyness. If
your dog is exceptionally shy or sensitive, you may want to start with a
simple socializing class where the focus is on playing and interacting rather than
learning obedience. But don’t stop at socializing. Once your dog seems to be
feeling more comfortable in new surroundings, move on to obedience
training.

2.) PROTECT YOUR DOG’S PERSONAL SPACE
It is important that shy dogs have a place to call their own. Maybe it’s their crate, or a quiet
corner of a den or other room that is not right near the entryway. Keep new people and dogs
away from the pet’s area to help assure her that she is safe and secure.
Let the dog decide if she wants to be petted by visitors. Don’t allow them to chase after the
dog or corner her to get her to be still. Encourage people to sit down and pet the dog under the
chin or on the chest instead of towering over the dog and patting it on its head or back. These
actions can be intimidating to dogs, and the back is an especially sensitive area for female dogs.

3.) DON’T PET YOUR DOG TO TRY AND CALM IT WHEN IT’S NERVOUS
As pet owners who love our dogs, it’s natural to want to comfort a shy or nervous dog. But by
petting them, praising them or talking to them sweetly when they are exhibiting these types of
unwanted behaviors, we enforce the shyness. As difficult as it may be, you need to ignore the
behavior and act as if everything is just fine. The dog will take its cue from you and decide there
is no reason to be afraid or concerned.

If you have been teaching your dog obedience commands, you can try telling her to sit when
someone comes to the door, and then praise her when she responds correctly. The opportunity to
do something right and be rewarded for it will boost her confidence and help her feel prepared to
meet new situations. If your dog stays put or greets visitors praise her or give a treat.
This method applies to meeting new dogs, going new places, and trying new things. For
example, Tonia Heller described how going to the vet can be a frightening experience for pets.

She sees owners reinforce this fear by carrying dogs that normally walk on a leash, allowing
dogs to jump in their laps, and petting them when they begin to bark or whine. She recommends
rewarding the dog for walking through the office door, petting them when they are sitting
quietly, and treating the visit like any other outing.

Tonia cautions that it may be difficult to act as if everything is normal if the dog is seriously
ill or injured, but routine or non-emergency visits to the vet should be treated like a fun
adventure where the dog is rewarded for behaving. If you act scared or worried, the dog will
pick up on your emotions and respond accordingly. This is especially true for shy and sensitive
dogs that look to their owners for cues. If you have taken time to get your dog used to being
examined, by playing with her feet and ears, and making her stay calm while you groom her,
trips to the vet will be much less stressful for everyone.

4.) PEOPLE THERAPY
If the dog is afraid of people, recruit the help of three or four calm, mature people to help you
encourage our dog to interact with new people. Starting with just one person, have him or her sit
out in the yard and see if your dog will approach. The helper should have a treat or one of the
dog’s favorite play toys and should try to encourage the dog by calling her name in a soft, upbeat
tone while holding out the treat. If the dog approaches, she should be given the treat and some
petting, if she will allow it. The helper should avoid making direct eye contact with the dog for
the first few times, and should try to stay sitting as still as possible.

Continue to practice this with the same person until the dog responds positively. Then start
again with a new person. When your dog appears to be comfortable with these people, try
bringing them together in groups of two, then three, then four as your dog gains confidence. If
she seems overwhelmed, back off and try just the one person again for several days.
Your dog may come to expect that new people will always carry treats, and it’s not a bad idea
to keep a treat container near the front door for visitors to use. Once your dog overcomes her
shyness, you can reduce the treats, but you should still continue to reinforce the positive behavior
with a treat once in awhile. If you find that you are giving her a lot of treats, be sure to use
something nutritional and cut back on her daily food so she doesn’t gain weight.

5.) FREE PLAY WITH A DOG FRIEND
For dogs that are nervous or shy around people, it is important that they have canine friends to
interact with. Find a non-aggressive playmate with up to date vaccinations and an owner who is
willing to accompany their dog to a play session. Because this will be free play, where the dogs
are taken off the leashes and allowed to romp around as they wish, it should be done in a large
room or a fenced area.

While still on the leash, allow the dogs to get to know one another. Let them sniff and move
around a bit until it is clear that there will be no problems with aggression or fighting. Then
remove the leashes and let the dogs play. You can provide toys, but they should be new toys that
neither dog has an attachment to or feels ownership towards. If everything goes well, let the
dogs play for fifteen minutes the first time and gradually increase that to where you can let the
dogs go until they are tired out. If either dog appears to become over stimulated and too wound
up, stop the activity for that day.

As the playtime increases, have the other dog’s owner attempt to pet your pooch. You can
also try having both owners interact with the dogs in a game of fetch, Frisbee, or some other nonconfrontational activity. Praise and reward your dog when she responds with confidence.

6.) YAWN A LOT
Several trainers mentioned that they have read that yawning is supposed to calm dogs. Because
yawning is a sign of relaxation and security, it tells your dog that there is nothing frightening or
concerning about the situation.

When visitors come to the house, have them sit on the floor and yawn repeatedly. They
should not make eye contact with the dog. Repeat this activity throughout the course of a ten or
fifteen minute conversation and see if the dog relaxes or comes over to be petted.
One pet owner who tried this approach reported that at first the dog looked at her like she was
crazy, but then it began wagging its tail and eventually came over and rolled on its back to be
petted. She added that the dog even yawned a few times herself. Apparently yawning is
contagious for canines too!

7.) CREATE AN OBSTACLE COURSE FOR YOUR DOG
Set up a small obstacle course in your back yard. Include a flapping tarp pinned to the
clothesline, landscaping bricks in a path on the lawn, a chair covered with a sheet; anything that
your dog is likely to shy away from. Then, with
your pet on a leash, walk through, over, around, and
under the objects on the course while trying not to
pause or anticipate the dog’s reactions. If you act
like there is nothing to be afraid of, your dog will sense that and feel more confident. If she
hesitates or shies away from something, don’t praise her. Keep walking until she is behaving
normally and then reward her.

As your dog grows accustomed to the strange, new, obstacles and accepts them without
hesitation, praise her and give her a treat. You must repeat this exercise regularly, changing the
types of objects in your obstacle course until your dog approaches things cautiously but
confidently. You may eventually want to have a family member walk out slowly from behind an object,
bang gently on a pan, or provide some other new feature or action, but there should be no
sudden movements and no startling noises. You don’t wan to make the dog more afraid.
This practice often can be turned into a fun family activity, as children love to help figure out
what devices and obstacles can be rigged up for your dog. Use some common sense with this.
You don’t want to present your dog with any truly frightening experiences that will do more
harm to her confidence. And never let young children be responsible for walking your dog
through the obstacle course. You need to be in charge to ensure that it is a positive training
method for your dog.

8.) TAKE YOUR DOG ON AN OUTING
You can follow the above suggestions with your dog, but if she never leaves the house, you are
overlooking an important part of her development. And with shy dogs, it is especially important
to get them out of their comfort zone (your house) and out into the world to face new adventures
and interactions. Even if your outing simply consists of a car ride to the store to get a gallon of
milk, this will help your dog become more comfortable with new situations. Be sure to provide
the dog with appropriate air flow and shelter from the sun if it is hot outside.
Praising your dog during the drive and giving a treat when you get back help to reward the
dog and convince it that traveling is fun. Try to take at least two trips each week to provide your
dog enough exposure to new things.

9.) USE THE “LET’S GO” OR “FAST TIME” COMMAND
In addition to bringing your dog on an outing, you can also take her on walks around the
neighborhood, at the park, or on a trail system. It is important to keep her on a leash so you can
supervise and be certain that she doesn’t run off, get injured or some other traumatizing
experience. If you dog shies away from things while on a walk or begins to get agitated, act as
calm as possible and keep walking, or teach your
dog the “Let’s go” command .
This command consists of picking up your
normal walking speed to a jog or a fast sprint. The
point is to take your dog’s mind off her fear, and
also to help her get away from a frightening situation, but on your terms, not hers. The “Fast
time” command, which is basically the same thing and is often taught as part of obedience
training heeling exercises, can be used instead.
When you are away from the intimidating object, stop your dog and praise her and clap your
hands, jump up and down, or somehow show that you are having fun. You can practice this
command in your yard so that the dog is familiar with it before you head out on a walk. Be sure
to praise your dog for any positive behavior during your walk and make a big deal of her bravery
when you get home.

10.) MASSAGE THERAPY
Some trainers and pet care providers recommend trying massage therapy on your dog. (You
might need it too as a reward for your patience and efforts in training your shy dog.) In addition
to teaching a dog to enjoy being touched, massage therapy can calm a nervous dog and help her
to develop trust.

You will either need to acclimate your dog to the massage therapist or learn the techniques
yourself. The initial investment for a training class to learn the skills will likely pay off in the
end as you can use your massage abilities in other situations also, such as for a dog with sore
muscles, a pup with stress issues, or simply as a form of reward for your dog after a long day of
training or competition.