Looking After Pets

Do you have a shy or fearful dog?  He’s probably very attached to you, but is leery of strangers.  Your pet may even go so far as to growl and snap at unfamiliar people or dogs who get too close.  People may say he’s a “one-person dog.”

It’s important to work on training your shy dog before his behavior escalates to fear aggression in dogs.  This type of aggressive dog behavior is characterized at first by growling at people he doesn’t know, and can quickly progress to snapping and biting.

Why Is My Dog Shy?

Sometimes a dog is shy or fearful of strangers due to a bad experience somewhere along the line.  Some cases are due to genetics.  But most cases of shyness in dogs are caused by one thing; neglecting to socialize a puppy in his first few months of life.  It’s also very important not to stop socializing your dog too soon, as many dogs go through a shy period around six months of age.

Are You Teaching Your Dog To Be Shy?

Speaking softly and reassuringly to your fearful dog in an attempt to calm him down is a mistake.First, you’re teaching him that hiding, growling, and even snapping at someone will be rewarded with your attention and praise.

Second, listen to the sound of your voice when you’re reassuring your dog.To your canine, the tone of your voice makes him think it’s a dog whimpering.  Your dog doesn’t understand your words, but he does understand the sound.Because your dog interprets your voice as a whimper, he’ll become even more nervous about the stranger.

Training Your Shy Dog

Socializing your dog when he’s a puppy is the best way to prevent your canine from becoming a shy dog.  He needs to be exposed to a wide variety of people, places, and dogs so that he can learn through experience that there’s nothing to be scared of.

If your canine friend is already a shy adult, socializing your dog is still possible.  It takes longer, and you’ll need lots of patience, but  it can be done.

The important thing to remember with training your shy dog is not to rush him.  If you try to force him into socializing with unfamiliar people or dogs, all you’ll do is reinforce his belief that these things are scary.  Plus he may feel that he has no choice but to defend himself, which leads to aggressive dog behavior.

Don’t allow a stranger to approach your dog and try to pet him.Your dog should be the one to make the first move.  If he doesn’t want to, that’s fine.  If he’s hiding, don’t try to coax him out, as he’ll think you’re praising him for hiding out.

Ignore your dog when he acts shy or scared around strange people or dogs.  Keep him on his leash, and don’t let him get close enough to start displaying fear aggression in dogs.  Let him hang back and check out the situation from a distance.  When he’s ready, he’ll get closer on his own to the stranger.  This is when you praise him lavishly.

A Good Dog Training Course Can Work Wonders With A Shy Dog

You can see how easy it is to give your dog the wrong idea.  The fact is that dogs just don’t think like people do.  Understanding how your dog thinks is crucial to training shy dog properly.

Investing in a good dog training course is essential.  You’ll want to find out what other dog owners who have used the course think of it.Learn if other dog owners who have used the course are satisfied with it by reading testimonials.

If you’re struggling with a shy or fearful dog, just click on any link in this article to learn more about a dog training course that includes a free consultation with an experienced dog trainer.

Tell me, does this describe your dog?  He’s very attached to you, but is leery of strangers,  He may go as far as growling and snapping at unfamiliar people or dogs who get too close.  Friends say he’s a “one-person dog,” but actually he’s a shy or fearful dog.

It’s important to work on training shy dog before his behavior escalates to fear aggression in dogs.  This type of aggressive dog behavior is characterized at first by growling at people he doesn’t know, and can quickly progress to snapping and biting.

Why Is My Dog Shy?

Sometimes a dog is shy or fearful of strangers due to a bad experience somewhere along the line.  Some cases are due to genetics.  But most cases of shyness in dogs are caused by one thing; neglecting to socialize a puppy in his first few months of life.  It’s also very important not to stop socializing your dog too soon, as many dogs go through a shy period around six months of age.

Are You Teaching Your Dog To Be Shy?

Speaking softly and reassuringly to your fearful dog in an attempt to calm him down is a mistake.First, you’re training him to hide, growl, or snap because you’re rewarding his behavior with your attention and praise. 

Second, listen to how your voice sounds when reassuring your pooch.Instead, it sounds like a dog’s whimper to your canine.  Your dog doesn’t understand your words, but he does understand the sound.He’ll become even more anxious about the stranger because he thinks you’re whimpering at him.

Training Your Shy Dog

Socializing your dog when he’s a puppy is the best way to prevent your canine from becoming a shy dog.  He needs to be exposed to a wide variety of people, places, and dogs so that he can learn through experience that there’s nothing to be scared of.

If your canine friend is already a shy adult, it’s still possible to socialize your dog.  It takes longer, and you’ll need lots of patience, but  it can be done. 

The important thing to remember with training shy dog is not to rush him.  If you try to force him into socializing with unfamiliar people or dogs, all you’ll do is reinforce his belief that these things are scary.  Plus he may feel that he has no choice but to defend himself, which leads to aggressive dog behavior.

Avoid allowing a stranger to approach your dog and attempt to pet him.  Let your dog make the first move.  If he doesn’t want to, that’s fine.  If he’s hiding, don’t try to coax him out, as he’ll think you’re praising him for hiding out.

Ignore your dog when he acts shy or scared around strange people or dogs.  Keep him on his leash, and don’t let him get close enough to start displaying fear aggression in dogs.  Let him hang back and check out the situation from a distance.  When he’s ready, he’ll get closer on his own to the stranger.  This is when you praise him lavishly.

A Good Dog Training Course Can Work Wonders With A Shy Dog

You can see how easy it is to give your dog the wrong idea.  The fact is that dogs just don’t think like people do.  Understanding how your dog thinks is crucial to training shy dog properly. 

Investing in a good dog training course is essential.  You’ll want to find out what other dog owners who have used the course think of it.Learn if other dog owners who have used the course are satisfied with it by reading testimonials. 

You’ll also want to look for a course than includes a free consultation with an experienced dog trainer.  This benefit alone may pay for the cost of the course. 

Believe me, once your start to apply this advice, your problem with your fearful dog will be solved.

Visit No More Bad Dogs for resources to help your fearful dog.

Let me ask you a simple question.  Do you know how important it is to socialize your dog?  Do you even know what socializing your dog is?Discover how this important part of dog training will help to prevent aggression in dogs from developing later on.

What Does Socializing Your Dog Mean?

Actually, it’s pretty simple.  What you’re doing is getting your dog accustomed to strangers, both human and animal.The best way to help your dog learn to be adaptable in new places is to take him out as much as possible. 

This process can be so much fun that most people don’t take it seriously.  But if your dog hasn’t been socialized properly, he may become timid and fearful.If your puppy scares easily, he’ll be prone to developing dog behavior problems that take a lot of work to get rid of. Aggression toward strangers can lead to biting people, while aggression toward other animals leads to fights with other dogs.

Fear Aggression In Dogs

If your pooch is not exposed to lots of different people when he’s between the ages of three and twelve weeks, he may develop fear aggression in dogs as he gets older.  This is characterized by him displaying suspicion and mistrust around people he doesn’t know. 

A dog that shows a lot of fear around strangers when he’s very young has a good chance of becoming fear aggressive as he gets older.  If your pup backs away from strangers while barking at them, this is a tip-off for you that this condition could be his problem.  In this case, you really need to concentrate on getting your dog used to other people.

Aggression Towards Other Animals

If your dog is not friendly towards other dogs, he probably doesn’t know how to interact with other canines.  This is because he never learned the proper social skills as a puppy. 

Sometimes a dog owner unknowingly causes aggression between strange dogs.  If you tighten the leash and pull your dog closer every time you see a strange canine, you’re communicating your unease to your dog.  If this happens repeatedly, your dog learns to get tense whenever another dog gets close.  He wants the other dog to stay at a distance, so your dog growls and barks at the stranger to accomplish this.

Plus, tightening the leash tells your dog that he can’t run away.  The only option he has left is to fight.  Pulling back on his leash also forces him to lean forward on his front feet.  The other dog may think he’s being threatened, and the result can be a dog fight.

Socializing Your Dog Prevents Aggressive Dog Behavior

You can see that neglecting to socialize your dog at a young age can lead to many dog behavior problems as he gets older.To avoid your pup developing fear aggression in dogs when he’s around strangers, it’s important to be sure he’s around a wide range of people. 

Even more important is to make sure your young puppy has plenty of opportunity to interact with other pups.  This is how he learns to be a dog, and how to behave around other dogs.

You need to watch your own behavior to be sure you’re not inadvertently training your dog to be aggressive towards other dogs. 

Now that you have this information, you can take steps to socialize your dog properly to prevent aggressive dog behavior.