# Encouraging the timid puppy



## Shavy (Feb 12, 2009)

My pup is between 8-9 weeks old and on the timid side. He's very comfortable with my family, but will run from strangers in the house. It takes him several hours to get comfortable enough to cautiously come up to them, and then if there are sudden movements he will take off again. He's not what I would consider fearful though; once he goes up to them, they can pick him up and pet him and hold him and he is okay with it, just clearly prefers to sit on a family member's lap.

Outside, if he's startled by sudden noises or unexpected movement, he will shoot to the end of the leash and then do that fish-at-the-end-of-the-line dance to get away. I usually respond by crouching down and giving him encouraging words, and petting him when he comes to me.

I don't think he got exposure to many different things before coming home, and he was the more timid of his littermates, so I think it's a matter of simply being nervous about anything new.

How can I build up his confidence? We're doing clicker training and he's great with it, and I have been taking him for short forays around the block with lots of encouragement (on walks he trails along behind me and stops here and there to investigate things). When guests come over, I keep it very low key and tell them to just sit on the floor and talk nicely until he comes over. What else can I do?


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## GSDBESTK9 (Mar 26, 2002)

It is his nerves and yes, he is doing this out of fear. How is his food drive? If he has good food drive I would use this to my advantange and give every visiter handfulls of treats to give to the puppy while they are visiting. He will start associating people with good/positive things (treat/food!!).


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## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

how long have you had him?

only 8 - 9 weeks of age . slow down . take the tension away . getting a crash course on being brave and social will not do anything , except maybe underline the unpleasant experience. don't have your friends pick the dog up . have them go down to the dogs level .

from your description he may just be a nervous dog and this is something that you will have to deal with his entire life. 

it can be done . expectations have to be realistic.

Carmen


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## Shavy (Feb 12, 2009)

GSDBESTK9 said:


> It is his nerves and yes, he is doing this out of fear. How is his food drive? If he has good food drive I would use this to my advantange and give every visiter handfulls of treats to give to the puppy while they are visiting. He will start associating people with good/positive things (treat/food!!).


Good idea. He's not super into food, but it motivates him in training sessions, so it's worth a shot. 

Do you think 'bad nerves' are made, and not born? I'm inclined to think he's not a naturally fearful dog, just one that didn't get much in the way of socialization, and that in a few months he will normalize into a solid, if soft, dog.


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## Shavy (Feb 12, 2009)

carmspack said:


> how long have you had him?
> 
> only 8 - 9 weeks of age . slow down . take the tension away . getting a crash course on being brave and social will not do anything , except maybe underline the unpleasant experience. don't have your friends pick the dog up . have them go down to the dogs level .
> 
> ...


I've had him about a week. I didn't mean to imply he's bombarded. He's not. The majority of the time it's us at home, and he goes out for regular potty walks and back in. I take him in the car with me to run errands, but he doesn't get out most of the time and the only people he has met have been family, in our home. They don't 'pick him up', they sit on the floor and encourage him to come over, pet him and praise him, then will set him on their laps or encourage him to lie next to them. 

I'm kind of surprised that people think that shyness in a 9 week old puppy implies poor nerves as an adult.


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## GSDBESTK9 (Mar 26, 2002)

My first GSD was from a BYB, she was scared, or I should say terrified, of even her breeder. I know, I was stupid to walk out of this guy's house with her seeing that she would coward even when he tried to pick her up, but I fell in love and wanted to rescue her from that horrible place.

Anyhow, for 2 weeks she hid under my kitchen table and would not come out, she was terrified of people.  I started taking her everywhere with me, let her have positive experiences with people and I'm happy to say it worked. She started liking people and even though she was scared/terrified of other things like loud noises and such, she always loved people.


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## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

Just my opinion from observation and experience.
A shy/timid pup can respond to socialization and exposure to a broad spectrum of positive experiences. However, shyness will always be his/her basic nature. As stated above, all you can do is take it slow, don't push the pup but give him as many opportunities for positive experiences as you can. Go at the pup's pace and don't expect a fast growth in confidence.


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## Shavy (Feb 12, 2009)

GSDBESTK9 said:


> My first GSD was from a BYB, she was scared, or I should say terrified, of even her breeder.


This is definitely not my pup. I don't think he's fearful by nature, I just think he hasn't been exposed to much and so lacks confidence in new situations. Example: I just took him out for a potty walk and to check the mail. As we got down the outdoor stairs, the rain gutter was making an awful racket. He jumped backwards and shied away, then continued walking. On the way back, we stopped by the gutter and I let him investigate the sound, which he did with caution and then curiosity. My question is more about confidence-building than trying to work with a nervy dog.

That said, would tug games help to build confidence?


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## Barb E (Jun 6, 2004)

Shavy said:


> I'm kind of surprised that people think that shyness in a 9 week old puppy implies poor nerves as an adult.


Kaos came to me at exactly 9 weeks old from PA.

When she came out of the crate at the airport she almost flew into my arms, tail wagging a million miles an hour and she promptly gave my face a thorough washing. I had never met this pup before, obviously, since I'm in Oregon.

Since she's been here we've been out and about (to puppy without all vaccines safe places) and without exception when she sees people her tail starts to wag and she :rofl: almost seems put out when someone doesn't want to say hello.

3 days a week she goes to the office with me, she can't go in but is crated in my Explorer) and when I go out for her potty breaks and there are other people around she always wants to meet them, there is no shyness here what so ever!!

I don't have any words of wisdom for you, there are many people here that have worked with more puppies than I have - but this might give you some insight into some of what you are hearing about a shy puppy, Kaos it seems is very different than your pup.


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## Shavy (Feb 12, 2009)

Barb E said:


> Kaos came to me at exactly 9 weeks old from PA.
> 
> When she came out of the crate at the airport she almost flew into my arms, tail wagging a million miles an hour and she promptly gave my face a thorough washing. I had never met this pup before, obviously, since I'm in Oregon.
> 
> ...


Of course.  But I'm sure your breeder spent a lot of time with the litter and made efforts to socialize them. I'm very happy with my pup, but he was a farm puppy born to farm dogs, and the pups didn't have any effort put into them and they certainly weren't exposed to other people or have constant attention/handling. That's why I'm inclined to consider it a socialization issue (though of course I could be off-base here). If my pup had come from your litter, I also would think there was something seriously wrong there.


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## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

Shavy... these are breeders responding to your posts. They know what they're talking about regarding nerves and being fearful.


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## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

Some timid pups are also intelligent and curious. Their first reaction will be one of avoidance because that is their nature. But their curiosity will bring them back to the source of their reaction so they can inspect and try to understand it and that will be one more thing that they will not be afraid of.
This is true of my dog. She almost always moves away from new experiences then immediately stops and starts moving to check it out.
Being shy is not necessarily 'bad'. It is an enhanced survival mechanism. As long as it doesn't paralyze them, cause them to be aggressive or make them permanently avoid things then it is something we can live with.


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## Shavy (Feb 12, 2009)

Lucy Dog said:


> Shavy... these are breeders responding to your posts. They know what they're talking about regarding nerves and being fearful.


I'm not trying to be argumentative; I hope it's not taken that way. I just understand that without seeing a dog, sometimes behavior isn't accurately described and you get a totally different picture. 


Maybe I don't know what characterizes a fearful or weak-nerved dog, and the picture in my head is more extreme than what is being discussed. If someone could enlighten me on what that kind of dog looks like as an adult; how it behaves and responds and the kind of challenges an owner would face, I'd appreciate it.


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## Shavy (Feb 12, 2009)

PaddyD said:


> Some timid pups are also intelligent and curious. Their first reaction will be one of avoidance because that is their nature. But their curiosity will bring them back to the source of their reaction so they can inspect and try to understand it and that will be one more thing that they will not be afraid of.


Thanks for that post; it puts what has been said in better context for me.


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## codmaster (Aug 5, 2009)

Shavy said:


> My pup is between 8-9 weeks old and on the timid side. He's very comfortable with my family, but will run from strangers in the house. It takes him several hours to get comfortable enough to cautiously come up to them, and then if there are sudden movements he will take off again. He's not what I would consider fearful though; once he goes up to them, they can pick him up and pet him and hold him and he is okay with it, just clearly prefers to sit on a family member's lap.
> 
> Outside, if he's startled by sudden noises or unexpected movement, he will shoot to the end of the leash and then do that fish-at-the-end-of-the-line dance to get away.* I usually respond by crouching down and giving him encouraging words, and petting him when he comes to me.*
> 
> ...


 
Absolutely DO NOT GIVE HIM ANY ENCOURAGEMENT WHEN HE ACTS TIMID OR SCARED! Wait till after he is over it otherwise you are telling him that it is ok to act scared.


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## mebully21 (Nov 18, 2011)

genetics is genetics.. your pup is showing fearful behaviors.. a well bred pup of any breed most likely wont be afraid of anything, pups that are bred from weak nerved parents inherit their genetics. 

you cant fix genetics only manage it..


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## mebully21 (Nov 18, 2011)

did you get to pick this pup out at the breeders ? how were the other pups? the parents? generally you want a bold pup that shows no fear... not a timid pup that takes a long time to warm up to things/people. and you want to see the pup outside the breeders home to see how the pup reacts to a neutral environment.


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## wyoung2153 (Feb 28, 2010)

Shavy said:


> My pup is between 8-9 weeks old and on the timid side. He's very comfortable with my family, but will run from strangers in the house. It takes him several hours to get comfortable enough to cautiously come up to them, and then if there are sudden movements he will take off again. He's not what I would consider fearful though; once he goes up to them, they can pick him up and pet him and hold him and he is okay with it, just clearly prefers to sit on a family member's lap.
> 
> Outside, if he's startled by sudden noises or unexpected movement, he will shoot to the end of the leash and then do that fish-at-the-end-of-the-line dance to get away. I usually respond by crouching down and giving him encouraging words, and petting him when he comes to me.
> 
> ...


I am in no way an expert. I only can go based of my experience and research. 

If it were me, I wouldn't worry quite yet. I say this because hind sight is 20/20. I brought Titan home when he was 7 1/2 weeks, now 2 years old. I will admit he was from a BYB. I didn't know any better at the time. Anywho, I picked him out when he was 3 weeks old. Obviously I have learned a lot since then and pick way too early. Had I picked the puppy out at 8 weeks I would not have picked Titan, to be honest. He was TERRIFIED of everything. Even ran from the breeder when he went to get him for me. Wouldn't come to me at all. and in the car on the way home just stayed in the most tight little ball of fur. When we got home he just stayed on his pillow bed. He got comfortable with me and my roommate over the next week but was VERY weary of EVERYTHING. I thought to myself, oh goodness what have I done. And then.. I decided to just work with him. I became part of this forum and did as much possible research as I possibly could on timid/shy GSDs (I had done a bit before, preparing for him) I honestly just started socializing him ASAP. 

I let him be afraid but encouraged him to investgate things. It was a bit easier in Germany, where I was stationed at the time, but only because I could take him everywhere. He came to restaurants, stores, parks, concerts, anywhere I went basically. When he was scared I NEVER EVER encouraged or cooed over him. I let him be scared and when he bounced back and started investigating things, praised him. He took a while to come out of that funk, a good couple months. But now, you wouldn't even be able to tell he was ever afraid of anything. He is so confident and we are now part of a search and rescue team in the states since we moved back. 

To be honest I wouldn't worry about what the breeder did or didn't do, what the parents were like, etc. You have a puppy who adores you to pieces as do you to him. Just start getting out there and introducing him to as many things and situations as you can. Now I'm not saying bombard him with everything at once but take it a day at a time. Do something different with him every day or so. Be confident yourself, try not to anticipate him being frightened of new things, he will sense your confidence and take your lead. I think he will be just fine. My only big rule is don't coddle him when he is scared. That will only encourage his behavior.

Sorry for the long post but I know very well the feelings you are having and thought you might want to hear my story. Let us know how he's doing, congrats on your new baby... share pictures


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## Shavy (Feb 12, 2009)

mebully21 said:


> did you get to pick this pup out at the breeders ? how were the other pups? the parents? generally you want a bold pup that shows no fear... not a timid pup that takes a long time to warm up to things/people. and you want to see the pup outside the breeders home to see how the pup reacts to a neutral environment.


He was the last of his small (3) litter. Parents didn't seem fearful at all; they were very laid back, only got around to a warning bark when the owner called them away from sunning themselves in front of the barn.  Brisket initially ran off when he saw me coming, but crouching down and calling him got him to come back and as soon as he realized he was getting petted, he melted into a cute typical wiggle butt puppy. He was all over the breeder prior to my getting out of the car. 



wyoung2153 said:


> To be honest I wouldn't worry about what the breeder did or didn't do, what the parents were like, etc. You have a puppy who adores you to pieces as do you to him. Just start getting out there and introducing him to as many things and situations as you can. Now I'm not saying bombard him with everything at once but take it a day at a time. Do something different with him every day or so. Be confident yourself, try not to anticipate him being frightened of new things, he will sense your confidence and take your lead. I think he will be just fine. My only big rule is don't coddle him when he is scared. That will only encourage his behavior.
> 
> Sorry for the long post but I know very well the feelings you are having and thought you might want to hear my story. Let us know how he's doing, congrats on your new baby... share pictures


Thanks, I really appreciate the input.  I took him out today to run errands and then over to my parents' house. He was very nervous inside the 'feed' store, but that didn't stop him from trying to crawl into a box full of bully sticks.  We left with a few treats, and I tossed a pig ear in the back with him to chew on as we drove (I have an SUV w/ barrier). I noticed he was definitely more relaxed with the ear; maybe it's a matter of focusing on something that is not new and scary.

My parents have a big house and a really nice fenced yard. We're in a condo, so no off-leash time for him, and I thought he'd enjoy running around a bit. My parents also have a 13 year old Leagle and I wanted to introduce them since I dog-sit for them pretty often. He was initially cautious but warmed up to both dog and new environment quickly, and was off investigating everything. He seemed fascinated by the older dog's tail and bothered her constantly with tugging it.  Let them out onto the deck/yard for about 20 minutes and even though he couldn't keep up with my parents' dog, he did have fun dragging their tree clippings all over, digging in the snow, and trying to ambush his new playmate. So I'd say he had a really good afternoon/evening, and except for an initial 10 minutes or so, he was your typical inquisitive and happy go lucky pup.

And since you asked...some pics. 


"Here mom, I brought you a stick..."


"What? That hole? No, that was definitely there before we got here."


A game of tag:


"Gotcha!"


"Here, puppy, puppy!"

*Oversized pictures removed. Maximum picture size is 800 x 600 or 600 x 800. Please resize your pictures before posting. http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/pictures-pictures-pictures/154022-how-resize-your-pictures.html <--click that *************


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## Whiteshepherds (Aug 21, 2010)

OMG, is he cute!


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## wyoung2153 (Feb 28, 2010)

He's so cute!!!!!  Glad you took him around. He will slowly get used to things.. just keep reminding yourself he is ONLY 9 weeks old. I have to keep doing this with my new girl. She is 13 weeks now but I have only had her a little over a week. She's better but still getting used to everything since she has been with the breeder her whole life, everything is so incredibley new to her. I find myself getting frustrated sometimes be she's not a bull dozer like my GSD has turned into but then have to snap myself back in line and go "Ok Whitney, she is only 13 Weeks old, which is still new to the world, and she is only been here for 10 days." And I find it helps with little reminders, lol. For the record, Titan didn't like car rides for a very long time. not until he was about 1 1/2 years. He was always nervous or weary for some reason. LOVED when I got the leash out.. dreaded the ride.. then LOVED where ever we ended up. Now he can't wait to get in the car and go somewhere... usually the beach or the woods for Search. Keep on it! He will come around day by day!


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## Dakotasmom23 (Jan 11, 2012)

wyoung2153 said:


> Just start getting out there and introducing him to as many things and situations as you can. Now I'm not saying bombard him with everything at once but take it a day at a time. Do something different with him every day or so. Be confident yourself, try not to anticipate him being frightened of new things, he will sense your confidence and take your lead. I think he will be just fine. *My only big rule is don't coddle him when he is scared. That will only encourage his behavior*.


This exactly. Also, you might want to pick up the book called "The Cautious Canine" by Patricia McConnell (I think). Its a good read about counter-conditioning and I've worked with many fearful/timid adult foster dogs and had some degrees of success using this method.


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## Shavy (Feb 12, 2009)

thanks, I'll check it out.


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## Shavy (Feb 12, 2009)

It's been a few weeks, so I thought I would update everyone on how my pup is doing. I always like hearing about updates after giving advice, so maybe you guys will too. 

I posted another thread expressing concern that he was extremely low energy and mellow, so I'll just update on that here instead of bumping two threads.

Firstly, he is STILL ridiculously mellow and low energy. I've never seen a pup like it (he's 11 weeks old now), especially not a herding breed. But the vet says he's healthy and he is less lethargic than he is lazy, so I guess this is just his personality at the moment. I think I may be unfairly thinking he's not that bright simply because he seems so slow and plodding, and not because he doesn't grasp concepts (he is basically potty trained and knows a handful of commands). I feel almost like I got a bulldog in an aussie suit.

After settling in, it's apparent he isn't fearful, but he does definitely have a soft personality. I personally am not crazy about soft dogs, but it's really a good dog for this stage in our lives, as my five year old can manage him with a "no" (when he jumps or mouths) and I really never have to raise my voice; you tell him no in that I'm-seriously-not-happy-with-you voice, and he backs off immediately. He seems to always have an expression on his face of "am I doing okay, Mom? Is this what you want?". He's a little more handler sensitive than I'd prefer also (it sounds nice in theory, but is rather annoying when every glance, shift in movement, hand signal etc is interpreted and reacted to). On the other hand, he basically self heels, stopping and sitting when I stop. Of course, he's still a self-interested aussie, so there are some blatant signals (like "yoohoo! pup! come inside! it's COOOOOLD!" that just get ignored  ). 

He LOVES people, especially kids. I took him to my son's school last week and he was mobbed by 20 3-5 year olds; he couldn't get enough face licking and petting in. He's super friendly and outgoing, and handles new experiences cautiously but curiously and without negative reactions. 

Overall, I think he really has an ideal personality for our particular household at this point in time, and I'm very happy with him. I would love to try and build up his drive, if anyone has suggestions, I'm all ears.  

I'm also wondering if soft dogs can be naturally protective, or if the two traits are mutually exclusive. Part of the reason we went with an aussie over a BC was that aussies have more of a natural protective streak, and I'd like to have a dog that presents a visual deterrent with appropriate behavior. I have no intention of trying to train anything of the sort into him, but I'd feel better if he barked when confronted with a strange and scary looking person at the door.

Here's one of the few pictures I have of him not sleeping  (He's giving me a "high five")


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## wyoung2153 (Feb 28, 2010)

Shavy said:


> I would love to try and build up his drive, if anyone has suggestions, I'm all ears.
> 
> I'm also wondering if soft dogs can be naturally protective, or if the two traits are mutually exclusive. Part of the reason we went with an aussie over a BC was that aussies have more of a natural protective streak, and I'd like to have a dog that presents a visual deterrent with appropriate behavior. I have no intention of trying to train anything of the sort into him, but I'd feel better if he barked when confronted with a strange and scary looking person at the door.


Drive: be careful what you wish for  I taught Titan to fetch when he was little, he picked it up really quick but now... I can't get him to stop.. and he has an intense prey drive.. I think even if I didn't teach him that, it would have shown up eventually. He lacks a "I'm really tired so I'm going to rest" button. LOL. he will be dragging so bad and if I move that ball he's up and running again.. dragging again.. repeat. Lol. I am his stop button. 

Are you talking ball/play drive? If so... does he have a favorite toy? does he like tennis balls at all?? only asking because you said he was really lazy, lol. But either way I would start with establishing a toy or toys that he is bonkers for and make that his "fun" toy(s). He only gets that when you want to play. As my breeder/trainer told me.. you want to be his party.. every time he sees you he's going to be "OMG!! It's play time." (Not sure if that's what you meant, but either way it's advice for something  )

As for him being pretective, I can't say "with out a doubt" he will or won't, but I can say that I have had dogs with very lazy, calm, "soft" personalities that have been more protective than the dominant, "harder" dogs. I think his protective instincts are still there. Don't worry too much about him barking with strangers at the door quite yet. I had to teach Titan that too, but my new girl just did it instantly. I think it varies from dog to dog. Even now, Titan, who is very protective, is a VERY quiet dog. He only really barks when someone is at the door, and that usually if there is a stranger. There times when he doesn't bark because he's distracted and I have to say "Titan, what was that?" or "Titan, who's at the door?" Then he will go "OMG!! I don't know!!!! Let me seee!!!!!" And go bonkers  Most of the times when he doesn't bark.. I know the person at the door.. oddly enough. If you really want to work with your guy on it I would teach him to "speak" first. Then when someone comes to the door, before opening it, make him speak. But in all honesty, I think it will kick in over time. He's only 11 weeks old right? I'd say if by 4 or 6 months he hasn't started alerting you.. then you should work with him on it. 

Small funny story about that ^ When I moved to Florida a few months ago, we were obviously in a new place and Titan didn't bark at all when someone was at the door. He would just run into the entry room and sit and stare. It took a few weeks of being here for him to realize what was going on. Lol. 

Sorry for the long post, hope at least some of that was helpful. Good to read that he's doing well though and not being scared of things.. I'm going through some fear issues with my new pup right now so I can tell you it's not fun. Lol.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

Shavy said:


> Here's one of the few pictures I have of him not sleeping  (He's giving me a "high five")


Oh my goodness! What a beautiful baby boy! I LOVE him! :wub:


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## Dakotasmom23 (Jan 11, 2012)

He is SO cute. Just ridiculously cute! I don't know about you, but the joke around my house is we never get the dog we want--we get the dog we NEED. They all have something to teach us, and come into our home at the right time in our lives. Strange! Sounds like a sweet pup. Thanks for the update, I love reading how things work out with the dogs.


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## codmaster (Aug 5, 2009)

I wouldn't worry at all about protectiveness at his age - he is still a baby, after all. (Altho a VERY cute one)

Much better to have him so friendly and outgoing, esp. with kids! he sounds like a really nice puppy!

As far as being tired - if you checked with your vet to exclude any medical reasons - just enjoy him as he is!


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## RubyTuesday (Jan 20, 2008)

I wouldn't encourage protectiveness in a shy or fearful pup, even when those traits aren't pronounced. The risk is too great of the dog making poor judgments when outside his comfort zone or becoming a fear biter. His initial behavior indicates he is at least mildly shy/fearful. The behavior dissipated when he again felt safe.

He's adorable & clearly has some excellent qualities. (Good with children has always been huge with me, even now when my daughter is grown.) Continue to build his confidence & focus on his innate strengths.


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## Shavy (Feb 12, 2009)

RubyTuesday said:


> I wouldn't encourage protectiveness in a shy or fearful pup, even when those traits aren't pronounced. The risk is too great of the dog making poor judgments when outside his comfort zone or becoming a fear biter. His initial behavior indicates he is at least mildly shy/fearful. The behavior dissipated when he again felt safe.
> 
> He's adorable & clearly has some excellent qualities. (Good with children has always been huge with me, even now when my daughter is grown.) Continue to build his confidence & focus on his innate strengths.


To clarify, I don't expect any kind of natural protectiveness from a puppy; on the contrary, I'd be alarmed if I saw it. I'm not encouraging protectiveness at all, but since part of the decision came from wanting a breed that has some of that ability naturally, I would like it if my pup, as an adult dog, would not present an overly friendly or shrinking violet image to strangers. I'd like him in general to be very well balanced. He is first and foremost a companion and family member. 

I've been working on 'revving him up' with toys and it seems to be working, though without question he's a food-motivated pooch.  Which definitely makes training easier. I think he's smarter than I give him credit for; a week ago I was at my parents and they decided to take us out for dinner rather than eat there (as was planned). Since my parents have an older dog and no crate (and I'm not comfortable leaving a puppy in the backyard alone), I pulled my SUV into the garage and put him in the back (has a dog barrier) with a toy/treat while we had a quick dinner. He was less than thrilled but no harm done, or so I thought. Then on Friday, I dropped my son off to spend the night at grandparents, and as we were leaving, I called pup (who is usually off-leash to and from the house) to come over to the car. As soon as he saw the back pop open, you could see gears turn in his head, and he was like ehhhh, I don't think so. I had to go back to the front door and tell him we were going back inside before he would come over, and then he stood back a bit and eyed me as if to say "oh, we're going inside, eh? then I'll wait for you to open the door and I'll go through...". Once he was picked up and put in the back, lots of praise and a treat. But it's been the only time he was reluctant to hop in.


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## RubyTuesday (Jan 20, 2008)

> To clarify, I don't expect any kind of natural protectiveness from a puppy; on the contrary, I'd be alarmed if I saw it. I'm not encouraging protectiveness at all, but since part of the decision came from wanting a breed that has some of that ability naturally, I would like it if my pup, as an adult dog, would not present an overly friendly or shrinking violet image to strangers. I'd like him in general to be very well balanced. He is first and foremost a companion and family member.


With work he will probably present as a more confident dog. The underlying temperament, however well managed, remains the same. 'Natural protectiveness' should not be encouraged unless you're certain the dog has the requisite nerve strength. IF his protectiveness is based on fear or uncertainty there's too great a chance that he will make an inappropriate reaction to a relatively harmless situation. Apart from the liability risks, dogs too often lose their lives in such situations.

You're doing a great job building his confidence & developing his drives. Not everyone can excel at this. (My daughter is terrific with shy, fearful dogs. I'm lousy, tbh) You'll have him shining, & he can prove himself a star companion.


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## codmaster (Aug 5, 2009)

Shavy said:


> Of course.  But I'm sure your breeder spent a lot of time with the litter and made efforts to socialize them. I'm very happy with my pup, but he was a farm puppy born to farm dogs, and the pups didn't have any effort put into them and they certainly weren't exposed to other people or have constant attention/handling. That's why I'm inclined to consider it a socialization issue (though of course I could be off-base here). If my pup had come from your litter, I also would think there was something seriously wrong there.


 
My pup came to us at exactly 7 weeks old from a very well known breeder. Other than a very little standoffishness in a puppy class with a couple of VERY pushy older pups (which he got over in 2 weeks and was chasing them around by the third class) - he has always been a VERY pushy outgoing pup/dog (even more so as he got older). Extremely curious and bold and very self confident puppy.

His litter brother and sister (only ones we ever saw) were very very different - much softer and much less confident. 

BTW, loud noises of any type never bothered him at all even July 4 as a little guy. never noticed them.

I think the general nerve of a dog is genetic - can certainly be altered/modified by environment but the base nerves are determined by genes.

Recognize it and you can work with it to develop as much as you can!


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## RubyTuesday (Jan 20, 2008)

> I think the general nerve of a dog is genetic - can certainly be altered/modified by environment but the base nerves are determined by genes.


Yes, nerves, temperament are genetic. Behavior is the outward expression of temperament as impacted by the environment.

For example,
Mildly threaten/hurt a timid pup/dog & s/he will probably freeze, cringe, run.
A bolder pup/dog will be more inclined to stand ground & fight.

Startle a pup/dog with solid nerves & high threshholds & he'll perhaps blink, then investigate further.
A fearful pup/dog might perceive the same noise or activity as disturbing, even threatening. A fearful pup/dog might be impossible to convince that there really is no threat.

Dogs with solid nerves are more adaptable, & handle change better, even in their senior years. My niece has a dog with thin nerves. Every change must be actively dealt with & often entails a setback & temporary return to medication. He is a never ending ongoing project. She loves him & has made a lifetime commitment to him but his management can be frustrating, even heartbreaking.


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