How to teach a shy dog

- Does your dog run away from you?
- Does your dog turn away and never make eye contact?
- Does your dog urinate when excited?
- Does she exhibit distress at loud noises, new people, unfamiliar places?
- Does she hide most of the time in the house?
- Does she shrink from being touched?
- Does she growl or show her teeth when you approach?

Shyness may come from a lack of socialization, a shy mother teaching her puppy these behaviors, a pup taken from her mother too young, some physical ailments such as deafness or chronic pain, or abuse.

And some dogs are just naturally shy and timid. Shyness in dogs run the full gamut from mild discomfort to full blown panic attacks and in some cases, fear aggression.”

“Why” isn’t nearly as important as “How” when dealing with a shy dog.
Training always begins with trust. Does your dog trust you and understand that you have her best interests at heart? Does your shy dog respect you and believe you respect her?

Learning how to read your dog’s signals will make all the difference. Start by observing your dog. Does petting your dog on her head make her inch back. She is telling you “I don’t like that – it scares me.” So why do it? Find the exact spot on her body where she truly enjoys being touched and only reward her with petting and stroking on that spot.

Go slow. Be patient. Never rush a shy dog. Work at her pace even if it takes a very long time to get her to even join you in the same room for a training session!

The goal is to help your dog become confident and strong and trustworthy of your presence.

Go down to your dog’s level and speak in a soft voice, or better yet, don’t speak at all. Lure your shy dog with something of high value, whether it is a treat or toy or your touch.

Be confident with your shy dog and your confidence will become her confidence. Show her that the world is not a scary place by slowing introducing her to fearful things. If you are nervous or impatient or disappointed with your dog, that will travel down the leash and overshadow any other training.

After only a few sessions with a shy dog, one owner expressed extreme surprise, embarrassment and disappointment that his dog “was not quicker than this.” Once this owner understood his dog’s need to work at “his” pace not the owner’s, everything changed.

Don’t comfort your shy dog when she is expressing fear. Rather reward her and lavish her with love and affection when she does something brave, if even a baby step forward when you call her.

This takes time. You may never have the most social dog but you will have a trusting companion who is living up to her greatest potential and a happy dog.

And some of the most successful therapy dogs began as shy, timid dogs who were given the chance to blossom, like Kirby!