How to cure a scared dog?

Question

We adopted our dog yesterday, she is a 1 1/2 year old black lab/ retriever who is very timid and scared of everything! We also have a 1 year old girl (who is very gentle and pets the dog nicely)... and the dog is just terrified of her. The dog is the sweetest thing but will flinch and put its tail under its butt when it hears any loud noise there is. There are times when she will be a little play full. I know there has to be some "life" in her. How can I help her not be so scared, she wont even except treats (which makes her hard to train too).

Answer 1

She is in a new place with new items and new people. Think how you would feel if you were suddenly thrown onto another planet with creature who's language you did not understand.  Give her a chance to get used to you and your family.  Be very calm and cautious with her.

She will make changes in the next couple of weeks.  Then worry about getting her over her fears.  Exposure with a calm leader is the best thing you can do.  Make sure she meets lots of people and they meet her without talking to her without making eye contact.  Let her go to them and give them a treat to offer her.  By this time she will probably know the treats are nice.  

You don't know but maybe in her previous life she was abused and she needs time to adjust.  

Just treat her with kindness and calmness.

Answer 2

She is still very new to your house, she will become more relaxed with time. Perhaps she was an abused dog, so she might be like this forever. When she is doing something right give her a lot of praises, and when she does something wrong tell her no. Dont baby her, that will feed her fear.

Good Luck

Answer 3

Still early, adjusting to her new environment.

Exercise is very important in fear full dogs, so they have a way to drain there fears.  An obedience class would be a good way for her to socialize with other dogs and build confidence.  It would make training easier also.

Answer 4

Just give her time to get used to her new environment.  Everything will be so new to her.   Give her lots of love and affection.   She will soon settle in and start playing with your other dog once she realises that she is not going to harm her and in time they will become really good friends.   If you take things slowly with her she wil soon learn to trust you and relax.

Good luck with her.  

Answer 5

it's probably had a bad experience at a previous owner.could of been hit.it will take quite a while for him to trust you and your family.show him lots of love and plenty of walks,and play with him in the home and involve you daughter,and when goes near her praise him.it took me nearly a year with our previous dog to get confidence back into him after being abused by children at a previous home.good luck

Answer 6

HI

Give her lots of praise and attention. Keep in mind that she is VERY unsure of herself right now, and needs time to adjust to everything new.

Hope this helps

Bob

Answer 7

Sounds like you have a dog which has had very little socialization or negative socialization.  Inportant: (The first thing to do is give it time to become acquainted with the family.) Give her plenty of love and praise when she plays properly. It may not be a bad idea to enroll in a dog obedience course through you local shelter or pet store. The best way to get past the skittish behavior is to help her become conditioned to loud noises. Especially with the little one! Pots and pans are always a good start. Give her a pigs ear or something to chew on before you start the loud noises. This allows her to become focused on something other than her surroundings. Then start pounding away lightly gradually getting louder with each beat. Remember to praise her for not retreating at the first loud noise.

Good luck and let me know how it turns out!

Answer 8

This dog obviously has had a rough past.  

My first dog was like this when we got her.  She would flinch anytime someone would come near her, and go running.

You have to be very very patient with her.  Do not push her to do anything she doesn't feel up to.  She will eventually do better, when she realizes she is in a safe atmosphere, but don't expect her to pop out of it today....or even in 4 or five months in my case.

In fact, it is very possible that she will never be sciddish free.  Mine isn't.  

If you want to talk more about it email [e-mail].  Please no outside emails!

Answer 9

There are no cures for weak nerves....and I wouldn't have a fearful dog around a child (research 'fear biting' and 'fear based aggression')

Careful socialization and obedience can help build confidence, but there's no 'cure'

Answer 10

I wouldn't worry about training her right this minute.  You need to focus on getting her to be a dog again, and trusting you first.  I'm going to say this dog was probably abused, that's why she is scared of everything.  You need to make the dog a safe place to be alone so that when things get too much for her she has somewhere of her own to go.  Whether it's a bed in a quiet room or a kennel.  Also don't overwhelm her with play time and touches.  She needs attention of course but too much too fast may scare her.  Each time she gets scared you need to reassure her that everything is okay in soothing tones and try very hard to keep house noise to a minimum until she adjusts.  As for the treats, if she won't take them from you, place them on the floor a distance in front of you and each time you reward her with a treat place it a little closer to you until she is taking it from you.  You just have to be patient and show her people are okay again.  Good luck

Answer 11

Give the dog time to adjust to the situation. When you bring a new dog home it should be to a peace full environment. Give the dog a safe place to be alone . I have many times over the years used a product put out by dr's Foster and Smith  called  Ultra Calm  which helps control anxiety.www.drsfostersmith.com . I also am a firm believer in homeopathic aids and Bach flower essences.( Star of Bethlehem) helps to soften the impact of shock ,grief or fright. Give the dog love and attention. I have also used a product by Natures Inventory called Doggie Calm it is a spray that you put under the dogs chin for instant calming relief.www.naturesinventory.com.  Let me know if these help