I adopted my dog 7 months ago and he bonded with me almost immediately. He became my shadow and would follow me everywhere and cling to me. When I leave he sits on top of the couch until I get home. He is very wary of strangers and still scared of people he's met multiple times. He runs away when people try to pet him and is very cautious when taking treats. He won't take his eyes off the person and slowly grabs the treat and runs away to eat it. On walks, if he sees another dog close by he will often try and run away. Even if a leaf or bird fly by he gets spooked. He's been getting better since I've gotten him, but I just want him to be happy and not so scared all the time. Any tips on how to get my dog to stop shaking in the presence of people and dogs? :(
Socialize is an individual process and requires time and patience and sometimes changing expectations.
A shy dog may never be the life of the party, but if he is healthy and not aggressive, then you may need to accept his quirks.
That said, ask your vet a recommendation for a one on one trainer. If you are near Pittsburgh, there are 2 that are amazing ones.
The one we chose for Clarence came to the house. She showed us how our behavior affected his and taught us reward based techniques to work on his skills.
He will never be the life of the party, but he is still an amazing boy who loves his people...just not most other people. Which we are fine with since he is happy and healthy.
Wishing you and your pup much happiness!!
The picture with your question looks like a rat terrier. If you dog is indeed a rat terrier the behavior you describe is common in this breed, in my opinion. They are very sensitive and wary of strangers. They are also very devoted to their owners. He probably never will be the life of the party, but he will be there to protect you from the boogy man.
insecure dogs can go two ways:
1) scary and aggressive (prone to attacking)
2) shy, retiring, and seemingly traumatized (apparently yours)
if I had to choose I'd choose a shy dog over an aggressive dog any day, but it is still a pity to have an insecure dog
I would just always provide firm but loving discipline, and make sure he gets a lot of exercise. In particular, especially if he's NOT aggressive, I would start by taking him on walks outside, then buiding up to going to a dog park (especially maybe the small dogs section only at first)
once he gets better at socialising with dogs it should make it easier to socialise with people
I have this dog and have had her for years. She's very very skittish of everything. I'm going out of my mind with her. We moved to a new apartment in February (it's July) and she's great in the apartment, but once she goes outside she's terrified of any kind of noise. At the dog park she's more confident and she only goes there once or twice a week. She goes outside here at least 3 times a day if not more.
We just bought her a self feeding water bowl and she's terrified of it when it bubbles so she won't even go near it. We put down a regular water bowl and now she's scared of it too thinking it will bubble. I'm at a loss with her.
By Crystal from Tallahassee, FL
I adopted a Pom mix dog from a former co-worker about 7 months ago. My former co-worker doesn't run me as the abusive type, she speaks very gently and has a new born baby in her home, but I can't speak for everyone around her. 
I adopted Olive to be my 2 year old Pom-Chi's companion since my husband and I weren't home for 5 hours a day. Daisy, my 2 year old dog, right off the bat loved Olive, but Olive from the moment she was put into my arms seemed a bit off. She's extremely timid and hard to potty train. She is very loving and all that, but if you raise your voice by laughing she pees on herself and hides. I need help since I am so in love with her I can't let her go because of this. I want to help her in any way I can. Please help!
I have a 6 month old Jack Russell who I bought from Gumtree 4 weeks ago. He is very nervous and growls at people when they come into my house. He is eventually coming around to me and my husband, but not my daughters and son. When they try to stroke him he wees a large amount and cowers on the floor or if we are sittting down he will jump onto our knee and not move.
I don't know if he has been abused or if he is just a nervous dog. Is there anywhere I can take him to get him some help or a link on the internet I could look at. Thank you.I have 4 month old Rottweiler. A few days back he was under attack by a dog. After that he never comes in front of any dog, he hides behind me and starts running.
If a dog is far away then he stands confidentially, but when the dog comes near, even a 2 month puppy, he starts shaking. What should I do?I have a 2 year old English Mastiff that out of nowhere has developed a fear of floors. How can I get him past this fear?
By Ann S from Langhorne, PA
I have a 6 month old female hound mix puppy. She is becoming more afraid of everything. She acts like she needs constant attention and wants to sit up under someone constantly all day. She can't stand to be at least 3 feet away from someone. It seems like its getting worst.
By Jennifer M.
Most of the time my dog's a great dog. He's awesome with people, other animals, kids, and almost everything. The only problem is he's afraid when things go over his head. He will run and slink down. I don't really have anyone to help me, so what can I do to help him overcome this fear?
By Brian
My 3 year old Malamute is scared of men and cars, men are the worst. She can't pass men on the street. I think the previous owner was a bad person and she got badly beaten. She is so lovely and my family loves her to bits. She finally got a good home, but it's difficult to watch when she is so scared.
By peter
I don't have an answer for you, except that my Shih Tzu is the same way with men. She was 10 weeks old when I got her and she loves my grown son and is warming up to my son-in-law but does not like any other men.
I have a Belgian Malanois-Whippet mix. Since I rescued him he is still afraid to let me help him. My dog is still uncertain of me. He looks afraid when I go to pet him sometimes. He is a character. He hates dog food and makes me give him my food or he pouts, literally. He dictates where we walk. I don't mind that though it's his walk.
But his frightened disposition when there's no threat is sad. And he wants to kill the mailman. He has been massed 3x for this same aggressive behavior only to certain aggressive type people. He bosses me by using his tail and stepping on my toes. Ugh. He is is close to 12.
He has been abused for many years. It may be very hard for him to trust. When you try to pet him, he may think you are going to hit him. You might want to consider a professional trainer.
This is so sad. The poor dog was so abused by his previous owners he isn't really sure what to do or think right now. As for the mailman this one could be dangerous. If he sees a person in a uniform this could trigger his memories of his previous owner.
My 6.5 month old German Shepherd is scared of cartoons and other dogs. If someone comes into our house she will bark, but if that guy is clothed she will be run and bark from far:-( What can I do? I want to train her to attack and bite.
By Raz from Netherland
I took on a friend's female Bishon who is 2 years old. They bred dogs and she was one of their breeding dogs, but they had not bred her yet. They were getting older and need to get rid of the animals.
She had very little human contact so they were not able to sell her. They were going to take her to the pound so I asked if I could have her. The first week was a nightmare. She wouldn't come near me and hid in the bushes, rain, shine, or cold. Little by little I got her to come in the house. It has been about six months and she stays in the house most of the time. She won't let me touch her except when she is in her bed and I can pet her. She will run up to me, but never closer than arms length. When she is outside she runs around in circles. She will stand in the living room growling for no reason at all. I was able to pick her up when some friends were here (I had to get her in the bedroom in her bed before I could pick her up).
I took her into where they were and was going to show my friend how she was licking her self raw on her bottom. Well she did everything she could to get down and she pooped she was so scared and I let her down because she was way too strong for me. To get her to come into the house or a room I have to step away and then close the door after her. She will run around for hours.
We took her out with my friend's other dogs to run in the pasture and she stayed up by the fence and ran up and down it and never came to be with the other dogs. In the car she is terrified. I had her clipped and they said she was scared, but other than that she was OK. My friend took her for a walk with her other dogs, all on a leash, and at first Daisy was fine and then out of the blue she went wild. She wasn't sure what to do, but try and calm her down and Daisy bit her. So she just kept walking and she felt the lead getting strange and looked and she was dragging Daisy so she picked her up and carried her the rest of the way.
My friend keeps saying she is mentally damaged. I have been giving her magnesium, but it only makes her sleepy in the day and freaky at night. Can anyone tell me if they have ever heard of this before and is there hope for my Daisy?
By Karen MC
Hate to say this but it sounds like your friend was running a puppy mill. I don't understand how this Bishon had no human contact. Your friend may have been hitting and punishing this poor dog. Bishons are extremely friendly and excellent family dogs so things are not adding up.
Please give this poor dog time to start trusting humans again. It sounds like you are making progress but do not expect it to happen over night. It sounds like they may have hit her if she is afraid of your hands. Show her the back of your hands not your fingers. This helps to reassure a dog you are not going to hurt her. Her bed is her safe zone. She is licking herself raw because she is extremely stress out. Give her time to come to you.
If we were being abused, we would have a hard time trusting again. Trust has to come on the dog's time not ours.
You will need a lot of time and patience but once this poor dog starts to trust you, you will see her/him blossom.
Did the groomer clean the dogs anal glands? If not, then please take the dog to vet to see if that's the problem with the licking. If you live in a hot weather area she can also be having some hot spots and the vet can give her a shot to help with the itching. She can also be reacting to something on your carpeting.
She should be spayed asap. If she was crated by the breeders then try bringing a crate into the house (take off the door), try adding one of your shirts or a nightgown with your scent on it for her to sleep on.
Don't hold her, that is against her will and she might be scared of being abused. Be very careful about giving her supplements since you don't know if you might be causing damage to her liver or kidneys.
Most of all, be patient, don't force yourself on her. Be calm around her, keep kids away. Try Petsmart or Petco and ask them about their all natural tranquilizers.
