We Are The Cure Blog | Canine Cancer Information

I’ve spoken about aggressive, unruly dogs in some of my previous posts and also about ways of tackling them. But have we ever spared a thought about the shy, timid and less confident ones? Some of us believe that looking after a shy dog can be a cakewalk. The actual picture, however, is completely different because this fear of strangers stems from lack of early socialization or some unpleasant experience in the past. Moreover, some dogs can be genetically predisposed. They usually have 3 ways of reacting to an unwarranted situation. If they are overcome with fear, they would either freeze in order to impress upon others that they are non-existent, or they would escape from that place or in extreme cases may get embroiled in a fight.

But being a responsible owner if you think your dog is less confident you must try out these simple steps to help your pooch overcome his fear of strangers.

1. Accompany your dog to a quiet place like a park bereft of too many people, or outside a library from where he can see movements of people at a distance without feeling threatened. In case he shows signs of nervousness, neither comfort  him nor chide him. Instead behave with him as normally as possible. You can either read out a story to him or sing a song, recite a poetry or simply play with him. If any stranger tries to come close to your pooch explain to him that he is under training. But despite that if he still looks stressed out increase the distance till he is at complete ease. Continue doing this for over a week till you are confident that he is totally relaxed. Then try moving closer to the traffic.
2. Observe how your dog reacts to strangers passing by. If he looks relaxed reward him with a treat and shower praises. Repeat this every time he reacts positively to a stranger. But if he shows even the slightest signs of apprehension stop giving him treats. Continue this over a period of 2 weeks till he feels totally at ease. But if he looks completely distressed, move way from the traffic to a place where he feels safe.
3. Next, ask people your dog is not familiar with to drop treats as they go by.  However, they should neither look at him nor speak to him. This would slowly instill in him a feeling that strangers are not to be frightened of.
4. If he accepts this, ask willing participants to come closer and pretend to talk to you holding a treat in their hands. But ask them not to look at the dog even for a split second. If the dog grabs the treat don’t pay too much attention. The strangers should in fact continue talking to you as normally as possible. Repeat this with several other strangers till he learns to associate strangers with pleasant things.
5. You can repeat the same activity at home when your friends or relatives drop by for a chat. Seeing a stranger, your dog will definitely retire to a safe corner. You give your friend a treat and ask him to place it on the floor from where your pooch can see it. But make sure that your acquaintance doesn’t pay attention to the dog and continue talking to you as usual. If the dog laps it up, don’t look at him. Instead continue with the conversation. But in case your dog doesn’t grab the treat don’t reprimand him. Keep repeating the act till you achieve success. If he accepts the treat this time ask your friend to hold another in his hand while chatting with you. However, he should keep the demeanor intact. If the dog accepts the treat, repeat this over and over again till you are confident that he has been able to overcome his fear.

Always remember that your aim here is to help him overcome his shyness so that he is able to live more happily. Don’t expect him to start admiring strangers right away. Give him some time. However, he may not like everybody and I think you should be fine with that.