Shy or Nervous Dogs: Can you train them?

Shy or nervous dogs can be cowardly or aggressive. Because it makes the dog's behaviour unpredictable, it is important that you overcome his shyness, both for your sake and for the sake of the dog. It is equally important that you understand how to adapt your training techniques to allow for your dog's shyness. In this article, Kay King discusses the most obvious symptoms of shyness, and training methods that can be used to help your dog overcome it.

Remember that understanding your dog is more important than ever when your dog is already unsure of its place. Ray Coleiro's Dog Training Mastery - An Owners Manual teaches you to understand and work with your dog, whatever his temperament. Make sure you sign up for the free email course!

Shy Dogs - Meeting the Special Training and Home Requirements of the Shy Dog By Kay King
Some dogs from birth are excessively shy and cowering, and in some cases that shyness may lead to aggression as a result of fear. An owner may label this as bad behavior - yet the dog is just being what he is. Such a dog is certainly not trainable as a guard dog but can be a wonderful and gentle family pet when provided with gentle handling and safe havens in the home.

Most bad behaviors can be handled by careful and consistent training...but you can no more change the personality of a dog than you can that of a human. Training must have the aim of creating new habits rather than eliminating instinctive and inherited behaviors.

A shy dog is a prime candidate for crate training. A good size crate located in a low traffic area of the home can provide a safe haven when the dog becomes threatened or nervous. From the den of his crate he can observe activity around him without having to be part of it.

Once a shy dog accepts that the crate is comfortable (clean and with a pad or bed to lay on) and that it belongs to him....most owners can simply leave the door to the crate open and the dog will voluntarily go to the crate when the need arises.

Training a shy dog can be very rewarding but must be done with the utmost respect for the animal. Harsh corrections and raised voices are not effective and actually can cancel out prior training. The shy dog requires training that uses gentle corrections and a calm demeanor on the part of the training.

Training should cease at the first sign of nervousness in the animal. Above all, the training should focus on creating a feeling of safety and control for the animal. This might mean that on a leash the dog will always walk close enough to touch his person once trust has been established.

Such a dog, when faced with strange people, may hide behind his owner once trust has been established. Under no circumstances should the owner allow anyone to violate the dog’s hiding space. Although exhibiting shy behavior by retreating behind his person, the dog is also stressed by his wish to protect his person. Thus, allowing a stranger to reach toward a dog exhibiting such behavior is asking for at least a growl, and perhaps a bite.

Shy dogs may also exhibit extreme anxiety during weather events such as heavy rain or thunderstorms. This is a good time to guide them to their crate and to close them in it for a bit. The alternative is for you to sit in place while your dog friend seeks reassurance by staying as close to you as possible.

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Tips On Being Pack Leader

Most dog training books and manuals emphasise dominance when training your dog. They explain that in order to train your dog, you the owner must become the dog's pack leader, or 'Alpha Male' . What many misunderstand, is the role of the dog pack leader. Here are some tips to make your dog respect your leadership.

1) Aggression: The pack leader has risen above aggression. He is certain of his place, and that place is accepted by the other members of the pack. Aggression amongst dogs, then, is reserved for the middle tier of the pack who may one day become Alpha and wish to keep their rivals under control. This is significant in two ways. 1) If you are aggressive towards your dog, you are telling him that you are uncertain of your position within the pack structure, and 2) if your dog is aggressive towards you or your family, he is unsure of your position, and is trying to raise himself above you.

2) Resources: The Alpha male controls the resources of the pack. He eats first, and can potentially control the food of the other pack members. It is important then that you control your dog's feeding, for instance by dictating when and where he eats. I always ensure that my dogs have their food after the family's evening meal, and never leave a bowl of un-finished food down. Note that water should never be controlled or rationed in a any way!

3) Leading from the front: The Alpha dog leads the pack in the hunt. Many dog trainers insist that the owner goes through doors, gates etc first to emphasise their dominance. I tend to think that this is over-kill, but may be useful in emphasising your dominance over a strong dog. I usually insist that my dogs sit and allow me to pass first when leaving a safe area, for instance when going out of my front gate into the road.

4) The upper Hand: Generally in sleep / rest situations, the alpha male will take the uppermost position. This is not always true, as the confident alpha may not need to stamp his authority in this way. However, a dog who insists on sleeping on his owner is staking his claim to dominance. If you enjoy having your dog on your lap, make sure that he doesn't mind your arm, your hand, something, resting on him. If he objects, he considers himself dominant – watch out!.

5) Children: Too often, there are reports of babies and children being mauled and sometimes killed by dogs who have never seemed particularly aggressive before. In a wolf pack, only the alpha dogs breed. If you are the alpha couple, the dog will protect your offspring, sometimes with his life. However if the dog doesn't believe that you are the alpha couple, then he may be more unsure of the position of children, and especially babies, leading to attacks and tragedies. Important note: However certain you are that your dog knows his position, you should never leave young children on their own with him.

The Alpha dog model does not cover all aspects of dog behaviour, partly because dogs are kept in un-natural conditions in modern society. Remember too that the Alpha male has to be strict in difficult conditions, but that in times of plenty, he will relax his iron rule. Thus, your dog will not get mixed messages if he occasionally gets his meals before the family eat, or sometimes is allowed to climb onto your lap to sleep. The trick is to make him understand that he can only break the rules when you allow him to!

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Train your dog to come – 5 Fun Training Games

Teaching your dog to come to you can be hard work, or fun, it's up to you. Just like a child, your dog will learn much more effectively if he is interested in what he is doing. I always recommend using fun and games to keep your dog's interest, and your own! Here are five of my favourite games:

1) Play hide and seek: While the dog is not looking, or is distracted by a friend, hide. To start with, choose obvious places where the dog can see you easily. Call your dog. When he finds you, praise him make a huge fuss, give him a treat... then hide again!! Try going to the same place a few times, then hiding in more and more difficult places to find. Make sure that you don't hide somewhere too confusing – like in a tree, or somewhere where your voice has an echo which leads the dog in the wrong direction. These are fine and fun places to give your dog a good game, but will make the 'come' command more difficult to obey, and therefore not teach it effectively. You will tire of this game before your dog does, so play for as long as you like.

2) Chase me: This is a good way to get a dog to come to you. Call the dog while running away from him. He will do what dogs love best, and chase you. When he catches you, praise him, give him treats, make him love coming to you.

3) Fetch: Throw a ball for your dog, and as soon as he picks it up, yell “come!”. Praise him as soon as he reaches you, so that he knows he is being praised for coming. You may need to present a treat to get your dog to drop the ball or stick to start with, but he will soon learn that dropping the stick means the game can continue. Throw the stick again, giving a fetch command, then call 'come' as he returns!

4) Come and go: With a friend, sit at opposite sides of a room – it doesn't matter how big or small – call your dog and praise him. As you are praising him, have your friend call him. Stop your praise immediately, and let the puppy run to your friend, who then takes up the praise. Repeat the process for as long as your stamina allows! Puppies especially will love this game!

5) Distraction (especially for young puppies). Most young puppies stick to their owners like glue. Walk around your garden or a large room, with your puppy off the lead. Wait until your puppy is looking away, then quickly change direction. If you make a noise, the puppy should notice that you have moved away, and run to you. Praise him. After a few tries, making sure that the puppy is coming to you (some puppies are braver than others!), give the command 'Come!' instead of making a noise. Remember to praise your puppy every time he comes to you, and have some treats in your pocket as well!

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