Nervous Bitch

[mixedbag 128]

I've recently bought a 7 month old springer from a farm where the lady bred golden retrievers in kennels outside, she had 1 other springer the mother to my bitch and they had stayed together since birth, the rest of the litter sold (i think the brother was kept also until about 6 months old and then he too was sold). The lady said she had kept my bitch to do some work with her but she was'nt showing any interest as she was too ''nervy'' She explained that all the bitch needed was some TLC and human interaction as the only input she had had so far was other dogs and her mum, its because of this i thought i'd give her a go. We got her home ( 2 adults, 2 kids) and she is very shy/gentle/nervy at times, walks with her tail in between her legs and jumps a mile at the slightest noise or quick movement, she's found a favourite spot to rest in the kitchen besides the door and in the day tends to sit there and take it all in. She has made some progress, at night she'll come into the front room and sit with the 2 adults (its a bit quieter then) and she'll come to her name up and down the garden, she's stopped shaking as much when you go to stroke her. When no-nes with her she, looks for us and wants to know you're there, when you're there, she's either shy or ok to be apart/not interacting. Has anybody please got any advice or ideas as to what I could do to help her to be more confident/sociable. Cheer MB.

[skycat 6,174]

A sad and typical tale of a pup that wasn't socialised when it mattered. I doubt she'll ever get really confident around new situations and strangers. Each new situation will be traumatic for her, each new meeting, no matter how long she lives. Yes, she will improve, but the window of opportunity for real socialisation and the education from a green pup to confident, outgoing dog has been and gone. She'll probably be fine with you and your family given time, but shy away from strangers. Hear stories like this all the time and its so unnecessary given that just a few outings into the big wide world between 8 and 14 weeks old can make all the difference. Good luck with her anyway, and hope that you can make some improvements to her quality of life.

 

OK there are some dogs who seem to manage despite being mismanaged, but if yours is a gentle, shy bitch I reckon she'll stay that way. All you can do is be very consistent, calm and gentle. Think of her as someone who has never learned to read human body language, has never had any education, has never experienced everything we take for granted in normal life. She is, to all intents and purposes 'institutionalised'. Take things slowly, go at her pace, but try and incorporate small new things every day. For example: don't just take her out for a walk, let her sit outside your garden on the lead and watch the world go by: if you live in a village for example. She'll need loads of time to realise that all these new things aren't going to hurt her, and be grateful for any progress she makes.

 

My best example of a dog like this was a very shy CollieGrey which was dumped at a rescue shelter at 14 weeks old having never been outside the run where she had been born. She grew up to be fine in the field, was a decent rabbit catcher, but always ran from the room if people came to visit, or hid behind the sofa. She was happy within the boundaries of her world and I never tried to get her to accept things she was fearful of: it would only have traumatised her too much.

[pauly58 12]

When I was training gun dogs professionally I often had them come in like this, I even had a young male fly at me trying to bite, just a bundle of nerves. My advice is start training now. Having something to do & they can get praise for gives them confidence. As skycat says, go steady & lots of praise. Start by getting the sit & stay right, recall, play retrieves & I'm sure your little dog will come right.

One little bitch came to me after her owner thought he would get her to recall by dragging her to him on the end of a long line ! We let her play with my boys for a few days then I started training her, within a few weeks she was in the rabbit pen being steadied to flush. She went on to be a good working spaniel.

I hope you will try with your dog, there's lots of good books & dvd's out there, just go steady & take your time.

[the beater 5]

hello mate , go and sit her up somewhere and let her watch people and traffic and just keep reassuring her. she will come round. try and let her meet other pups this will hopefully get her playing and a bit more confident.

[mixedbag 128]

Cheers all, some good advice and tips, i'm not gonna give up on her, hopefully she'll make good. MB.

[j davies 8]

I've recently bought a 7 month old springer from a farm where the lady bred golden retrievers in kennels outside, she had 1 other springer the mother to my bitch and they had stayed together since birth, the rest of the litter sold (i think the brother was kept also until about 6 months old and then he too was sold). The lady said she had kept my bitch to do some work with her but she was'nt showing any interest as she was too ''nervy'' She explained that all the bitch needed was some TLC and human interaction as the only input she had had so far was other dogs and her mum, its because of this i thought i'd give her a go. We got her home ( 2 adults, 2 kids) and she is very shy/gentle/nervy at times, walks with her tail in between her legs and jumps a mile at the slightest noise or quick movement, she's found a favourite spot to rest in the kitchen besides the door and in the day tends to sit there and take it all in. She has made some progress, at night she'll come into the front room and sit with the 2 adults (its a bit quieter then) and she'll come to her name up and down the garden, she's stopped shaking as much when you go to stroke her. When no-nes with her she, looks for us and wants to know you're there, when you're there, she's either shy or ok to be apart/not interacting. Has anybody please got any advice or ideas as to what I could do to help her to be more confident/sociable. Cheer MB.

looks to me like she been hit mate she will take time to get over it just be there and you will have one good dog in a year belive me on that one and well done

[sureshot360 1]

I've recently bought a 7 month old springer from a farm where the lady bred golden retrievers in kennels outside, she had 1 other springer the mother to my bitch and they had stayed together since birth, the rest of the litter sold (i think the brother was kept also until about 6 months old and then he too was sold). The lady said she had kept my bitch to do some work with her but she was'nt showing any interest as she was too ''nervy'' She explained that all the bitch needed was some TLC and human interaction as the only input she had had so far was other dogs and her mum, its because of this i thought i'd give her a go. We got her home ( 2 adults, 2 kids) and she is very shy/gentle/nervy at times, walks with her tail in between her legs and jumps a mile at the slightest noise or quick movement, she's found a favourite spot to rest in the kitchen besides the door and in the day tends to sit there and take it all in. She has made some progress, at night she'll come into the front room and sit with the 2 adults (its a bit quieter then) and she'll come to her name up and down the garden, she's stopped shaking as much when you go to stroke her. When no-nes with her she, looks for us and wants to know you're there, when you're there, she's either shy or ok to be apart/not interacting. Has anybody please got any advice or ideas as to what I could do to help her to be more confident/sociable. Cheer MB.

hi mate the pup needs confidence and to be socialised take her to puppy club a lot of show clubs have them, for a couple of quid you can spend the night with other pups just walking her round and it brings them on leaps and bounds try it you might be surprised .

best of luck with her

[skinthegoat 26]

Sounds a bit of a challenge there but with patience and perseverance the pup might come round.Nephew of mine got a pup in similar situation and it wouldnt/couldnt come round at all to humans despite loads of attention.Another friend had one that was brought into a working farm environment and kept in the kitchen where lots of social interacting went on.Pup came round fairly easy and ws a great dog for beating cover and retrieve.Sometimes its just down to the pup and how badly its been treated.Hope you have a good result with it.