Ask Me Help Desk - My 8 months old puppy is acting "shy"

Hi- I was just wondering about socialization? We "rescued" a 9wk old great dane/doberman puppy, last August. She was hiding under a grill with 8 other pups from the same litter. She did well after a few weeks of hiding behind the couch. We took her to puppy socialization classes and on the last week, finally came out from behind the chair. She is now 8 months and is in obedience, she does very well on her halti lead and loves everyone there. But, she has become "quiet" towards other people,she does warm up after a few minutes, but when they first come through the door, she wags her tail and backs up at the same time! I don't want to force her, but we all love animals and it makes us sad that she is so scared.She loves kids and me -I am home all day. She is walked daily- but due to the winter weather- was not out much in the past few months. When we walk, I would like people to be able to come up near her, but she backs away- any suggestions- she has never growled or nipped, but I am afraid this might start. Help! I hope its not to late to "fix" this!

My dog was abused and is still "shy" - after 5 years. She isn't aggressive (although she's very protective of me). She would never approach anyone and backs up when strangers approach her. I never force the issue and I protect her from situations she perceives as threatening - she's a very good dog, obedient, loving but shy.

I mostly second what Judy has written. Just as some humans are shy, so too are some dogs. This isn't a problem, it isn't something wrong with them, something to be fixed--they're just shy. I think it would be a mistake to go to great lengths to alter her personality this way, particularly since she has lived through a traumatic and abusive early life. And it sounds like she's had to endure a pretty radical change in her life: From neglect and abuse to a new home and then, bam, socialization and obedience classes. I'm certainly not saying that these classes were a bad idea--not by a long shot. But for a dog that is reticent, that's a whole lot to go through in a short time. Plus, she's still young.

I would encourage you to slow things down with her. Let her dictate her own pace for awhile. The best way to get her to come out of her shell is to let her settle in, grow up, gain some confidence, and gradually learn that people aren't going to hurt her and so she needn't be reticent about meeting them. In other words, don't push. Let her go at her own pace with this. She has't growled or nipped yet, but if you try to push, it's only a matter of time before she does, and that would be bad bad bad for you and for her.

Of course, there are things you can do to encourage her, and from what you've written I'm guessing you're already doing most of them. Spend lots of time with her. Take her on walks where she can observe people from a comfortable distance. Give her lots of reassurance. Help her to feel safe in the world, and loved. These all inspire confidence in dogs just as they do in humans (in my experience, at least).

You are clearly a loving and conscientous dad. And that's great: You did a wonderful thing giving her a good home, and it is so nice to see how much you care about her well-being. I think your best bet is to be very patient with her. And, when all is said and done, she may just be shy, a bit non-conformist. That's not a bad thing by a long shot. But you are still getting to know each other, and she isn't nearly done becoming the person she is going to be. Give her the space to grow into that person. With dogs, as with humans, we can't turn the people we love into what we might otherwise want them to be. Acceptance is best. And if she feels that she's getting that from you, that may go a long way toward putting her mind at ease and inspiring greater confidence.

I wish you both all the best. Now go give her a really big hug.

Thank you so much AKOU. That makes me feel better. We just want her to be a part of the family and because we knew she was going to grow up so big- we wanted to make sure we started early. We have always had dogs and have never encountered this setback. Make no mistakes- she is definitely loved and receives hugs and kisses-everyday! Thanks again!

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Originally Posted by Greg4747

Thank you so much AKOU. That makes me feel better. We just want her to be a part of the family and because we knew she was going to grow up so big- we wanted to make sure we started early. We have always had dogs and have never encountered this setback. Make no mistakes- she is definitely loved and receives hugs and kisses-everyday!! Thanks again!!

My shy dog is 130 pounds - a German Shepherd - so people are always surprised when she backs up. She's just not aggressive, despite her size. She obviously could really hurt somebody but she chooses to simply back away.

Sometimes all the encouragement in the world doesn't help, we have had 'shy' or timid great danes and poodles, they were bred by us and lived a life of luxury but when someone came into the house they didn't know or we took them for a walk they would be petrified. It was just in their breeding.