Dogs have different characteristics. There are hyperactive dogs and there are also shy, timid and nervous dogs. These characteristics develop when they grow older and approach adolescence. Some dogs from birth are excessively shy and cowering. In some instances, it may be the result of a certain event in the dog’s past.
Here are the many ways to train a nervous dog.
- First, you should find out what is making your dog nervous. You will know if the dog is nervous if it usually tucks its tail in, backs up, cowers and, sometimes, even snaps at you or at anyone who is close to him.
- Then, start with your training session by bonding with your dog. Focus on the training and ignore whatever makes the dog nervous. The dog will respond to you the way you want it to as it eventually learns to trust you.
- Prepare a treat. Slice some hotdogs or meat and place them in a zip lock bag. Some dog trainers usually put one around their waists. This will surely capture your dog’s attention.
- Next, take your dog to a nice, quiet area and have the dog get closer to you by offering a treat. Simply offer the treat as you are kneeling or sitting close to it. This gives it a lot of opportunities for learning to trust you. If the dog is too much on its nerves and is having difficulty eating, simply pet and persuade the dog. This usually takes some time so you have to be extremely patient.
- You should also try taking your dog for a ride. This will really make them largely depend on you. Let it hang its head out of the window and look at the moving surroundings.
- After taking a ride, stop off at a quiet park where there are only few distractions. You have to put the dog in a position where it only has you to rely on. Trust is your goal here.
- Continue to offer treats and carefully watch its body language. After a while, you will see a change in its expression and see the tail come up as he becomes more relaxed.
- You will now begin to socialize with your dog since it is already comfortable with you.
- Take the dog to a certain place where there are more distractions. This will now boost its social skills.
- Inform all of those who want to approach your dog that he is shy and that they should simply allow the dog to approach them if they want. Do not allow anyone to bend over to your dog for petting purposes. This will likely frighten the dog. If the dog willingly approaches them, then that is the best time they should be kneeling down to show some affection.
- Lastly, prepare to move on to your obedience training as soon as your dog is showing signs of a developed confidence. Use your treats to encourage basic commands.
Always utilize positive reinforcement in order to be sure that your dog will not regress and go back to being timid, shy and excessively nervous. For some owners, it is bad behavior because nervous dogs will be highly difficult to train to be guard dogs. They are only wonderful as family pets since they are very gentle. Nervous dogs need proper handling and training in order to boost their confidence.
It is a good thing that there are certain tips and tricks when it comes to training nervous dogs. This way, dog owners are guaranteed that they can still have a well-behaved dog despite being extremely nervous.