My pup is now 16 weeks and we got her at 8 weeks. She is very sensitve and I have now been working with a dog trainer for a couple of weeks. She is sensitive to sounds and new places and upon meeting new people she takes some time to approach them. There is no aggression, tail is wagging and she wants to be friends. My 'homework' is mostly to continue with exposing Poppy to the wider world in a way that builds her confidence with new people, dogs and places - essentially by offering high value food when exposing her to new things. I am being careful to not go too fast and create anxiety for her. I find this challenging to do in the prescribed way of not going over her threshold of comfort, because almost all new sounds, places etc are too much. Taking her out of the car at any new venue will increase her anxiety to a level that she often wont take treats. While sensitive, she is pretty high energy. She loves people that she knows and has had very positive dog interactions. She's a lovely pup in many ways but I'm finding this part of the experience unexpected and disappointing. We were hoping to have chosen a calm and easy going pup.... Also I'm concerned about how much the training /socializing we are doing can affect the future adult dog. I'm wondering if others have worked through a similar experience and what advice can be shared.
The treats should come as part of a reward straight AFTER the event. Don't use the food to lure her to approach something. Is she getting car sick or just wary of the car?Try walking up to your car. Yes and treat. Do it a couple of times. Then she sits in it for 5 seconds. Yes and treat. Then out. Repeat a couple of times. Build up to 30 seconds. Then try turning the engine on for 5 seconds, then 10 second, and so on. Don't go anywhere. Then try driving 3 metres. Then 5 metres at another session. Treat. What you are trying to do is expose her to the car in small amounts and that she feels good about each exposure. She well may turn out to be calm and easy going. It's going to depend in part on how you train her. If done properly it's vital. The dog trainer is presumably watching what you are doing. At 16 weeks of age the socialisation window is about shut. Continue though to have fun when you are with her in new settings.
It's natural for a puppy to have endless energy. She is curious about the new world but still be scared to face new places or sound. So I suggest you: 1. Do the "homework" according to the advice of your trainer. 2. Keep your puppy on a leash while doing training outside, until you can totally control her. 3. Improve the relationship between you and your pup, so as to increase her confidence and trust, which can reduce her fear or anxiety. 4. Bring your pup to a new place until she can acclimate to the current place. Start with pet-friendly places such as stores, parks, and beaches. And gradually move to places with more people. 5. Google and refer to other tips on socializing your puppy. Here is an example: Here’s How To Socialize A Puppy
We have socialized Poppy since we have had her but it remains that she is a sensitive dog. I have a good relationship with her and she is a happy girl. She is slowly growing in her confidence. She is comfortable in the car and looks to it as a safe place when we are out. I'm curious though how others have found their sensitive pups to develop with the right training and socialization as we are doing.
Thanks for your comments. The trainer I have is good and her methods reflect your comments (here and in other posts) and I should add that I am seeing results. Also wanted to clarify that the car is not an issue, she is a good traveller in the car. She is just very wary of new places, in spite of early socialization when we got her at 8 weeks.
I would recommend an Adaptil collar - there is one they specifically make for puppies during the socialisation period. Check them out on Amazon and read reviews. I would also suggest Zylkene - at least through the socialisation period. Both these things may help her to be more receptive to new experiences and less fearful. You could also check out a ThunderShirt - and read the reviews and more on how that works. Don't rush things. The risk with a sensitive pup is that you are afraid of running out of time and then put too much pressure on them to experience everything before you run out of time - and this may only make things worse. The opposite of 'socialisation' is 'sensitisation'...
Thanks, I will look into the ThunderShirt, that's new to me. We have had an Adaptil collar for her during the past 5 weeks or so. I definitely did have a sense of 'urgency' with her, but have come to see that as counter productive. There are little signs that she is coming along and that is positive.
