I have a nearly 6 month old puppy and she is fabulous with the family but I have recently discovered she is very nervous around new people. I spent so much time with her training I never thought she was nervous. She is a very very gentle puppy and I don't want her to be fearful of others. I am taking her into town and school to let her see people but keep them at a distance to let her get confidence. I wondered has anyone else had a problem like this and any advice please.
Hi there - We have a cautious, sensitive pup too. He’s loves when guests come over and everyone at his local daycare but is definitely nervy around strangers if we’re out on a walk or in a brand new place. I do lots of counterconditioning and LAT training (there should be a folder on this site with a video) but it entails some of what you are doing already. Keep them at a distance under threshold while treating them. You want to link something they love (treats, toys) with something they are unsure of while always maintaining enough distance and then overtime get closer and closer. In the meantime, I wouldn’t force anything on her. If you see people approaching and you can tell it’s going to be too much for her then change directions and get further away. I know this is hard and I’ve had to work on not being so socially polite. Denise Fenzi Dog Sports Academy has some great classes on stuff like this that could help your girl build confidence. They are all online classes. Playing with them is a great way to associate positivity in a new environment. Maybe bring a toy or a fun chew toy? The bright side of a bit more cautious dog is you might have an easier time training recall since your dog won’t go bounding up to random strangers to jump on them When I was doing recall work with my pup, I didn’t even really have to proof against strangers passing by because he didn’t want to go near them anyway!
