Socialization Problems

[Mindy Miller]

So Roxie's scared to death of strangers. She's a 4 month old Husky/GSD. We currently go to puppy kindergarten once a week and I take her on daily walks. We go out of our way to be around strangers. I'm just wondering what else I should be doing. She backs up and hides between my legs, growls and whines. She's obviously agitated. It's just people, though. She's okay with other dogs and generally speaking, she's okay with kids. When she does this, I don't pet her and I don't say anything. I project calm with body language and when she starts to calm down, I praise her profusely. I carry treats with me to give to people so she will show interest. (When I say people, I'm not talking about strangers on the street. Family, friends, the vet, that's what I mean.)

We do this thing in class where everybody sits in a circle and we pass our puppies around. It's usually pretty fast paced and I'm not sure she's getting anything out of it except more fear. It takes several minutes of coaxing to get her to come to someone and several more minutes for her to decide they're okay.

 

[Doberluv]

How long have you had this pup? Did she not get saturated with socialization up to now? That's really what needs to be done...lots of exposure before 4 months. This is the time where their little personalities are pretty well set. Keep doing what you're doing and projecting a calm, confident attitude without fuss over her shyness, associating people with treats and fun. I do hope she can come around, but that window of time between birth and about 12 weeks is absolutely critical to get in oodles of socialization.

If that thing you're doing in class is causing her more fear, I'd skip that part and try to get her use to the other dogs and people at a little more of a distance, trying to desensatize and condition her to them rather than forcing them on her.

I don't know if I agree with everything in this book, but you might read The Dog Listener. It's apparently a technique which puts the dog in it's proper place in your "pack" where by the dog is not feeling responsible for dealing with the things that the leader should be dealing with. It shows you how to be a very clear leader to your dog which in turn relaxes your dog because she knows that she doesn't have to take care of anything, that her leader will. It explains some exercises to do which will resemble more the way dogs view things, the way they're happier and more natural in a group or pack setting. I'm still reading that and it's quite different from what I'm use to thinking, but I'm taking it in with an open mind and I think there's something to be gained from it. It might really be a help to you and your dog, to put her more at ease because you, her leader are taking care of her. But for her to see this, it has to be from a dog's view point, not from a human's.

 

[Mindy Miller]

To answer your question, we got her at 6 weeks old. I know this is probably part of the problem, but let me explain the circumstances before i get reamed. First, I thought she was 8 weeks old when we got her. I learned about a week later that I was mistaken. Her mom weaned the pups at 4.5 weeks. After that, she wanted nothing to do with them. She got somewhat aggressive with them and the owner separated them. They were outside dogs without much human contact from the beginning. When I found out how young she was, I thought about taking her back, but decided against it because she was getting human and dog socialization from us.

She was a bit skittish in the beginning, but I thought she had come out of that. I take her with me wherever I can and I always have. This scared aggressiveness started when we started puppy kindergarten. She was about 12 weeks old at the time. Before that, she was shy, but she came around pretty quickly. Nothing bad has happened to her as far as abuse. She's never alone outside.

Anyway, I'll check out that book and talk to our trainer and continue working. I hope our window hasn't closed.

 

[Doberluv]

Well, that's too bad about her beginnings. It is quite a normal weaning time at around 4 or 5 weeks. And it's not as important that the pups interact with their mother, but rather with eachother up to about 8 weeks. It's too bad that they didn't get that and lots of human contact. That is most likely the problem here or possibly a built in genetic temperament issue. Buit I strongly suspect the former.

I wish you the best with progress. Take it slowly and calmly and try out those techniques in that book I mentioned by Jan Fennell. It just may be the ticket. Let us know how things go for you.

 

[Agility23]

Just give it time!

Unless your dogs naturally a very nervouse dog just give it time. I have seen so many nervouse dogs and unless there naturally very nervouse then you wont have a problem just give it time.