The best way to help a shy or fearful dog gain confidence is to expose them to what frightens them at a low intensity. Some puppies are born shy. If possible, taking basic obedience classes helps a lot. ... but others learn through past experiences to be shy and fearful. How to Help a Fearful Dog Gain Confidence. I stopped forcing her to do things that scared her. For greater detail on some of these, see Help Your Shy Dog Gain Confidence in the Whole Dog Journal. This article informing about how to help a fearful dog gain confidence. After a while, you will be ready to train your fearful dog. My “perfect” dog hated going on walks! But there are things that you can do to help your dog overcome shyness and fear, leading to amazing changes in your pet. Being a Dog Owner and Lover, I really Adore Pets and Especially Dogs. Helping your fearful dog gain confidence can be as simple as introducing exercise into their routine, implementing basic obedience skills, coping skills and using something pleasurable (food or toys) to change the way your dog feels about the fearful object or environment. Pair this exposure with something positive, like a tasty treat. This is a totally natural behavior. Dog Training By Kayla Fratt 17 min read December 4, 2019 4 Comments Not all dogs are naturally tail-wagging bundles of love. Does your dog act shy or fearful around new people or situations? I love it when they show Gestures of Love towards you when they come and Jump on you after we return back to our House from Work or Trip. Every walk provided reasons for bolting fear – a yard ornament, a kid on a bike, a motorcycle, or even me, scraping my feet on the pavement. While you may wish to wave a magic wand and help your dog feel confident and unafraid in his world, I have yet to find one of those magic wands. 2. I set aside my high hopes of having a dog who could go anywhere and be my constant companion. So I did lots of reading on fearful dogs. When a dog is frightened they may respond in several ways. Of course, there’s a lot more to the story, but if you end up like me and decide to adopt a skittish, anxious, or fearful dog, there are some steps you need to take. Its unfortunate that many people do not understand dogs that are fearful. How to Help a Fearful Dog Gain Confidence. 4 Ways You Can Help Your Nervous Dog Gain Confidence 5 years ago . Finally, some dogs may even be afraid of children, simply because children sometimes don’t know how to interact with a dog appropriately and may have hurt them in the past. ** What to Do If Your Dog is Fearful. General training will be beneficial to your dog as it will feel that you are in charge and you will lead it to do the right thing. If you are particularly worried about your dog's nervous tendencies, Bentz suggests that you seek out the help of a professional pet behaviorist or trainer, who can assess the situation, determine the severity of your dog's anxiety and identify the triggers that are causing the unrest. No matter why the dog is afraid, living with a fearful dog can be tough. In addition, advanced level training such as rally obedience, musical freestyle, or agility can really boost a shy dog’s overall confidence. **Now is the time to brush up on your canine body language. While all positive training will help settle a fearful dog, these three specific training exercises can really pump up a scared dog’s confidence: • … In the process of trying to make them better, they instead worsen How To Help Your Rescue Dog Gain Confidence. Tone of your voice as you train your dog: Many puppies and dogs are fearful or timid in new situations. The basic dog training exercises such as “sit”, “down”, “stay” and “come” are good to start with. But when it is dealt with correctly you can help your puppy gain confidence. Whatever the reasons for the fear though, you can use these proven techniques to help build your dog’s confidence. How To House Train A Stubborn Dog. Support OneGreenPlanet Being publicly-funded gives us a greater chance … Other fearful dogs are “made” due to the way that they are raised or treated. One way to help boost your dogs confidence is by learning how to shift their focus away from the scary thing and onto something positive. The first step to take to help a fearful dog gain confidence is avoiding the fearful situation your dog is afraid of, so that it lowers its stress levels. Have your dog sit or down before you pet him, give treats, feed, play ball, open doors, etc. How Can You Boost Your Dog's Confidence? Training Helps Build Confidence. Dog training is excellent to help a fearful dog build confidence. Shy or fearful dogs might also urinate or exhibit other unwelcome behaviors. By Liz Tyson. Needless to say, this dog, now named Haley, came home with me that day. While all positive training will help settle a fearful dog, these three specific training exercises can really pump up a scared dog's confidence: Ask politely for everything.