My boxer is shy

[re68335]

I just bought my new little girl last week at age 16 weeks. Her sweetness is what drew her to us, she was a bit calmer than her littermates. I took her to the park a few days after we got her, and she peed in fear when a group of kids ran up to her to pet her. (she wasn't wagging her tail) She is very friendly and sweet with us, including my 11 year old son who likes to play with her. I thought maybe we were doing too much too soon since she came from a breeder who had 11 puppies in one litter and I don't think the breeder took her out a lot. We've now had her 10 days, and she is totally in love with us, as we are with her. I took her to a quieter park tonight and although she didn't piddle, she hid behind me whenever people just walked by. She didn't act shy when we met her in her environment, but now that she's out in the world I think she is shy. She seems eager to play with other dogs and is not dominant to ours. I don't want her to be unfriendly to people. She's already 4 months old, is that too late to socialize to people and kids? Any suggestions without scaring her? Is this normal in some pups? I know boxers are "wary of strangers" but I've also heard that it's the fearful ones that eventually bite. Help!

 

[Idgie's Dad]

Do not fret, there will be plenty of good advice to come from experienced people at BW. IMHO, I think that little and often is the best way to introduce her to new people, without reassuring her as this will in itself be a subconsious reinforcement and reward for her nervousness. Better to try and ignore anything that she is irrationally afraid of. Also, distraction techniques are good, a toy or game that you know she loves being thrown in just before she sees something that might make her nervous may help. Again, little and often on the introduction and socialising with new people, dogs, noises, environments etc, and in gradually increasing numbers. There are also certain fear imprint periods that the puppies are more prone to problems, and it would be sensible to avoid getting your puppy freaked by things that you can avoid. Do a search on fear imprint periods. Hope this helps.

Tony

 

[Alidog]

Poor wee thing? I remember a German Shepherd that i looked after when I was younger..she was afraid of the alarm clock, cars, stereos etc, it was so hard. What we tried doing with her was hiding the fact that WE were worried SHE would get frightened because it would make her more tense. We took her out as much as we could, played with animals younger than her for a start off and had her outside as much as possible. The best thing I could suggest would be to introduce her to ppl that she has never met before (of course, ppl that you are friendly with) maybe work colleagues, neighbours etc..have her meet these ppl, stay with her but ask the person to make a fuss of her and help calm her down a little. This will boost the confidence she has around strangers. What you dont want is for her to fear for safety and turn vicious on anyone!
Good luck, please let us know how you get on with the wee one.

 

[basak]

Krose was afraid of the stairs!!!!!!

It is true that they pick up on our feelings.
Introduce your puppy to very friendly dogs. I wouldn't introduce her to 15 dogs at the same time. Be patient. Introduce her to new sounds, new surroundings, slowly. Never make a big deal out of a truck pass by. She may be scared but then she'll look at you and she'll eventually learn that there's nothing to be worried about. It may take a while but she'll get around. Krose is 3,5 years old right now. He still shows signs of disturbed if a flock of children run screaming at him ''look at doggy, doggy, DOGGY!!!!'' He learned to tolerate them

basak

 

[lafsalot]

Our Thumper was timid and shy when we first brought her home. We slowly got her used to other people, pets, sights, and sounds by bringing her along when we went to Petco, garden centers, etc. - we just kept reassuring her that everything was alright. Another option would be puppy classes - nothing creates confidence in a shy dog like obedience exercises. Good luck, and do keep us posted - Cathy

 

[Poetic_thing]

Don't coddle your dog and tell them "it's okay" or try to soothe them when they get frightened, you are only feeding thier shyness. Instead try to redirect them in a positive manner to show them that whatever it is does not bother you and should not bother them. Does this make sense? Also, do a search on scared, loud noises and so on - I know this has been discussed before with great advice.

 

[re68335]

Thank you for the advise

Thank you all for the advice.... she didn't show any signs of shyness until we went out in public so I'm hoping it's something we can work through. She really is a sweet friendly girl.... she is just unsure about unfamiliar people when in unfamiliar places. She will start obedience classes Nov. 1st, and I will keep taking her to the quieter park a few times a week for short periods of time to build her confidence, and will do Petsmart too. And no pampering her when she acts scared... I read all about that today too. (I did some researching) It's just that some boxer books I have are so negative about shyness in boxers that it kind of scared me. I am feeling more hopeful now, thanks to you all again!

 

[Hoboe24]

Don't get too discouraged with the shyness. Paulie is a year and a half and still runs and hides behind me on a leash when an adult approaches. It's almost humorous because he looks like such a tough guy but is no where near one. I just ask the person to be patient with him and get down on his level. Some people get right down on their knees and talk to him but let him approach. Other people think I am crazy and almost run away. I say Oh well too bad for them because once Paulie accepts you as a friend he's the best. Tons of kisses and love. I never force him to go to anyone but encourage him. He does a lot of backing up and going toward the person sniffing them but 9 times out of 10 we make a new friend. I still bring him around lots of people and it is getting better. Good Luck.

 

[Tulsa-Dan]

I think this may be a case of "too much too soon." Things that frighten dogs should be approached by the dog at the dog's own speed to explore and check out for themselves. Don't coddle the dog. Don't force the dog into fearful situations either, such as an overwhelming dog park situation, lots of kids screaming, etc., etc.

Give her time. She's gain some confidence if you help her to gain confidence, not worry about whether or not she's going to be shy or unfriendly.

Good luck.

 

[re68335]

A good night at the park

Hoboe24, your baby sounds a lot like my Jada. And Tulsa Dan, I am heeding your advice and trying not to obsess too much about "is she going to be shy". We had a good night at the "busier" park tonight. We just walked around and Jada absorbed all of the activity. Nobody approached her too assertively and she became pretty comfortable with people walking by. I do notice that when people ask to pet her and I ask them to approach gently, if they kneel down Jada responds much more favorably. Tonight we sat away from the playgound but close enough for Jada to see and hear the kids run and play. She laid down and just watched for awhile.... I'm hoping to get her used to noisy kids. You know, I never really noticed how noisy and loud little kids are... and I have three teenagers!!!! haha. I'm just looking at them from a different perspective now I guess. Jada did display a new interest in ducks!!! The first time I took her there she wasn't too impressed. Tonight she was "very" curious. I'm still hoping she'll be friendly with visitors at my home... she was very scared of my daughters boyfriend the other night when he came over, she even growled. Once he knelt down and made friends with her she was his best friend. Sorry this was so long.