New Puppy, some tips

[ShadowBandit]

Hi,
I just brought home a 5 month old puppy. She is a little shy and reserved. She barked at my boyfriend a few times when he came home. She runs away when he comes near her. What are the best steps to correct this?
The lady I got her from said she acted like this at her house too. My concern is that she may turn agressive, any tips?

[Jack's Dad]

You need a puppy or obedience class now.
Your pup is getting a late start on socialization to people and dogs.
Why did the individual you got your pup from get rid of the pup to begin with? It makes me wonder if they had problems and didn't deal with them.
In class the trainer (if they ar any good) will be able to evaluate your pup and offer solutions.
If your pup has decent nerves genetically but no or bad training you should be able to work with her. If she just has lousy nerves then it will be more difficult. I would not waste any time though. For the moment do not force things on her but do everything gently and calmly. Let her check out your boyfriend, not him forcing his self on her.
I'm sure others will add to what I've said. Good Luck

[BowWowMeow]

Howdy neighbor!

It sounds like your pup is fearful. That can definitely turn into fear aggression.

What kind of socialization did she have before you got her?

The best thing you can do now is get her into a really good OB class and also work with her at home to build her confidence and build her trust in you a calm, fair and confident leader. I can recommend a couple of places in Buffalo if you're willing to drive over the bridge.

Be sure to start using NILIF: Nothing in Life is Free

I would also begin clicker training. Karen Pryor Clickertraining

That is a great way to build confidence with a fearful dog. You can even start with something fun like 101 things to do with a box: 101 Things to Do with a Box | Karen Pryor Clickertraining

It's also worth checking out the shyk9s group on yahoo. They are a great resource.

[ShadowBandit]

Here is what I know, according to the woman I got her from she got the puppy from a kennel/puppy mill type situation where the pup was in a cage and starved. She had started to work on commands with the puppy (she is beautifully housetrained and is pretty good at sit) but the landlord wanted the puppy to go because she was too noisy, especially when left in her cage.
She is great with our older dog, they are playing chase right now.
I will look into obediance and I know socialization is key, we have a great dog park and they are going to be regulars, thanks for the tips. I think I have a clicker and will get to work on that.

[Castlemaid]

Thank you for taking her in and giving her a good home! Your puppy has had a real rough start in life if she came from a puppy mill situation, and chances are you will have to work extra hard to overcome the double whammy of poor genetic shyness, and lack of proper socialization.

I would take it slow, get her comfortable, let her settle in and get used to you. It is great that she has your other dog to be a leader and example for her, that helps so much. However, there can be issues with that as she can become very fixated and attached to your dog and other dogs, as obviously this is her comfort zone, and always be somewhat disconnected from people.

So from now, if this were my dog, I would for the first year of her life, keep her separated from my older dog as much as possible, and have as much one-on-one with her as possible. Maybe allow one or two one-hour play sessions with your other dog per day, the rest, it is intensive socialization with you and other humans, but moving ahead slowly to not overwhelm her, and work at her level of comfort.

Since she is shy, get people to ignore her at first, not even look at her. Have your boyfriend walk around with treats in his pockets and everytime he walks by her, he drops a treat on the floor for her. You can do the same thing if she is a bit shy with you too. When she so much as looks at you, or responds to her name, or show relaxed, happy body language in and around you or others, praise and treat! So basically, you and your boyfriend should just be walking treat dispensers for the next little while.

And I know how hard and time consuming it is to have a puppy and an older dog, and separating them and taking the pup out on his own for bonding time, then making sure the older dog has the attention and exercise he needs too, I've done it, just exhausting! But think of it as a short-term extra effort to help her achieve her max potential and to get her to blossom into the dog that will be a joy to have around at all times.

[ShadowBandit]

Just wanted to share a photo of the cute pup too!

[BowWowMeow]

Originally Posted by ShadowBandit

Here is what I know, according to the woman I got her from she got the puppy from a kennel/puppy mill type situation where the pup was in a cage and starved. She had started to work on commands with the puppy (she is beautifully housetrained and is pretty good at sit) but the landlord wanted the puppy to go because she was too noisy, especially when left in her cage.
She is great with our older dog, they are playing chase right now.
I will look into obediance and I know socialization is key, we have a great dog park and they are going to be regulars, thanks for the tips. I think I have a clicker and will get to work on that.

I really like this place both for puppy socialization (they have puppy play times) and for positive training classes: http://purrfectpawsabc.com/

If your older dog is confident then that will help your dog out a lot. She will probably pick up a lot from your older dog.

If she's genetically timid then you will have your work cut out for you but it's good that you're starting now!

Maybe we can meet up and she can play with Rafi!

[ShadowBandit]

I will check that place out. She did really well with clicker training today and was very into it. We went to Ellicott Creek Island Dog Park and she had some positive interactions with some ladies and their dogs. However she is still running from my boyfriend. I had him give her supper tonight and some people food but not much progress made. It is hard for him because he works all day and I have been off these past two days bonding and working with her.
We would love to set up a play date!

[BowWowMeow]

Glad to hear that clicker training is going well. I would get something like real chicken pieces and have your bf keep them on him so that she associates him with something really yummy. I can take a long time...when I adopted Basu (he was 4.5 years old) it took 6 months before he would let some of my friends even pet him!

We sometimes go to Ellicott Creek Island on the weekends. Maybe we can meet up there.

[chelle]

Originally Posted by ShadowBandit

.....However she is still running from my boyfriend. I had him give her supper tonight and some people food but not much progress made. It is hard for him because he works all day and I have been off these past two days bonding and working with her.....

You said something about liking the "ladies" at the park -- has your dog had any interactions with males, other than your bf and did that go better than the bf?

Not knowing your girl's history, maybe she had a bad experience with a male. Even if she didn't, the deeper voice of a male and usually that they're bigger could be intimidating to her. Has he tried to just sit on the floor (make himself smaller) ? Maybe sit there with a handful of treats... throw a treat three feet away, let her get it, two feet, get it, one foot, inches, then take from his hand? No fast movements on his part, no trying to even pet, just small steps to begin allowing her to trust him? Just a thought!