Scared puppy

[SnuggleBum]

We have a 4 month old puppy and we are trying to socialise him with other dogs but he is petrified. He sits in a corner away from them when they are in our house (a husky and a terrier cross). If they try to play with him he whimpers and snaps at them. How do we stop him from being scared of other dogs?

[lankeela]

He obviously feels threatened so please do not subject him to this any more until he has been introduced to other dogs in a situation away from his home. Try enrolling at a puppy socialisation class (your vet will advise). He will be allowed to see other dogs without having to actually interact with them until he feels less anxious. They will probably find a non-threatening friendly dog to allow him to make contact without becoming stressed.

If these other dogs are trying to play with him, he will become even more stressed as he will feel he cannot get away from them.

[happy_face]

Yes I would definitely get him to puppy socialisation classes. The one we went to, the trainers assessed the pups and only let the lively ones play with each other and the more timid ones together in a group. That way all the timid ones could get to know each other without getting mauled by a more lively one and we saw that our little'an built up confidence so quickly.

[happy_face]

forgot to add, it's vital that he gets socialised in the correct way so he doesn't grow up to show aggressiveness to other dogs because he's still scared of them.

[drgnrdr]

good advise already just wanted to add what is going on with your pup, the primary socializing stage for a dog is 4 weeks to 16 weeks(4 months) at 16 weeks they go thru what is called a juvenile Fear period, where they actually feel, know and understand Fear. They will not go up to anything so easily or readily at 4 months old, IF they have not had Pleasant nice, good socializing before this fear period kicks in. When you try to socialize at this late stage with no previous stuff, then it is harder to get them to get over things and actually go up to things. The secret is like they say here, go slow, encourage, (praise when they do go forward) but don't push your pup into these bad situations. If at anytime time your puppy is scared- tries to run away, tuck their tail, attempts to bite or barks:
Do not try to soothe and pet them and say �it�s okay�. You will be praising and rewarding his scared behavior, and he will feel as though there is something he should be scared about, and it will make the situation worse.
Act happy and excited about the new thing, use treats and make it a game if possible.
If the situation is overwhelming, back away from the situation until the puppy feels and acts relaxed again.
Start from the new distance and build their confidence, act happy and excited, make it a game.
Gradually get closer to the situation.
Your goal is to get the puppy to feel comfortable and confident around the situations that they were scared about.
Hope this helps and get to a Positive reinforce class.

[SnuggleBum]

Thank you for replies. Our pup likes the doberman across the street (female) but not the two male dogs. We are going to take him to puppy classes so he can get used to some less playful dogs!!

[robotics]

As at your vets if they do puppy socalisation classes, vets sometimes have little parties for dogs to go to.

what breed of dog is is?

I would also inroll at a training school


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