German shepherd pup

Cranky Mc Funhouse

Hi all,

Long time reader here first time poster. Was just wondering if anyone has seen a pup, four month old german shepherd bitch in my case, who is extremely shy of human contact. We have had her for two weeks and although walking her is possible it remains traumatic for her as she is constantly pulling back away from us and cowering, even when we take another dog along. Also she stays in her kennel day and night unless physically removed and wont eat unless left alone. Any advice is more than welcome.

Thanks in advance

Whispered

She is probably still settling in so try not worry too much.

Is she an outdoor dog? If she is could you maybe let her live inside for a while. The best thing for her might be a crate in the kitchen where she can look and see you come and go from what she sees as a safe distance.

Do you have another dog? If you do, do something really interesting with him/her in the vicinity of the pup, without forcing her to join in. Something relatively gentle though (ie no wrestling etc) maybe just general interaction and food treats, when she pokes her head out for a look, throw her a treat.

The main thing would be to not force her, I'd nearly even knock the walks on the head for a few days and make all of your interaction be on her terms until she comes to trust you. Try be around her, but ignoring her if you know what I mean.

Any nervous animal we've had here I found simply sitting near them reading a book for a while went a long way. Absolutely no interaction at all. Go sit down, read for a while, leave. Repeat, until she realises that you're not all that interested in HER.

Poor little thing, do you have any idea why she's like that?

Irishcrx

Hi OP,

I also have a 4 month German Shepperd bitch. Have you had her since she was a puppy or have you recently bought her?...If recent she is probably trying to settle in still as she was with another family for the first few months and it is harder to move a dog when they are a little older rather than 8 weeks. At 8 weeks they are easier to adapt to their new family. The main thing you need here in perserverince and patience with her. Give her plenty of love and care and gain her trust, be a pack leader to her.

Even doing simple training with her like teaching her to sit and give the paw then a treat will gain trust as she is taking food from your hand. Be slow with her on the walks, if she is startled easily maybe take her out at night when there aren't as many people around only you and her and work from that until she is confident enough to do during the day or with the other dog. German Sheperds naturaly are often strong, confident dogs and she is still young so it is up to you to help her reach her potential now.

As said above she can also learn off the dog you have now, my bitch wouldn't play ball with me no matter how much I tried she wouldn't bring the ball back but when she saw me playing with the other dog and how he would run and come straight back and drop it to go again I remember her sitting in the back garden just watching us then when she wanted she joined in and sure enough had learned from my other guy what to do. They are smart dogs don't force be patient and consistent and it will pay off.

Morganna

Im sorry but she should not behave like that ,wether she is settling in or not.
Sounds to me like she was not socialized as a baby at all .Or had little or no human contact.Can you tell me more about her back ground as in ,did you see her parents ,what conditions was she kept in etc.But no dog or pup should be like that temperament wise .sound like she had little or no handling or human contact in her previous home.

mymo

I have to agree with Morgana, thats not normal puppy behavior even for a nervous pup its really extreme.
I agree that bringing the pup inside and keeping an open crate(maybe a blanket over it at first) in the kitchen or somewhere and getting her used to people being around, don't try to coax her out but if she seems to be showing interest or watching you talk to her and maybe place a little bit of food just outside the crate but within reach. I would also consider getting the advice of a dog behaviorist.

Cranky Mc Funhouse

We got her just over two weeks ago from a friend who had a litter of four pups. They were obviously well treated though admittedly could have got more handling when young as they were in a pen with the parent bitch. We sit outside with her or physically carry her inside for a few hours every night but she becomes anxious and even breathless inside. I have had dogs and pups my whole life and never seen this before. Just getting frustrated thats theres no improvement.

Morganna

even if pups are reared outside shouldnt make any difference as long as they are handled and have contact with people.Dont coax her ,dont fuss her ,if you do you are rewarding the behaviour.
Bring her in the house ignore her and let her come to you .
I really hope your friend ,doesnt breed anymore pups
breeding and rearing pups/dogs is a full time commitment.And 24/7.

Irishcrx

Morganna wrote: »

even if pups are reared outside shouldnt make any difference as long as they are handled and have contact with people.Dont coax her ,dont fuss her ,if you do you are rewarding the behaviour.
Bring her in the house ignore her and let her come to you .
I really hope your friend ,doesnt breed anymore pups
breeding and rearing pups/dogs is a full time commitment.And 24/7.

Sorry I don't agree with this advice, I don't see how ignoring a dog which is not responding to human contact already is going to improve the situation. She is already shy and enrvous and while it shouldn't be rewarded she shouldn't be punished either as she hasn't been brought up with the right training it's not her fault, doing this will only make her worst. Right now you need to build a BOND with her and gain her trust this won't do it.

I'd advise getting help from a trainer right now in ways to bring her out of her shell a little, it's important you act now and don't give up on her as the older she gets and more accustomed to these behaviours the more they will stick with her through adult life.

Sittingpretty

Irishcrx wrote: »

Sorry I don't agree with this advice, I don't see how ignoring a dog which is not responding to human contact already is going to improve the situation. She is already shy and enrvous and while it shouldn't be rewarded she shouldn't be punished either as she hasn't been brought up with the right training it's not her fault, doing this will only make her worst. Right now you need to build a BOND with her and gain her trust this won't do it.

I'd advise getting help from a trainer right now in ways to bring her out of her shell a little, it's important you act now and don't give up on her as the older she gets and more accustomed to these behaviours the more they will stick with her through adult life.

Actually this is the best way to deal with a nervous dog especially a dog that has had little or no human contact.

OP, firstly I would bring your dog to the vet to rule out any underlying medical issues.

I have a now almost 4 year old GSD bitch and this is precisely what she was like when we rescued her, had little or no contact with people, was bullied and had to be separated from her brother. She hid under the coffee table in our living room for the first week we had her.

Firtly I adopted the mollycoddle approach which is so easy because you want them to trust you and for them to understand that you mean them no harm. It didn't work. Coffee table city central. I then started to completely ignore her. Sit and watch TV or read while she was under the coffee table and slowly but sure ly after a few days a little black head would appear around the corner of the couch as if just to check if I was still there and she VERY slowly progressed from there. Once you get that far then you can start to build a bond and train etc but at first let them come to you on their terms and for that to happen ignoring them is the way to go.

Also I wouldn't carry her into the house if she doesn't want to go, instead leave a door open in the evenings and if she wants in then she will make her own way in.

Best of luck and keep us updated. Incidentally my dog was 13 weeks old when we got her and although still a little nervouse, esp of men she is now a happy confident dog and doesnn't fit under the coffee table anymore!

Any chance of a pic?

Morganna

the more you try to stroke her or make contact with her ,the more she will go into flight mode.As she is so nervous she is seeing human contact as a threat .So the best way is to ignore her and let her come to you .so yes the advice i gave is the correct advice.The more you make eye contact or approach the more she will see this as a threat and as i said go into flight or avoidance mode.I have trained dogs more years than i care to remember .and also deaalt with rescue animals

Cranky Mc Funhouse

Thanks for all the advice. Just sat outside with her for nearly an hour, still no improvement. Ill try no contact for a few days apart from feeding and a short walk thanks morganna, hopefully she'll come inside if she becomes curious or bored enough.
Just took some pics..
DSC00040.JPG

DSC00042.JPG

Morganna

Cranky Mc Funhouse wrote: »

Thanks for all the advice. Just sat outside with her for nearly an hour, still no improvement. Ill try no contact for a few days apart from feeding and a short walk thanks morganna, hopefully she'll come inside if she becomes curious or bored enough.
Just took some pics..
DSC00040.JPG

DSC00042.JPG

i can see by the pics she is very nervous.Just sit with her ,dont approach her let her come to you.Is she eating ??She may be to nervous to take food from your hand .You could try tasty bits in your hands but i doubt she will eat from you by looking at her.Have you tried just sitting down on the floor if you get down to her level she may feel less threatened .Turn your back on her and no eye contact just sit very still and she should come to you.
when you put her bowl of food down sit by the food and try and hand feed her if she will take it .I hate to see a nervous dog its so sad.

Morganna

Sittingpretty wrote: »

Actually this is the best way to deal with a nervous dog especially a dog that has had little or no human contact.

OP, firstly I would bring your dog to the vet to rule out any underlying medical issues.

I have a now almost 4 year old GSD bitch and this is precisely what she was like when we rescued her, had little or no contact with people, was bullied and had to be separated from her brother. She hid under the coffee table in our living room for the first week we had her.

Firtly I adopted the mollycoddle approach which is so easy because you want them to trust you and for them to understand that you mean them no harm. It didn't work. Coffee table city central. I then started to completely ignore her. Sit and watch TV or read while she was under the coffee table and slowly but sure ly after a few days a little black head would appear around the corner of the couch as if just to check if I was still there and she VERY slowly progressed from there. Once you get that far then you can start to build a bond and train etc but at first let them come to you on their terms and for that to happen ignoring them is the way to go.

Also I wouldn't carry her into the house if she doesn't want to go, instead leave a door open in the evenings and if she wants in then she will make her own way in.

Best of luck and keep us updated. Incidentally my dog was 13 weeks old when we got her and although still a little nervouse, esp of men she is now a happy confident dog and doesnn't fit under the coffee table anymore!

Any chance of a pic?

Good advice Sitting pretty

fishfoodie

Morganna wrote: »

i can see by the pics she is very nervous.Just sit with her ,dont approach her let her come to you.Is she eating ??She may be to nervous to take food from your hand .You could try tasty bits in your hands but i doubt she will eat from you by looking at her.Have you tried just sitting down on the floor if you get down to her level she may feel less threatened .Turn your back on her and no eye contact just sit very still and she should come to you.
when you put her bowl of food down sit by the food and try and hand feed her if she will take it .I hate to see a nervous dog its so sad.

And hopefully when she gets the courage to take the treats from your hand.. DON'T REACT !

Let her make contact without fuss, give her a chance to make contact on her terms. Its not too different from people; let them build their confidence by doing things on their own terms & feeling they have some control.

She's a lovely looking puppy; stick with it. You're doing the right thing by approaching the people here for starters

EGAR

With a pup so abnormally I shy I would first exclude organic causes such as pain. Have her properly checked out by a vet.

How old was she when you got her?

Sittingpretty

Thanks

Sittingpretty

Cranky Mc Funhouse wrote: »

Thanks for all the advice. Just sat outside with her for nearly an hour, still no improvement. Ill try no contact for a few days apart from feeding and a short walk thanks morganna, hopefully she'll come inside if she becomes curious or bored enough.
Just took some pics..
DSC00040.JPG

DSC00042.JPG

Oh my goodness, she is beautiful A VERY scared doggy in that first pic though. Do you know much about her backround? Has she always been this way?

I would second the person's advice that said sit by her with your back to her so that you are on a level with her and you pose no threat. Read your newspaper sitting on a step near her for half an hour or so and see if she makes any way towards you.
Have you tried introducing her to other dogs, older dogs that are happy to be around people. THis might be an idea so that she sees people can be trusted. If you are anywhere near Limerick I'd be more than happy to meet up with ye with my GSD.

She is a real beauty by the way and I really hope she comes around soon. Have you been to the vets with her?

Whispered

The reason I said not to worry she is still settling in, is that the OP has had the dog for a short time. If she came with severe nervousness, then there has not been a lot of time to work on it. The OP shouldn't worry if he has not made a lot of progress yet with her.

OP I know usual advice is to always walk the dog but I think when she's that nervous it's not a great idea for a while. It's forced interaction, on the end of a lead. You should try build up trust with her first.

It's so sad, she's beautiful. Just stick with ignoring her, but spend plenty of time in her company. Don't force anything on her at all. Don't worry, she'll come around. It's not in their nature to be solitary. It might take a while and a lot of understanding though.

Morganna

Whispered wrote: »

The reason I said not to worry she is still settling in, is that the OP has had the dog for a short time. If she came with severe nervousness, then there has not been a lot of time to work on it. The OP shouldn't worry if he has not made a lot of progress yet with her.

OP I know usual advice is to always walk the dog but I think when she's that nervous it's not a great idea for a while. It's forced interaction, on the end of a lead. You should try build up trust with her first.

It's so sad, she's beautiful. Just stick with ignoring her, but spend plenty of time in her company. Don't force anything on her at all. Don't worry, she'll come around. It's not in their nature to be solitary. It might take a while and a lot of understanding though.

I totally agree Whispered

Millie

Aaah the poor mite, that first picture would break your heart.

We had a Red Setter many years ago and the poor devil was so nervous when we got him that he would pee anytime we went to stroke him.
But with a bit of time he became the most loyal dog who loved company (especially that of women) so a bit of time and hopefully she'll be bounding along.

Good luck OP.

Cranky Mc Funhouse

Thanks for all the help guys ive been avoiding direct contact with her but sitting outside near her every evening. She actually came up to the back door for a second last night when we were making dinner! Hopefully she will improve gradually. Also she is fiercely territorial when other dogs approach her out the back, refusing to allow them to come near her and even snapping at them. This is only at home though and she follows the boxer like a shadow when out.

Whispered

Thats a good start, well done. small steady steps. Did you continue to ignore her when she was at the door?

I don't want to be overly negative, but very nervous dogs can have a tendancy to snap through fear. Hopefully you can sort this out yourself, but if not, would you consider getting a behaviourist in?

Blogger50

She's a little beauty and that first pic is so sad because you can tell shes nervous. I cant add anything other than you gotten some good advice here and I would keep up with what you've been doing so far.

As someone who is "owned" by a nine month old GSD I have to say, if the advice works and she comes around, it will be worth the effort ten times over!

Please dont give up on her, shes such a lovely girl. Good idea to get the vet to check her too. If you give her a little time I'm sure she'll return the favour in loads of love and affection. Please keep us updated.

Best of luck

TechnoPool

any update on her?

tk123

OP if you're in Dublin Dog Training Ireland work wonders with dogs like this. Our guy had a small terrier snap at him when he was about 6 months old and got very very shy and nervous. We brought him to daycare twice a week and after a couple of weeks the difference in him was amazing - he's was much more confident and relaxed.