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Originally Posted by BlueBelle  How do I make my insecure 1 yr old spayed female more secure? She came to me straight from the breeder. I KNOW she has never been abused but she will only let you pet her if you come up under her chin. She will shy away if you try to pet her from above. She will even move off the chair if I pet her while she is sitting next to me. She goes to work at my office with me and so she is exposed to people, coming and going throughout the day. Her default behavior is to bark. She will squat down behind and bark like she is defending her life, followed by muffled growling when I remove her from the bark producing situation. She likes to bark at kids when they walk away, and I know she has never had a bad experience with kids. She is very loved by all and it is just a shame that she is so fearful all the time. I see these products for calming but I am reluctant to use chemicals. Any help? |
Wow, sounds a lot like my Vinnie! Regarding the petting thing - I used to think this was a tad odd too until I stopped to think about what it must feel like to be 10 lbs and have some HUGE person's hand come at your head. It would scare the poopy out of me! So that one kind of understandable (to me). With Vinnie, I just tell people that he does not like to be pet directly on the head and prefers that you hold out your hand.
As for the other issues....try to offer up favorite treats whenever she is exposed to a situation in which she would normally bark. Offer up the treats only when she is quiet. In doing that, you will get her to associate those situations as something not to be feared, but to be enjoyed! This has worked fairly well for Vinnie.
I've tried to do a lot behavior modification with Vinnie and one thing I've come to accept is that he just sees the world from a different perspective and sometimes I need to be more aware of that. Get down on the ground and really look around from your dog's vantage point. It is frightening!!