Start in controlled environments like sitting outside at a Starbucks or an outdoor mall. Use treats and praise for calm reactions. Use walk time for training too. She needs to be exposed to a wide variety of sights, sounds, smells, people, and other dogs but not too much at a time. A training class is a great idea. It would be a controlled environment to socialize and you would be able to work on training techniques. I would definitely not take a nervous dog to a dog park or a meetup group until she is better socialized. That is just inviting trouble. I would also not recommend another dog at this time. Even if she is comfortable around a new dog, which is a big gamble, that would still not help her learn to be comfortable around all dogs. I agree that holding her up may be making the problem worse. Ideally, the socialization should start when the pup is still young, before 12-16 weeks, but the more you can expose her too the better, even at 2 1/2 years old. She's had 2 1/2 years to learn to be fearful and to learn that barking gets her held and makes the scary thing go away, so be patient with her. It will take time and work to change this behavior. Good luck and please keep us posted on her progress. |