SWHouston don't be surprized if you get bashed for your 'pack mentality'. Like you I think dogs are and should be allowed to be dogs. I have been put down for my pack mentality. I love my Yorkies, but realize they are not little fur people. I have trained many dogs have worked with abused, abandoned, and damaged rescues. But then, a lot of people hate Cesar Millan too.
JVBD Hi, I hope this might help you with your little girl Molly.
I do believe some dogs have a form of canine automatism or are brain damaged, even retarded from lack of oxygen during birth. I doubt if this is why your dog is fearful. Her behavior sounds like a common fear reaction.
Our human instinct is to cuddle and murmur comforting words, when a child is frightened. This does not work with dogs and most of the time it makes fears worse. We tend to keep our dogs dependant puppies forever. That is ok, they do not have to grow up and hunt for survival. We really will always take care of them. Most dogs look to us for clues on how to deal with life.
Fearful Puppies can be desensitzed.
I set up meetings when teaching puppies the proper way to respond to big/ other dogs. The trick is for the person to be calm and relaxed. This is a 3 person exercise. I have friends that have large dogs. I have one come over and walk their dog on a leash. I am walking the puppy. The puppy's owner should greet the owner and big dog. Pet the sitting big dog and chat for a moment. I walk the puppy to their owner and hand them the leash. The owner ignores the puppy and continues to chat . You can only do this if the big dog is well trained and calm. We repeat this exercise over a two week period with different dogs in class. Another thing when a dog is fearful their tail goes down or is tucked . When your dog gets fearful, stand up tall and act big so that they see you are not afraid. Try to desensitize them to the things they are afraid of in a safe calm way. I hope this helps. |