Quote:
Originally Posted by kirbybirby  She does like to play but when I first brought her home she was very scared. Wouldn't play and just wanted to hide. She has obviously gotten much better at playing. I try to be active with her every chance I get but maybe it needs to be more often. She is still on a 5AM schedule from the breeder (yes, 2 years later lol) and wants to start her day at 5AM.
I will try with the training, that sounds like it would be beneficial for her and I can see how that would help. |
She could just be distrustful of humans and needs working with to bring her out of her shell. Each dog is different in how they accept and interact with humans from birth, some very, very diffident and shy of humans all the way to those who know no bounds and insist on constant contact/interaction. Often we can get off onto the wrong foot with a shy or anxious dog and thereafter, the problem just escalates until the dog is actually a bit uncomfortable around us, never sure what we might do to them so they keep their distance in an effort to protect themselves.
Start her training by letting her skip breakfast by a couple of hours the first few days so that she's more hungry than usual. Boil the chicken, let her watch you preparing it, smell it cooking, cooling it and then make a little pile of chicken bits that you put in your treat pouch and sit down on the floor, telling her it's "training time" and show her how to sit, using a very light, happy, non-militant-sounding voice as you give the "sit" command and reward her with a big smile and an instant bit of chicken and a high pitched "Goooooood girl" when she does it right, maybe even a tickle on her shoulder, chest or flank. Just ignore when she misses it, pause a bit and then give the happy "sit" command again while gently nudging her into a sitting position and the moment her bottom touches the floor, stick that bit of chicken into her little mouth and make a that big smile, praise her generously and tickle/pet her if she likes that at this point. Repeat only about 10 - 15 times each session and end each with a good romp outside to let her relieve any tension and pee, with a fun play session when she gets back in the house.
I'd repeat her training session of 10 - 15 repetitions 3 x daily each day, using the warm, boiled chicken to lure her into wanting to come near you and participate in working with you. It won't take her long to discover you are fun, trustworthy, smile a lot and quickly feed her luscious chicken the moment she properly does what you ask. She'll begin to feel good about the lessons and look forward to them as she begins to do the sits on her own, learns that she's accomplishing something you like and that makes you happy and also gets herself an instant food treat - equaling in her brain rewards and lots of good feelings going on between the two of you at these times of achievement and fun. She'll grow more self-confident, proud of herself. The reward centers in her brain will yearn for more - and the road to her getting more of all that is YOU. Suddenly, you become more valuable to her.
Keep working with her and adding a new trick once weekly or so to add some interest and variety but keep each trick repetition down to 10 - 15 times of each fun command and no training session lasting over 3 -5 minutes as dogs can get bored quickly early on in training and feel stressed if we press them beyond their interest level. But training 3 times a day will keep her on track and keep fulfilling her desires for more instant gratification.
As dogs are basically social animals who are genetically programmed by nature for pleasing social interactions within their pack in order to interact together to play, work, breed and survive, so her natural abilities to want more and more deeper interactions with you will kick in and gear up as you work and play more and more with her. In time, she will begin to ask you for a training session!!! She'll begin to come to you, nudge your hand for a pat or lie down touching your hip or leg, showing you she's now more trusting and wanting your quiet, down-time society. You are on your way with her once that happens and cuddling isn't far off.