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Originally Posted by FirstYorkie Okay, MomtoAngus, thanks. That makes it clearer.
Erin's suggestion of puppy classes is excellent. They are well worth the time and money!
The other thing that I'd do is this: I'd take treats to work and ask lots and lots of people to offer treats to Angus. If he won't go to them to get his treat at first, let them toss it to him. You want him to decide "good things come from strange people". As he becomes more comfortable, he will probably start running to newcomers to get his treat.
Also, be careful that you aren't inadvertently rewarding him for acting shy. It's easy to reach down and pet your dog when he comes seeking reassurance. Doing so reinforces shy behavior. Try to ignore that behavior and instead reinforce any brave behavior on his part.
You can also do this at parks and places like Petsmart. Dogowners and employees of dog-places are especially receptive to being asked to give the dog a treat. Joey wasn't especially shy but I made a point of doing this with people in uniforms, strange hats, wheelchairs, bikes and other things that he shyed away from.
Good luck! |
Yup. This is a very good tip. I did this with Badger - who is quite shy anyway - and it worked wonderfully. I kept treats in my pocket and because he was/is such a cute puppy people would stop us in the street to say hello and they were only too happy to help out by giving it to him. I also got them to say his name to him
It worked perhaps a little too well in some ways, because now he thinks everyone in the whole world knows who he is and that he should say hello to them. Walking can be a bit of a pain
Also make sure people greet him properly too. Surprisingly, alot of people still don't know how to say 'hello' to a dog properly (putting their hands out for him to sniff etc.) and this could also add to a sense of nervousness of other people that you want to deal with now before it becomes a problem