Fearful Yorkie

[Beligirl]

Hi,
I recently lost my girl. She had been sick for a while and received most of my attention. Now that she's gone, her brother Chuck - such a good boy, is getting all our attention. He is adjusting very well, sleeping through the night, etc.

We're walking him at least 2x's a day; he has much more energy than my girl did (I'm sure because she was sick). We walked by some kids who were having a blast sledding. Chuck stopped, watched them, and then started to run away, completely freaked out! We were near the kids but in no way close enough that they would sled into us. He was scared until they were out of view.

He's always been a fearful pup. Any suggestions how I can help him?

[TeresaM]

If it's his personality, he may always be a bit fearful of strange situations. But you can help him to gain some confidence by carefully watching his stress levels and be sure to move on/away when you see him starting to get anxious. Talk calmly to him, don't cuddle or try to comfort him when he's upset, this will only solidify his 'idea' that there is something to be afraid of.

When I rescued Annie B she had been in a cage for 5yrs as a breeder at a puppymill. EVERYTHING was new to her from grass to traveling in the car to being out in the public. I started slowing taking her out, talking calmly and continually to her. If I saw her starting to react badly at a situation I'd just say in a calm happy voice, "Ok Annie, enough of this fun. Let's go get a biscuit!" She'd focus on the word biscuit...which she learned in like an hour We'd turn and go away from whatever was starting to stress her and as soon as I saw her stress level coming down I'd stop and give her a biscuit. Let her catch her breath and then turn her back towards where we'd just come from. If she continued to stay calm, I'd offer her another treat and then usually go in another direction. After a base of trust was built I'd take her back towards the stress and usually she'd do much better.

It's a long process, but with patience and love you can help him to gain confidence.

[YorkieMom6]

Originally Posted by TeresaM

If it's his personality, he may always be a bit fearful of strange situations. But you can help him to gain some confidence by carefully watching his stress levels and be sure to move on/away when you see him starting to get anxious. Talk calmly to him, don't cuddle or try to comfort him when he's upset, this will only solidify his 'idea' that there is something to be afraid of.

When I rescued Annie B she had been in a cage for 5yrs as a breeder at a puppymill. EVERYTHING was new to her from grass to traveling in the car to being out in the public. I started slowing taking her out, talking calmly and continually to her. If I saw her starting to react badly at a situation I'd just say in a calm happy voice, "Ok Annie, enough of this fun. Let's go get a biscuit!" She'd focus on the word biscuit...which she learned in like an hour We'd turn and go away from whatever was starting to stress her and as soon as I saw her stress level coming down I'd stop and give her a biscuit. Let her catch her breath and then turn her back towards where we'd just come from. If she continued to stay calm, I'd offer her another treat and then usually go in another direction. After a base of trust was built I'd take her back towards the stress and usually she'd do much better.

It's a long process, but with patience and love you can help him to gain confidence.

What great information! Thank you as I gleaned good ideas in case we ever have a similar issue.

[TeresaM]

Originally Posted by YorkieMom6

What great information! Thank you as I gleaned good ideas in case we ever have a similar issue.

Your welcome! Glean away! I learned so much with Annie B and it has served me well when we rescued Boo and in raising Gracie Ruth & Yogi. I truly believe what Annie taught me helped to bring Boo out of his shell and even though he's still very timid about some things, he's very happy, bold and confident about so much more. G has always been bold but went through a brief period of fearfulness. I was able to help her through that and she is back to being a bold confident princess warrior again. Yogi is cautious, so to avoid him becoming fearful I've practiced many of the techniques I learned with Annie and he does very well in new situations. About the only time he runs away is when he sees his big brother Boo running. I guess he figures if it's scary enough to scare Big Bro, then he better follow and not take a chance of being 'eaten' by it.

[Beligirl]

Thanks! Chuck definately knows the word "treat." I've used that to get his attention when his attention gets diverted outside.