Shy Puppy?

[TheyBeChillin]

I’m here about my Sheltie again So, I know you have to socialize shelties because they are shy dogs. We have taken him in some stores, had him meet all my family members, have had him visit in a nursing home ( visiting family and had to bring him with us ), and have had him taken on walks on some busy trails. When he was young, he was just shy, but now he is starting to growl and lunge at people. We tell him no, and if he is quiet and calm, he gets a treat. While in the nursing home, he hasn’t barked or growled at anyone. If someone asks to pet him, we say yes, and he doesn’t throw a fit or growl or anything- he lets them. But if we are on a walk, then he lunges or growls. Last night, we were visiting family when one of my family members popped around the corner. My Sheltie growled and barked ( I was holding him ) and when my family member went to pet him, my Sheltie put his teeth on his hand as if it were a warning. He has never done this before. But he seems very unpredictable because although he put his mouth on my adult, male family member, he was very calm in the nursing home. He was shy, but he was extremely calm. He even rested his head on one man’s lap. Another man, he let hold his paw, and he didn’t move away or anything. Another day, while I was walking in my neighborhood, a little girl asked to pet him. I said sure. He didn’t mind. She talked to me about dogs for a short while when she talked about how sharp puppy teeth are, and before I had time to stop her, she stuck her finger in his mouth. He did nothing. Didn’t even put any pressure on her finger. I don’t understand what the difference is- he is picky about people, but the growling and lunging is completely new. He is unpredictable, and then he isn’t. It’s mostly on a walk that he has trouble. However, even on a walk if someone says “ hello “ to us he doesn’t bark. If they go right on by, he does. What do I do? Just keep socializing him? Aggressive isn’t the right word to use for him… he’s a really good dog. He is so intuitive and sensitive to those who are sick or old. He is very sensitive to emotions, and although he is a young puppy, he seems to have a very intelligent awareness to him. He isn’t aggressive at all. He’s a great dog. He just barks on a leash. How do I stop that? He’s never put his mouth on anyone before except my family member. I just want to nip that in the bud and also get him to calmly walk on a leash. Thanks!

 

[MrsEarthern]

Your dog might be exhibiting anxiety.
Trails in particular are a stimulation overload, when you consider the new smells, sounds, and sights.
I would suggest sticking to a few trails, and try to take him on those trails when they are less busy, or at least go at a leisurely pace to allow for sniffing, marking, and generally taking it all in. See if that improves his confidence in those situations where the trail is busy and/or you're moving along at a good pace.

 

[SandyRiverChick]

You're right hes not aggressive, he's just reactive. I just got back from taking my Leonberger pup to a dog friendly resort. Unfortunately, because I haven't done this in a few months, I noticed he was shy and nervous again just like he was a year ago and then I thought, grew out of it (he's 1.5.) So he regressed from me not getting out enough but by the time we left after just one night of meeting people in various situations he was already easing up. It's not exactly the same as he's just scared, but not growling or nipping. But I'm still convinced it's about consistency and that your Sheltie will grow out of it. Socializing just takes longer with some than others no matter what breed. They can start out more "insecure," than other dogs and take longer. My son's Golden has been an extraverted love sponge from the beginning but his high energy with ALL people makes me actually appreciate the difference in my much more tentative Leo. Have you taken him to obedience training? Have you tried wearing him out a little bit before the walk? Letting him do a ton of sniffing before he's expected to then do a good walk can also help.

I had a Newfie that despite that breeds sweet demeaner, he was very nervous and insecure. He was a huge challenge and he did growl and lunge. That coming from a massive dog can really freak people out. I worked so hard with him until the day he died at 12. I never fully trusted him but also because of consistency he never did bite anyone or get us into a bad situation. Newfies being weight pullers, I let him be in the lead when he was relaxed and I made him walk behind my Leo when he was tense. I do think that obedience training is a Shelties best bet because unlike Newfies, they are incredibly easy to obedience train. And then you can do a recall and walk around (feels like herding to him,) when he's good and a sit and stay with correction when he tenses up. You got this! Shelties are just wonderful! No question you will resolve this.

 

[Ilovemychicks08]

I have a semi reactive golden. He does okay in stores, in our yard and while camping, but walks trigger him.
He has almost been attacked 2 times by other dogs. So he has a reason to be reactive. He barks and pulls toward other dogs when walking in our town. But he wont when out in public. He does perfectly fine playing with other dogs. The town triggers his reactivity, for a reason. I know that reason, so i can work with him in that area.


He also didnt really like men but has come to accept them and is ok.
He sometimes barks to get attention from people. Which most would see as aggressive behavior. But instead he wants to be pet.



Sometimes they just take longer to be ok with whatever it is.
Tucker was ok until the first dog almost attacked him. Dumb owner letting off a 100 some pound Antolian shepherd. Then second dog was a dog Tucker had played with before as a pup. And now he is aggresive towards all other dogs, but they think its ok to let him off leash.

 

[TheyBeChillin]

Your dog might be exhibiting anxiety.
Trails in particular are a stimulation overload, when you consider the new smells, sounds, and sights.
I would suggest sticking to a few trails, and try to take him on those trails when they are less busy, or at least go at a leisurely pace to allow for sniffing, marking, and generally taking it all in. See if that improves his confidence in those situations where the trail is busy and/or you're moving along at a good pace.

Thank you!! Yes, he did better on the trail today. It was his second time going on it, and also there were less people.

 

[TheyBeChillin]

You're right hes not aggressive, he's just reactive. I just got back from taking my Leonberger pup to a dog friendly resort. Unfortunately, because I haven't done this in a few months, I noticed he was shy and nervous again just like he was a year ago and then I thought, grew out of it (he's 1.5.) So he regressed from me not getting out enough but by the time we left after just one night of meeting people in various situations he was already easing up. It's not exactly the same as he's just scared, but not growling or nipping. But I'm still convinced it's about consistency and that your Sheltie will grow out of it. Socializing just takes longer with some than others no matter what breed. They can start out more "insecure," than other dogs and take longer. My son's Golden has been an extraverted love sponge from the beginning but his high energy with ALL people makes me actually appreciate the difference in my much more tentative Leo. Have you taken him to obedience training? Have you tried wearing him out a little bit before the walk? Letting him do a ton of sniffing before he's expected to then do a good walk can also help.

I had a Newfie that despite that breeds sweet demeaner, he was very nervous and insecure. He was a huge challenge and he did growl and lunge. That coming from a massive dog can really freak people out. I worked so hard with him until the day he died at 12. I never fully trusted him but also because of consistency he never did bite anyone or get us into a bad situation. Newfies being weight pullers, I let him be in the lead when he was relaxed and I made him walk behind my Leo when he was tense. I do think that obedience training is a Shelties best bet because unlike Newfies, they are incredibly easy to obedience train. And then you can do a recall and walk around (feels like herding to him,) when he's good and a sit and stay with correction when he tenses up. You got this! Shelties are just wonderful! No question you will resolve this.

Thank you! Yes, he does better on walks when he is worn out/familiar with the place. He gets more stressed walking on a leash than he does if we are holding him or in a store. It probably is because it is more overstimulating with all those smells. No, he has not been to obedience training. I have had dogs in the past we have taken to obedience training so I know how to teach a dog the basics of sit, down, stay, recall, touch… so on so forth. But we do want to bring him to a class so he can be more socialized.

 

[TheyBeChillin]

I have a semi reactive golden. He does okay in stores, in our yard and while camping, but walks trigger him.
He has almost been attacked 2 times by other dogs. So he has a reason to be reactive. He barks and pulls toward other dogs when walking in our town. But he wont when out in public. He does perfectly fine playing with other dogs. The town triggers his reactivity, for a reason. I know that reason, so i can work with him in that area.


He also didnt really like men but has come to accept them and is ok.
He sometimes barks to get attention from people. Which most would see as aggressive behavior. But instead he wants to be pet.



Sometimes they just take longer to be ok with whatever it is.
Tucker was ok until the first dog almost attacked him. Dumb owner letting off a 100 some pound Antolian shepherd. Then second dog was a dog Tucker had played with before as a pup. And now he is aggresive towards all other dogs, but they think its ok to let him off leash.

We have a German Shepherd that is very reactive on a leash- attacked by some dog. Owner refused to realize the fact that his dog was aggressive. She was on a leash when attached. Our German Shepherd did not like men or people wearing hats for quite awhile. She is older now… seven years, but she has calmed down quite a bit. But that’s been years of walks, trips, and vacations.
Our Sheltie doesn’t like runners or bikes. But he doesn’t show any partiality to men or women. I reckon it’ll just take consistency. Thank you!!

But I do feel it is sometimes unfair. When our little Sheltie barks at people, they laugh thinking it is cute ( it isn’t good behavior ) but if our German Shepherd is simply walking with us there is that immediate fear. At this point, I think the Sheltie is more likely to bite than our GSD. Small dogs get away with more, but not with me! He’ll learn to behave. I can’t have him being anxious in public like that too good of a dog. He is only five months so he has plenty of time to learn. Thanks!

 

[lomine]

I agree with the others that it sounds like he is insecure and reacts aggressively. Sounds like he's okay with certain people and I think that's a good sign that this is something you can build off of. It seems like you are already on the right path. Just a few things...

This is just a guess, but based on what you wrote it sounds like he may have reached his "breaking point" during the party where he put his teeth on someone. I would try to keep an eye on him during these types of social settings and when he's looking stressed, give him a break away from everyone else in a quiet area. When he's stressed to that point don't let people pet him. Or try giving him something that will distract him and let him self-sooth, like a chew toy/treat.

As others have said, obedience and other training is great for building confidence. I took my dog to a place called Zoom Room for his basic obedience training. He already knew most of the basics, but he was/is extremely dog friendly and would stop listening to me when he saw other dogs. What he really needed was the experience of being in a room with a bunch of other dogs/people and learn that he still needed to listen to me. Why I decided to go to this particular place was because of all the other classes they offer. Obedience training was good for building our communication, but agility training really boosted his confidence. It was fun to watch him grow. Since then, we have done scent training, continue to do agility, Pup-lates, and we are currently back in obedience so we can pass the Canine Good Citizen test.

 

[TheyBeChillin]

I agree with the others that it sounds like he is insecure and reacts aggressively. Sounds like he's okay with certain people and I think that's a good sign that this is something you can build off of. It seems like you are already on the right path. Just a few things...

This is just a guess, but based on what you wrote it sounds like he may have reached his "breaking point" during the party where he put his teeth on someone. I would try to keep an eye on him during these types of social settings and when he's looking stressed, give him a break away from everyone else in a quiet area. When he's stressed to that point don't let people pet him. Or try giving him something that will distract him and let him self-sooth, like a chew toy/treat.

As others have said, obedience and other training is great for building confidence. I took my dog to a place called Zoom Room for his basic obedience training. He already knew most of the basics, but he was/is extremely dog friendly and would stop listening to me when he saw other dogs. What he really needed was the experience of being in a room with a bunch of other dogs/people and learn that he still needed to listen to me. Why I decided to go to this particular place was because of all the other classes they offer. Obedience training was good for building our communication, but agility training really boosted his confidence. It was fun to watch him grow. Since then, we have done scent training, continue to do agility, Pup-lates, and we are currently back in obedience so we can pass the Canine Good Citizen test.

Thank you! That is so awesome what all you have done with your dog! When my Sheltie is a little older, I’d really like to get him involved in some sort of agility training. He’s fast, agile, and loves to jump over anything. Sometimes he jumps over air just for the heck of it

Yes, he probably did reach his breaking point. Since he’s so young, we can’t leave him at home when we visit family ( just a weekend trip up ). But he had traveled that day, been to the nursing home, had to get out of the car to potty in unfamiliar places, met family members he was unfamiliar with, and he hadn’t had the free range like normal to run.

After I get out of school in May, I’ll probably start searching for puppy obedience classes. I’m homeschooled so I already spend a lot of time with him working with him at home, but once I’m done in May, I’ll have more time to keep up with work and take him to classes- school will be one less thing to worry about!
Thank you!!

 

[lomine]

Thank you! That is so awesome what all you have done with your dog! When my Sheltie is a little older, I’d really like to get him involved in some sort of agility training. He’s fast, agile, and loves to jump over anything. Sometimes he jumps over air just for the heck of it

Yes, he probably did reach his breaking point. Since he’s so young, we can’t leave him at home when we visit family ( just a weekend trip up ). But he had traveled that day, been to the nursing home, had to get out of the car to potty in unfamiliar places, met family members he was unfamiliar with, and he hadn’t had the free range like normal to run.

After I get out of school in May, I’ll probably start searching for puppy obedience classes. I’m homeschooled so I already spend a lot of time with him working with him at home, but once I’m done in May, I’ll have more time to keep up with work and take him to classes- school will be one less thing to worry about!
Thank you!!

We've gone nearly every week for the last year+ to various classes. It's all very low key for us, just fun things to do. He likes doing certain things more than others but he's now at the point where is willing to try nearly anything. Am really happy we found this place.