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how to get my puppy to not be afraid of everything.
my puppy is a jack russell- daschund. she is scared of alot of noises. dogs barking, cars, drop something on floor, people, air conditioner going off and on. i got her when she was 5 months old. it is hard to walk her cause she runs right back for the door as soon as she hears a noise. i have tried treats but she doesnt even acknowledge me because of the noises
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Answers
It going to take alot of time. Possibly several months to make any major progress. BUT you MUST work at her pace.
Fearful dogs need lots of confidence building.
Go slow. She needs to trust you and family members before you can start. Start by spending LOTS of time hangin out, playing with toys and give her treats. When she is comfortable having fun with toys, move to basic training. (sit,lay,stay,come) Give LOTS of treats & praise when she does things correctly. DO NOT correct. ONLY praise for good behaivor.
Be calm and happy. Laugh and keep it lite and fun around the dog. Once you get her trust & confidence up, she wont be as scared of things.
The key is to get the dog's mind off of the noises and on to you and the positive fun things you represent ... make it FUN and she wont be affraid of it.
Patches is right, this won't be easy. Once past 12 weeks, puppies are much less accepting of new experiences, see www.akc.org
That better dog site has some good material, but leaves out some important ways to build confidence. Overall, I don't like it. Start with obedience training. The key to most behavior problems is approaching things using the dog's natural instincts. Dogs see all the people and dogs in the household as a pack with each having their own rank in the pack and a top dog. Life is much easier if the 2 legged pack members outrank the 4 legged ones. You can learn to play the role of top dog by reading some books or going to a good obedience class. A good obedience class or book is about you being top dog, not about rewarding standard commands with a treat. Start at www.dogsbestfriend.com As you praise the dog for following your commands, it will build its confidence. Also see www.dogbreedinfo.com.
Play tug of war with the dog and lose. However at the end of the game, take the rope or toy and put it up, less the dog becomes confused about who is top dog. Ropes from the pets' store quickly turn to hazardous shreds. Ones I made lasted much better. Go to a hardware or home center that sells rope by the foot. Buy 2' of 3/4" poly rope. Melt the ends, and tie knots in it. Get them as tight as possible, put it in a vise and pound it with a hammer. Watch carefully, and be ready to discard when it comes apart.
Finally, make sure it has a den to live in. If you are not using a crate, buy one. The dog may be happier in its den than loose in the house. It relaxes, it feels safe in its den. It rests, the body slows down reducing the need for water and relieving its self. Dogs that have been crated all along do very well. Many of them will rest in their crates even when the door is open. I think the plastic ones give the dog more of a safe, enclosed den feeling. Metal ones can be put in a corner or covered with something the dog can't pull in and chew. Select a crate just big enough for the full grown dog to stretch out in.
A dog that has not been crated since it was little, may take some work. Start out just putting its toys and treats in the crate. Praise it for going in. Feed it in the crate. This is also an easy way to maintain order at feeding time for more than one dog.
Once a dog has confidence in a strong leader, it is easier to accept all those strange, scary things.
Jack Russells, in my experience can be a bit high strung. One of my mom's was afraid of his shadow, literally. God forbid a fly makes it into the house it's enough to send him off the deep end. His brother, Mr. Laid back, nothing bothers him. So, I think it's part personality but if you spoil your furry friend rotten and provide lots of calming support so they know to look at you and your reponse to these environmental things, she will learn that she doesn't have to be afraid of them. It takes time. She's just a baby after all. Good Luck!
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