I was at my local kennel today and they had a 2-3 month old black lab puppy. She was so cute i couldnt resist. she is scared to death of people because of her previous owners. Is there anything besides lots of loving that i can do to make her less shy/terrified?

S.M.
it's good to hear you saved a nice sounding pup. Way to go! With alot of pound dogs they have usually come from a distressing situations and just need some time to adjust to their new owners. With an older dog usually the damage is done and is much tougher to get them over their ingrained fear of things set will not adjust as easily as a young pup like yours will.
I too have adopted a dog from a rescue shelter and she was one distressed little Poodle. She had come from an older Woman who had two Poodles and had left them in her laundry room for hours and sometimes day's at a time in their own filt all matted in their ears and body hair. They both had severe ear mites and worms and were found by the nieghbor very dehydrated to boot. She turned in the woman to the local authorities and a local no-kill shelter too them in. I am soo glad to have found this little girl (actually she picked me!) and I'm guessing she was at least 6 years old and was from some good looking showstock and still had the potential to be entered in a cormformation event.
I instead being a devoted outdoors person, introduced her to gunfire and took her almost everwhere I could including the Grouse woods and the Duck blind! She adapted well and lived to the ripe old age of 13 and is now deceaded. I do not regret my desition to adopt and would do it again for a well bred and deserving pointing breed.
As for getting this new pup on it's way to being a social butterfly, first get to know it well and work on a little manners (come, and leash training) showing your positive side at all times, and potty training with a dog crate in the house, and can also be used for it to sleep in at night, not outside as this is the last thing this pup needs. It needs to be around people as much as possible to get over its past experiences. What did it go through before you had adopted it? What ever you do, do not simpethize when it shows any signs of fear to someone or something. It will in turn reasure that it o.k. to be affraid and will give you adverse results. Act like it's no big deal and go about your business and call the pup encouraging it to join you and show it that it's no big deal. Don't ever say to it that Oh you poor thing, it's O.K. and such as this will only reasure what it's afraid of in the first place. Keep a leash on it of course when anything could endanger it say out in public or if it could get near any traffic. Just get this pup into as many new things and situatuions as possible including say a walk in a public park and lots of letting it run free in large vacant lots or state public wildlife areas. It needs to learn what this big world is all about and explore it and learn from it.
I still take my newest dog (a pointing breed) on romps in the local vacant areas near my home after two years of owning him and came from a less social situation than most pups get normally. The day I brought my dog home at eight months old I immediatly showed him his crate in the office and then gave him a tour of the house (500 sq. whole ft. of it!) and let him hear and see all the noises a house can make at any given time. He used to be scared to death of the washer when it was on spin cycle! I would go up to it while he would be cowering in his kennel in the back office, still would get curious enough to creep out and stretch his neck around the corner to see if this big, noisy thing was going to swallow me up! I'd bang on the side of it and it would get him even more curious but still scared of it......He finally one day on his own, put his paws up on it and sniffed the thing thoroughly and was then satisfied it was alright. Now the vacuum is a different story! Good luck and keep us posted!

Edited by - Lady Grouse Hunter on 02/08/2002 01:28:48

My wife and I got a dog from the pound about 4 months ago. When we got her, I had to go out of town for a month and a half. Upon getting home, this skiddish dog would pee when I would walk through the door. She was like that with all people except my wife. The vet told us to bring the dog to Wal-Mart, and just sit outside of walmart and pet her telling her she is a good girl. The vet said that sooner or later, as folks wanted to pet her, she would figure out that people were a good thing cause they like to pet her!
haven't done the walmart thing, but bringing her to obedience class and exposing her to friends at group outings has done the same thing. all you must do is build that confidence in the dog and prove you are a loving owner.

Beej

LGH,
My pup was thrown from car into a ditch. She was found in a culvert after a couple days. Then was taken to a shelter and i got her after being there for only about 1.5 days. All the transitions, and leaving her 2 brothers could be part of her shyness too but in the time I've had her, she has begun to wrestle with socks and tennis balls. She also likes to growl at the deer on the wall.


Edited by - super magnum on 02/08/2002 17:49:20

She'll gradually come around, but like anything else it'll take time. Don't make any sudden moves and scratch her head plenty. She'll fall in love with you in no time.
Have fun!

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This is great! (except for when she soils the carpet<img src=icon_smile_shock.gif border=0 align=middle>)I have her retrieving tennis balls and she knows what &quot;no&quot; means. and i taught her to sit today! She doesnt bark at all besides when she looks in the mirror.