Nervous Pup - advice please?

harlem

I recently bought a terrier pup; we only have her 3 days and it will take time for her to get used to us, however she cowers when we try to pick her up.

has anyone got any tips on how I can build up her confidence with her?

When I do pick her up she goes completey submissive and sometimes soils herself with the nerves.
Once I soothe her she is very affectionate and playful.

I'm quite concerned about it as I've never seen this behaviour in a dog before & we've had a few dogs over the years both as pups or older rescue dogs.

I was wondering if this behaviour carries on if I should consult a dog whisperer - has anyone here had any experience with one or are they worthwhile?

Pigman II

I just whack my dog over the nose with a newspaper anytime he does something to annoy me. Give that a try.

andrewh5

Ignore pigman for starters.
Get down to her level when you want to pick her up or fuss her. Also talk quietly to her and avoid loud noise.
Lots of pups are like this. They adjust in time.

peasant

andrewh5 wrote: »

Ignore pigman for starters.
Get down to her level when you want to pick her up or fuss her. Also talk quietly to her and avoid loud noise.
Lots of pups are like this. They adjust in time.

seconded.


Just spend time with her on the floor, let her come to you, don't force her.

Don't spend too much time carrying her ...she does have legs and can walk.

jameshayes

+1


Your probably nearly 6 foot... she's probably near 6 inchs... get down low with her, maybe with something nice in your hand... a bit of honey on your fingers so she can lick it off etc... i've seen some dogs scared of big shoes too - might sound funny but they were scared of the loud noises they made and when you take your shoes off they are almost different dogs!

harlem

Thanks for the replies & advice.
Unfortunately I'm only a short ar$e so not too big & scarey for her!

I've been doing that, getting down on the ground and putting my hands out flat so she can see there's nothing in them and keeping them below her head.
The only way I can pick her up is to have a treat in one hand then try grab her (gently!) to pick her up.

The problem is she's getting very quick now when you give her a treat she darts away because she knows you're trying to pick her up.

Also I only attempt to pick her up when strictly necessary ie, to bring her to her bed at night or when she's whimpering to get up on the couch beside me.
That's what I can't figure out, she wants to get up and is too small to get up herself but get nervous if I try help her and lift her up.

I'm used to handling dogs and I'm always very gentle when lifting her I'm never heavy handed and I don't pick her up by the scruff.

I should've sussed there was something wrong when I bought her as the person I bought her from had great difficulty coaxing the pup over to pick her up, I just put this down to her being scared of strangers.

I don't know was she mistreated or is it just due to lack of socialising/handling

andrewh5

harlem wrote: »

I don't know was she mistreated or is it just due to lack of socialising/handling

Possibly both. She is also quite likely the runt of the litter so was bullied by her siblings.

Patience is the keyword here. She will trust you in time. It will just take her a while to be surer that you mean her no harm.

Look on the bright side. When she does give you her trust it will be forever.

harlem

Thanks Andrewh that's a lovely thought.
I think I was getting too hung up on worrying about right now that she's not acting like I'm used to a pup doing and I'm worried there's something I should be doing to help her settle.

I think you're right though patience is key.
She'll be fat as a fool by the time she is ok with being picked up and i wont have a sausage left in the house!:rolleyes::D

My sis also bought a dog in this litter and he's the same really skitterish & cowers when you go near him. Hopefully they'll both relax in time

carwash_2006

Sounds like very poor early socialisation if both pups are the same. It is probably quite important for them to get things right at this stage now. I would get the help of a behaviourist to give you a few pointers.

Maureen Byrne of Dogs Behaving Badly is great with all sorts of things like this. Her number is 086 8200010.

Lauragoesmad

Pigman II wrote: »

I just whack my dog over the nose with a newspaper anytime he does something to annoy me. Give that a try.

I hope he savages you some day.

The Artist

Lauragoesmad wrote: »

I hope he savages you some day.

lol:D