Timid dog

[Newbe]

Anybody ever had a real timid dog and got it back to normal. A buddy of mine gave me this hound cur cross gyp and I've never seen a dog so scared of people, you'd think it was part coyote. I've been working with her but every time she sees me she runs in the dog house and you've got to drag her out. Today I tried to walk her around some on a lead and she ran in circles around me the whole time, I've never seen a dog this bad and I'm just wondering if she's fixable

[kader-curs]

if they are that timid its tough to get them over it.... depending on how much time you want to put into the dog will determine if you can get them over it... in my opinion the amount of time it takes isn't worth it.... but if you want to get him over it then when he runs into the box let him run into the box... dont drag him out... don't leave dog food out for him... when you get home put a bowl between you and him and just grab a comfortable seat and let him look at you when he eats.... over time he'll get use to you being around and get more confident in you then you just slowly work from there... like i said though its a long process and its not worth it if you ask me

[T-Bob Parker]

You can chain her right by the back porch and table scrap feed her every day and camly speak around her for a few weeks to see if she'll come around, it would also make her more comfortable if you don't look or talk to her directly, always towards her, never to her. This helped with a yote-acting dog I had, he never got friendly, but he did become trusting.

[HIGHWATER KENNELS]

I know it sounds tough but I remeber a story that my father in laws daddy told me of a dog that he had like that...he had gotten him from a feller that couldnt even catch him after the hunt,, well the feller was gonna get rid of him so he took him.. He told me he had to nearly starve him for a week but he put him in a pen with water and would walk out every evening with a bowl of food in his hands and until the dog would come and get it at his feet he would walk back inside.. It took that long but he finally came to him and ate at his feet. He did say that the dog never did let no one else go close to him,,, just a one man dog..

[dub]

That sounds like something happened to it. Most likely it will never get much better. It could possibly be used for breeding if it has good genes. But I would not give up. I have got a couple dogs over it but it took lots of work. It is all about body language, eyes, and more. Get low, turn your head to expose your neck it shows you don't want to fight, do not make eye contact it can be a sign of aggression, take small steps. Work to just get close and do not touch for a week. Then just a casual light touch occasionally for a while then a small pet. You have to work on building trust. But watch out sometimes they may suddenly turn aggressive if you push to hard. Better to go too slow than too fast.

[YELLOWBLACKMASK]

Just my preference but the shy ones never have produced much for me on the working dog end. They are to worried bout you or someone else besides what they should be focusing on. If they are scared to death of you high possibility they aint got the grit for a hog dog either  That and I despise a dog that I own that I have to chase to catch. As far as breeding to it I would also give alot of thought to that. Probably end up with ten more you can't handle. Just my personal preference. Hope it works out for ya good luck.

[dub]

Let's be clear. Only breed if it has really good genes. Only if it was environment that makes the dog act that way.

[SCHitemHard]

i had a beagle i found in a dumpster that was scared of his own shadow, my papa took him out in the woods, and chained him to a tree with some water and told me to go sit under the tree with a bowl of food for one hour a day, took me damn near 5 days just to get him to come close. he never was fixed of it but he would wag and come smell my hand.

[BarrNinja]

Most timid dogs are born that way and I consider this a fault in the breeding. I have put in more time than I care to speak of with timid dogs. I have never seen one come around to being productive and are all culls in my opinion.
If she was the only dog I had, I may still keep trying but I would never consider her as a breeder no matter how good her breeding was.
 

[Purebreedcolt]

I had a pup kinda like that but she was that way from the start.  Actually got her over parvo and she was still like that.  Ended up culling her I could not stand it in the yard she was ok but out she would not come to u. 

[uglydog]

Two main reasons that cause this shyness genectics being one, its in the DNA, and those that are born that way have to have alot of work daily put into them from the time they are three weeks until almosy a year of age, if you miss that crucial puppy stage od socializing its all uphill.

the Other come from a simple lack of socializing at all, I have a friend that won't touch the pups and and thats fine fpr some dogs and others it ruins them, they will come out of it if worked with, but can't appreciate what they never had- touch and attention.

How old is this dog?

[Newbe]

Not real sure. She looks to be bout a lil under a year or so

[firemedic]

I totally agree with uglydog,....there is a window there and if you miss handling and socializing them during that window in age....it's tough battle and I don't believe the dog will ever be completely out of that shyness.

[uglydog]

If the dog is already almost a year old, I am going to tell you that you will be many long hours (many months) away from having a dog that you are able to take out in the real world and do anything with, if at all, just because you put the time in does not mean it will come out like you want.
 
Sometimes for some people the time spent with the "rescue" of the dog is well worth the personal satisfaction. I have had a few of those experiences in my lifetime of working with different critters, however many times after months of dissapointment and heartache its time to cut your losses, and if I was to get a Do-Over, I would have cut my losses alot earlier and gotten a dog that was going to be able to meet my expectations.

the saying "It costs the same to feed a good dog as it does a sorry dog" still holds true to alot of different scenarios and animals.
The Ultimate decision has to be yours, and yours alone. However if you do deide to cut your losses, be humane enough not to keep stressing this dog by passing into anothers hands.

[dub]

Ninja trying to start a fight But the truth is that it is all opinion without seeing the dog. I Just noticed that it is a mixed breed. I would not breed at all. Get the dog fixed to stop hormonal issues. Then either put in the time in or give the dog to someone that can put time into a yard dog. When I was a kid I got one of my favorite dogs that way. The dog worthless to everyone else but that dog loved me. So some kid that loves animals may learn a lot or you can have a project yard dog.

[BarrNinja]

Picking a fight with a guy that can't teach a cur not to jump up on him just ain't worth it to me Warren.

I reread my post. I was a little blunt but I didn't mean to be.
Uglydog..........great post and I agree totally with your last one.

[Hog Dog Mike]

Quite a few bird dogs are like that. We had one that was going to be good but acted like and idiot around peple. We staked him at the door when we were at dog camp up in Oklahoma. Everybody that went by had to  pet him. If they had to well rope him from under the porch it didn't matter. He finally came out of it.

I bought one that was kind of shy. He laid down when he got next to you. Once he got used to me he got out of it and he is just fine now.

Some dogs are just born a half a bubble off center and nothing is going to change that.

[Newbe]

I just gotta say, this site is awesome. You guys don't know me from Adam and I've had 16 replys. It's nice to be able to get advice from people that have been there. I appreciate all the advice. I would've already got rid of her but there's just something about the dog that I like of she doesn't come out of it before too long she'l proly find a new home on craigslist as a yarddog.

[TimmsHogDogs]

We have a Male that is almost two. We got him when he was just over a year old, have no idea what was done to him but he was scared as heck of everyone, he still wont come to me only my husband but will strike his own hogs in the woods for him. My point is that she may turn it it is just gonna take time and probably quite a bit of it. But if you think she is gonna be a good dog put the work in with her you never know she may make your best dog.

[Reuben]

There are some really good posts here. I have had some of my very best mtn curs to be somewhat shy. These dogs don't hunt well around hog hunters that lose it when a hog is caught and don't like a lot of screaming and hollering. These dogs might be very good bay dogs but hold back some in a baying contest because of the loud crowds. The very best are worth babying some but then I have had some with almost the exact same breeding that weren't bothered with loud noises etc. etc. that were just as good but I didn't have to worry about giving them special treatment because of shyness because they were not shy.

Some of the shyness comes from genetics and some of these pups will be ok but they will need extra amounts of socialization. These type of dogs will always need to be handled carefully. Most of these types do not need much correction.

There is a window for socializing all pups to different situations and environments. This window of oppurtunity starts around 4 weeks to about 14 weeks.  I think 6 to 8 weeks is a critical period and if the pup is taken away from the litter too young like 4 weeks of age and is not socialized around other dogs then it will have trouble getting along with other dogs when grown.

I start blowing into their noses and talking to them when they are several days old and bang pots and pans and handle them starting at birth, and lots of petting, also shoot a cap gun to announce feeding time. I don't allow the pups to act hyper around me unless it is play time.

The pups need to be around strange dogs and strange people. To me it is very important to work with the pups and make sure they are getting the attention they need.

It is important that the pups trust me and want to be around me but I also want them to range out and explore.


This shy pup that you have I would probably not keep it unless it is a top hunting dog that gets gone and finds and bays hog. If the pup is of this caliber I would take the time and work with him.

I try to breed dogs that are naturals and those that require very little taining and socializing. Just remember that a dog that takes a lot of training or socializing is a dog that more than likely will pass those traits to it's offspring.