I recently just got a 6 month old german short haried pointer. Her name is lucy, and she is scared of everything. I have only had the dog 2 days now, all she does is sleep in this bed that i made her. I tried putting her on a leash and all she did was put her tail between her legs and sit down, I had to drag her for a block before I ended up picking her up and taking her home. How long till she becomes adjusted to her new suroundings.
I work with a lot of shelter dogs and I have had a lot that come out with that same behavior. It really varies from dog to dog depending on what happened to them in the past. Just keep being patient with her. Give her lots of love and praise for ANYTHING she does right. It'll take some time, but don't give up on her. She will come out of her shell eventually you just have to be patient. Limit the walks right now since she is already terrified. Let her just get used to your house now before you introduce her to the world. Good Luck with her!
corgankidd is right, patience is in order here. This isn't just a statement of the obvious. Your dog is in a new surroundings, and this in itself will take some time for your dog to adjust to her new and wonderful home. But you may also be expereincing another issue...the "fear of new situations" issue that arises at this age in growing pups (usually arounf 6-14 months). Your dog may naturally show fear of new situations and even familiar situations. Your dog may be reluctant to approach someone or something new. It is important that you are patient and act very matter-of-fact in these situations. Never force the dog to face the situation. DO NOT pet the frightened puppy or talk in soothing tones. The puppy will interpret such responses as praise for being frightened. Training will help improve the dog's confidence. Use treats and positve methods to coach your dog at this time. Any training classes begun at this age needs to be fun and non-stressful for the dog. Neuter or spay the dog now if you haven't already done so. I hope this helps.
