When dog's shiver..

[bellski]

So I am sure all dogs shiver for one reason or another...but when they do, does it mean they are cold or scared? If we are on walks outside, sometimes she will shake and I assume she is cold. Do dogs get cold easily? Then when we are getting ready for work, she will sit near us and shiver...does that mean she is scared? Might be a dumb question but thought I would put it out their

[Shaina]

Mine does both...if I give her a bath and she lies by the air conditioning before she's dry, she shivers because she's freezing herself to death...at which point I tell her to move to someplace warmer, like the fleece blankets on her doggie bed 10 feet away *sigh*

At the dog park, if one of the bigger dog starts picking on her too much, she'll run behind my legs and lean against, them shivering. Since the first couple times she did this it was about 90 degrees F, I'd say it's from anxiety...after calming down for a minute she'd be fine and jumping back into the fray.

Also, how easily your dog gets cold depends on lot of things, especially how much fur/hair he had, and his age. If he's thoroughly wet, then he'll get cold really fast no matter how thick his fur is. If you dog really is shivering from the cold on walks, you might want to invest in a doggie coat or sweater to keep him warm.

[Kayla]

my little girl shivers when shes cold, but she also shivers sometimes when shes in her crate just because she REALLY doesn't want to be in there.

[bellski]

We do have actually a lot of clothes for her So the shivering when we are leaving to work...do you think that is from being scared or anxiety? She also shivers on car rides and usually doesn't stop unless we are holding her of if she is really tired and sleeps in our laps. If she is in her little car seat, she will shiver until she can get out.

[Kayla]

We do have actually a lot of clothes for her So the shivering when we are leaving to work...do you think that is from being scared or anxiety?

most likely

[Shaina]

We do have actually a lot of clothes for her So the shivering when we are leaving to work...do you think that is from being scared or anxiety? She also shivers on car rides and usually doesn't stop unless we are holding her of if she is really tired and sleeps in our laps. If she is in her little car seat, she will shiver until she can get out.

If you have her in warm clothes already then I don't know why she would shiver while going for a walk...maybe just overwhelmed/anxious. It really sounds like she shivers every time she gets anxious or unhappy. Try to make the car seat fun (or at least nonthreatening), and give her something to distract herself with when you are leaving for work...don't say a long goodbye (or any goodbye) since that can make it worse.

Just be careful to work on her socialization and making new experiences good ones to avoid fear aggression or panic in the future. Consistent training (basic commands, tricks) may help give her confidence and relieve her anxiety.

[Betty]

This'll be the first winter with our dogs, and I know Tanner will have to wear a doggie coat and probably leg warmers. I'm not sure about Carolina and how well her coat will keep her warm.

Carolina will shiver when she is frightened. She was charged at by a couple loose dogs and hasn't gotten over it, so when she sees a bigger dog, she quivers like a leaf.

[Kayla]

This'll be the first winter with our dogs, and I know Tanner will have to wear a doggie coat and probably leg warmers. I'm not sure about Carolina and how well her coat will keep her warm.

Carolina will shiver when she is frightened. She was charged at by a couple loose dogs and hasn't gotten over it, so when she sees a bigger dog, she quivers like a leaf.

Doggy leg warmers! I have never seen those before.

[bellski]

Thanks for the input. Since you brought up socialization. How does one get their dog to be more social. Bella is getting better, but still gets really scared of other dogs. She is very small, only 6 lbs, but I have seen other small dogs play with bigger and smaller dogs just fine. It's funny because she will play with my sister in-laws dog just fine when they are at home, but when we take her on walks and she sees another dog, she will run away from them. She will however try to sneak up a quick smell when the other dog's are not looking, but once she makes eye contact, she runs away. Does it take time to socialize dogs? She is just over a year old.

[Shaina]

Thanks for the input. Since you brought up socialization. How does one get their dog to be more social. Bella is getting better, but still gets really scared of other dogs. She is very small, only 6 lbs, but I have seen other small dogs play with bigger and smaller dogs just fine. It's funny because she will play with my sister in-laws dog just fine when they are at home, but when we take her on walks and she sees another dog, she will run away from them. She will however try to sneak up a quick smell when the other dog's are not looking, but once she makes eye contact, she runs away. Does it take time to socialize dogs? She is just over a year old.

Haha, my puppy is the same way...she plays with my parents' big lab like they are long-lost friends, but if she meets a new dog, particularly one bigger than her, she would hide behind me with her tail between her legs more often than not.

What I did was first get her to social with calm dogs, preferably her size or smaller (in your case that might be hard to do). They were both tolerant toward puppy enthusiasm and on neutral territory in an attempt to desensitize her to build up a " good meeting new dogs" history. If you don't know anyone with dogs that fit that description, or don't feel comfortable with going that route, you may want to try a puppy socialization class. Your dog will be on the older side, so you'd have to clear it with the instructor. Even if they decide that class won't work for you, they may have another suggestion.

Another thing I did after she was comfortable with meeting my family and friends' dogs was take her to the dog park during the weird, off hours when there's only a few other dogs there...I would explain to the 1 or 2 other owners there that my puppy was still a bit shy with other dogs (she would actually try to circumvent the dogs in order to greet the other people), and they were really good about making sure their dogs didn't get overwhelmingly "friendly" with her. As of yesterday she actually started initiating play with other dogs at the park, so we're making steps.

The point of my rambling discourse? Take it slow, seek more experienced/professional help, and keep any new dog meetings very neutral and controlled to prevent a bad experience. Absolutely nothing off-leash until you are certain that the dogs are very comfortable together.

[rizzo]

I notice my dog shivers too, when she gets excited. If I'm eating a piece of meat or some other delicious human food, she sits by me and shivers...