[Truffle]

I have a 12 week old puppy. She is a pitbull mixed with a lab. I got Truffle (My dog) on february 11, 2012. It has been a week since i have owned her and since day one, she has ran from me and my family and tries her best to keep no contact with us. I have given her space, and tried to attempt to pet her but she runs away then sits and stares at me. She is very timid, i have an older chow named diesal who is 10 yrs, whos Truffle simply loves to play with and follow around. I have played tug-o-war with her but once i move into to pet her, she runs away and doesn't come back. She is now sick with Kennel cough, ive given her her medicine and then she leaves to go outside and sleep. I need advice on how to make her more social. I would really aprreciate the help. Thanks.

 

[sscott87]

She is still young, and you've only had her a week. I can't really give any expert advice and surely others will have more input, but I'd say give it some more time. Sounds like you're figuring her out at least a bit already. It's great that she does get along well with your older dog. How sociable is he with you and the family? Perhaps the young pup seeing him and the family interacting regularly will be a bit of a sign to her that it's ok. Any idea about her previous home? Perhaps she didn't have the most positive interactions/experiences with the owner/breeder/or just anyone in general? At the very least, I'd say it's a good sign she plays with the other dog, so surely she'll come around. And, of course, as you've probably already figured and hopefully are ok with, even as she warms up to you, she simply may not be the most cuddly dog. Good luck though, give it some time and work with her, figure out her personality and make some progress.

 

[Truffle]

My other dog is very social, still loves to play with the family and everything. I got her from a humane society, all i know is that she has a sister and two brothers, and that she was dropped off at the shelter in a crammed cage. I believe that shes Anti-social because of the ex-owner, but that is only my opinion. Thank you for the advice, greatly appreciated.

 

[Snoopy11]

Maybe hold off on trying to pet her for awhile, and try luring her in to seek your company and just get comfortable hanging out with you. Find a treat she likes or try to hand feed her regular meals to get her used to being in close proximity to you and to create a positive association with your hand. You could show her that you have treats, then sit on the floor quietly and see if she'll approach you. Feed a treat every time she comes near, and if she'll stay near, keep feeding at intervals. Or hold her favorite tug toy and just let her play with it when she comes to you. Eventually she should warm up to your presence and you can start touching her while she takes a treat. Start in a non-threatening way, with your hand in a low position. Some dogs seem to feel threatened by a hand coming down from over their head until they're used to being pet that way.

 

[Amaryllis]

I agree with the above. She sounds terrified. You know you're a good person who won't hurt her, she doesn't know that yet. Just keep luring her with treats and being very patient.

 

[troglodytezzz]

This might help.

 

[Shell]

She is now sick with Kennel cough, ive given her her medicine and then she leaves to go outside and sleep. I need advice on how to make her more social. I would really aprreciate the help. Thanks.

Aside from her only having been with you for a week (shelter dogs can take anywhere from a few weeks to even a few months to really relax into a new home and show their true personalities), I have quoted what I see as possibly being a big problem for her becoming more social and comfortable with you. She is sleeping outside. To top that off, she's sleeping outside while she is sick (kennel cough is like the human flu more or less). I don't know what the weather is like for you right now, but she should be in mild temps with air that isn't too dry (I had a foster with kennel cough and took her into the bathroom each morning to let her breathe the shower steam, it really helped her coughing).

A Pit and Lab mix is a very person oriented dog. They typically LOVE just to spend time with their human families. By keeping her outside, she is missing valuable bonding time with you. My foster Pit's favorite time of the time is anytime she is snuggled against me, just being close. She loves walks and fetch, sure, but its the attention that makes her really happy.
With the dog spending a lot of time alone, it will be harder for you to make her social and it will take a lot longer time.

 

[firefly]

I agree with everything above.

We had a rescue dog from an abusive puppy mill situation and it took him awhile to come around (a couple weeks with me and over a year with my husband because the abuser was a tall man like him). As tempting as it is, try not to pet her until she seeks you out. At this point, she is not seeing your pettings as comforting. I gave Clyde plenty of space, treats and praise. I let him retreat if he needed too. After a couple of weeks, he laid next to me and put his head on my leg. That was the moment it all changed and I could pet him whenever I wanted. It took longer with my husband, but he is at the point now too. My other dog Wally was a social little guy in the shelter, but our new home freaked him out for a few days. Just relax and not stress over it. She can sense that too.