The tough thing with fear is that it's hard to tell how much of it is past circumstances and how much of it is natural personality.
With my boyfriend's dog, she is a rescue that he's had for 5 years. She was 6 months old when she came to live with him, and she's always been afraid of other dogs, children, and unfamilliar situations.
Until recently, no attempt was made to socialize this dog. We've been working on her for a year, but progress is very, very slow and there really haven't been any break throughs.
However, she has gradually become more receptive to other dogs and new places. She has slowly come to enjoy places like PetSmart.
When she has a semi positive reaction to another dog, she gets a treat. She has learned how to remove herself from a situation that she is uncomfortable with. She did that on her own. We didn't teach her that.
I do not think that this dog will ever be comfortable with children. There is too much grabbing and petting and movement.
With my boyfriend's dog, she is a rescue that he's had for 5 years. She was 6 months old when she came to live with him, and she's always been afraid of other dogs, children, and unfamilliar situations.
Until recently, no attempt was made to socialize this dog. We've been working on her for a year, but progress is very, very slow and there really haven't been any break throughs.
However, she has gradually become more receptive to other dogs and new places. She has slowly come to enjoy places like PetSmart.
When she has a semi positive reaction to another dog, she gets a treat. She has learned how to remove herself from a situation that she is uncomfortable with. She did that on her own. We didn't teach her that.
I do not think that this dog will ever be comfortable with children. There is too much grabbing and petting and movement.
