We've adopted several shy, undersocialized and downright spooks. A spooky dog will always have spooky tendencies - in greyhounds there are some bloodlines that are known to throw spooky dogs. So, if you're dealing with a genetic component/personality trait you will see less progress than a dog that's just shy/undersocialized. At home, our spook Stella is pretty much a normal dog. Take her away from home and away from the pack and she becomes much more unstable and spooky again.
We don't really treat our shy dogs any differently. We don't overcompensate with tons of affection - you don't want to reward or reinforce that undesirable shy behavior. It can take a few months to earn the dog's trust and once we have that, we start giving the dog challenges, slowly working them up to the really big social challenges like a busy petsmart or park with kids. The most important thing is not to push them too far, too fast and making sure the dog is set up to succeed.
I truly believe a pack is the best way to "heal" a shy, undersocialized dog.
You don't see too many afghan hound mixes...I'd love to see pics of your boy!
We don't really treat our shy dogs any differently. We don't overcompensate with tons of affection - you don't want to reward or reinforce that undesirable shy behavior. It can take a few months to earn the dog's trust and once we have that, we start giving the dog challenges, slowly working them up to the really big social challenges like a busy petsmart or park with kids. The most important thing is not to push them too far, too fast and making sure the dog is set up to succeed.
I truly believe a pack is the best way to "heal" a shy, undersocialized dog.
You don't see too many afghan hound mixes...I'd love to see pics of your boy!
