Skittishness

[devanoff]

Help!! I have a sheltie who is about 7 year old and he's so skittish - it is very annoying!! He is afraid of the strangest things like our play centre - it has one of those plastic roofs and it makes noise in the wind and he's afraid of it - to the point he won't "go" sometimes, and goes in the house. There have been alot of changes over the years; moves, a baby in the house (who is 2 now), and so of course there is less time to accommodate Taz's high drive, energy, and intellect. Underneath his fears of practically everything (except people), he does seem to remain quite smart. He gets yelled at alot because he is so frustrating, and that doesn't help anything. He's even afraid of flags blowing in the wind, like the kind that home builders put up in new neighborhoods. What can/should I do with Taz?

Do shelties tend to go skittish after some time?

Thanks.

 

[Crystal1]

Everybody gets skittish when they are yelled out a lot.

 

[granite]

Yelling at a dog that's barking or acting out seems to me is the same as "joining the barking," it reinforces that its something to be upset about.

Also, picking a dog up and saying "there, there" also reinforces to them that they should be scared.

What worked with our skittish girl (afraid of men and metal food bowls) was for me to sit near her but not looking at her or talking to her. If she stayed calm while my husband walked quietly through the furthest part of the room, I'd hand her a tiny bit of yummy food (she LOVES steak, potato chips, and cheese). If she shivered or barked, I'd just ignore her. So...a distant exposure to the noise or situation that is scaring your dog, with treats as long as they are calm about it.

I'm sure that there are other methods; and there will be other good suggestions from the members here. If you don't have time to work with Taz; you may consider a professional dog trainer to work with him on his skills.

 

[Crystal1]

Sorry about my previous post. I was yelled at a lot a child and still have problems with it at the age of 56. So sorry. Anyway, I've had a lot of dogs in my life and used to use lots of praise when they did something right, and ignoring or using a soda can of pebbles when they did something wrong. Recently I've gotten excited by the new "clicker" training. They have a lot of information on it on the web. I finally really understood it when I watched clicker training for people athletes. It's amazing how you can click on that nanosecond of perfect that you would miss if you used only praising! I recently went through a lot of dog training books at the library and a book, I believe it was called "Dog Training for Dummies" was the best I found (no insult intended). The main thing to remember is that if your dog is doing something right and you don't have a clicker or a treat, praise is what your dog lives for. As far as being afraid of noises, etc. It is usually recommended that you click a dog for being brave and ignore for scared. So if you are coming to a noise, click far away when the dog doesn't act scared, and continue to click as you get closer, until the dog starts to act scared, then ignore him when he acts scared. Do not give him any attention when he acts scared. Sometimes dogs will learn to do things for negative attention when they aren't getting enough positive attention. I realize that you have a child now and that it's hard to give enough positive attention. Remember too that shelties need walking outside your yard everyday and if you can't do it, maybe you could pay a responsible older child in your neighborhood to do it. Good Luck!!

 

[NewtoShelties]

We have a Golden Retriever who acts the very same way. This type of dog needs a lot of patience. When he was 1 year old, we got a Brittney Spaniel who was very outgoing. Her fearlessness showed him to not be afraid. He still cowers at the sight of a balloon, but she brought out the best in him. Unfortunately, she past away and we now have a shy Sheltie! We love him anyway and plan to get another outgoing one soon. I don't recommend that if you are overwhelmed with your 2 year old, but just remember patience and understanding and that nothing is scary.
Good luck!!!!

 

[Caro]

Herding breeds are more likely to be "skittish". Being on on their toes allows them to pick up the smallest changes in the sheep behaviour and hear for any dangers from some distance (esp storms coming). They also have excellent hearing and that's why they are more likely to be sensitive to noises like fireworks and thunder.

Yes - as dog's age they do tend to become more skittish. The also tend to be exposed to 'less' different noises as they get older. Can you take him out to relatively noisy places with treats - similar to what you prob did when he was a pup. The local shops are a great place to go.

You are right - yelling reinforces that there is something to be scared of.

Something else you may want to try at home is playing classical type music with lots of drums and percussion at a low level just so he gets used to clanking banging noises. Or even better - get hold of a copy of the Edinburgh Military Tattoo. I swear by the Tattoo - Deska is very noise sensitive, so bad that I couldn't even use thunder desensitisation tapes. But playing the Tattoo (I taped it from the TV) on a regular basis has made a huge diff to his noise sensitivity and when we have fireworks or thunder helps drown out the noise.

Chrystal - Don't be embarrassed - Puppies for Dummies was the best dog rearing book I have ever read.