My 9mo old overly shy dog has taken to hiding and growling at anyone walking by. How can I correct this?

Gina (my dog) is a 9mo old border collie, australian cattle dog mix. She was not socialized until we adopted her after 4 months. We have taken steps to socialize her, yet it seems that she takes 1 step forward then 20 in reverse, worsening her reaction…

    My 9mo old overly shy dog has taken to hiding and growling at anyone walking by. How can I correct this?

    Gina (my dog) is a 9mo old border collie, australian cattle dog mix. She was not socialized until we adopted her after 4 months. We have taken steps to socialize her, yet it seems that she takes 1 step forward then 20 in reverse, worsening her reaction…...
    Dogs Training Discussions : My 9mo old overly shy dog has taken to hiding and growling at anyone walking by. How can I correct this?...

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    • My 9mo old overly shy dog has taken to hiding and growling at anyone walking by. How can I correct this?

      My 9mo old overly shy dog has taken to hiding and growling at anyone walking by. How can I correct this? Dogs Training Discussions
      Gina (my dog) is a 9mo old border collie, australian cattle dog mix. She was not socialized until we adopted her after 4 months. We have taken steps to socialize her, yet it seems that she takes 1 step forward then 20 in reverse, worsening her reaction to people who do not live in our household. She has not attempted to bite, but does hide and growl, making others nervous.

      My 9mo old overly shy dog has taken to hiding and growling at anyone walking by. How can I correct this?

      My 9mo old overly shy dog has taken to hiding and growling at anyone walking by. How can I correct this? Dogs Training Discussions
    • Sounds like fear aggression and you will need good trainer to deal with that. Also have her checked to see if she had distemper because if you didn't get her until after 4 months and she wasn't socialized it is possible she didnt' get properly vaccinated either.

    • Just as some dogs are highly dominant, some dogs are naturally fearful and shy - are born this way - and this kind of behavior can actually be quite dangerous as these dogs can become fear aggressive if pushed into a situation they are not comfortable with. Since regular training and socialization does not seem to be helping, I'd call my vet and get a recommendation for a professional trainer. Hiding and growling are behaviors that are precursors to biting from fear and it should be addressed before it happens.

    • Well that happened with our dog and what we had to do is have someone hold a favorite treat(someone she doesnt no)have them just stand/sit there no paying attention to the dog. Hopefully the dog will want the treat and go to the person. Make sure the person has more so they keep giving them to her and then have her gradully pet her. All i no is it worked for us. Good luck

    • Hire a behaviorist to work at home with you! This dog needs intervention! Tell visitors to not look at or attempt to touch the dog. Give the visitors treats. When the dog is hiding, tell the visitors to throw treats in her direction. The goal is to get to dog to associate visitors with something pleasureable (i.e. food). The goal is to get the dog out of hiding (reward for progress too!) and take treats from people.