My 13 week old puppy has a fear of other dogs. She only went on her first walk today, but i noticed that she was very frinedly towards prople but would refuse to approach any dogs. She lives with my other dog whom she adores and has met my two of my friends dogs without problems. She has been to training school since 8 weeks and doesn't seem too bad there although she can be a bit reserved around them sometimes. We went to a puppy party at the vets last week and she stayed under the chair the whole time and gave a little growl if approached. However going to the party she got car sick and i think she felt pretty rotten during the party and so i wonder if she remembers feeling bad around the other dogs and has made a bad association as i hadn't seen this fear before the party. I recognise it is only early for her though as today was her first walk and so perhaps in time she will get a little confidence. I was wondering what i should do when she backs away from the dogs? i don't want to encourage her nervousness so should i just ignore her or reassure her? Will she come out of her shell?

Just ignore her nervousness. Any 'reassurance' will be read as praise for the inappropriate behaviour and she will get worse. Don't force her to say hello to other dogs. If you pretend they're not there (don't try to avoid them) she will be reassured by your confidence and take courage from you.
:)

In your experience do pups that have a fear of dogs grow out of it when given adequate socialisation?

They can certainly be made worse if the situation is handled inappropriately. Between now and about 16 weeks is critical in forming her view of life - if her experiences are as positive as you can make them, you'll be doing her a great favour. If she gets stressed out, or pushed (in her opinion) too far too fast, or scared she will never be as confident and happy as she could be.
:)

Thanks, it was a real surprise because up until the puppy party she always seemed laid back. As i already have a nervous dog i am anxious that she doesn't also become nervous.

Nervousness is very infectious! Don't take them out together.
:)

Just a thought, i am a dog walker. Would it help to take her out on a walk with one of the confident dogs, or would that be pushing it?

I think that would be a great idea. Just make sure it is a confident dog who isn't really playful, you don't want to pressure her too much.
What did the trainer say about her at the training classes? If puppy parties or any puppy play sessions are not managed properly they can be very overwhelming for sensitive dogs, as you know if a pup has bad experiences during this period it can have really bad consequences. How were the play sessions handled at the training? Did she have a good time there generally?
Take her somewhere were there are lots of dogs, but where she doesn't have to interact with them, and play a nice game and reward her well. If she feels confident and wants to approach another dog, make absolutely sure that it's friendly and then reward her really well for making the initiative. If another dog approaches and frightens her, take charge of the situation, let her know that you can deal with it and get between her and the other dog and fend it off.
Basically, never put her in a situation that she's not comfortable with, and go all out for making sure that all experiences with other dogs are positive to cancel out whatever negatives she's had.
I'm sure she'll be ok, it sounds like you are doing all the right things for her so she is very lucky to have you!

best of luck,

Jo

Thanks so much, i really needed positive comments and you have all been helpful. I must admit that i tried to avoid nervous puppies as i had such a hard time with my first dog and although i hate to admit it i was disappointed when she showed the same characteristics. I do love her and wouldn't give her up so i will try anything to boost her confidence. Thanks! :-)
The trainer at the class was surprised when i told her aboout ellie's fear of dogs as up until recently she has seemed laid back. She has another puppy party at the vets next week and i am hoping this might help. Last time the vet saw a dalmation puppy was scared to the point of growling and snapping and so she tried to integrate the pup, and by the end the puppy was running about and playing, so i guess it can be done.
Thanks again.

Dogs are very good at picking up our own negative emotions.

Do you think perhaps you may be unwittingly feeding her fears? This could be by being sympathetic when she is unsure, therby confirming in her mind that there must be something to worry about?

As you had a nervous dog before, could it be that you are apprehensive in certain situations, around strange dogs etc?

Vets puppy parties can be a great idea in that the pups usually learn to love the vet and the practice (my dog bounces in to the surgery, tail wagging madly) but they can also be a bit of a negative experience. For example if all pups are let off together and some pups are not so well matched, say a sensitive Sheltie let off with a bouncing Boxer, it can teach dogs to become defensive or scared in no time.

Vets aren't trainers so may miss the finer nuances of very important happenings at these parties. NOt saying that they aren't good - just that one has to watch carefully. Mypup learnt to bounce up to strange dogs as a direct result of the vet pup party: not always a good idea, andit took me a little while to sort it out.

The best ones suit pups to playing and also keep them back on leads on occasion, and involved a litle bit of owner participation, such as recall and then release again. My pup was much less interested in me for a few weeks around vet puppy party time which is unusual for her shepherd breed.

Generally i do feel they are a very good thing, but if you feel your pup is worried think carefully - maybe other ways of socialising (like meeting other dogs with the confident dog you mention) would be better. And don't let the vet or anyone drag her out if she is hiding. She must do things in her own time as it will mean more in the long run. JMHO ;)

Good luck :)

Lindsay

Thanks for your replies. I must admit, being unlucky enough to get two nervous dogs i have begun to wonder if it was my fault. Having gone through it with my first dog i don't tend to reassure them when they get scared and try and say good girl when she shows some sign of interest in other dogs. Its difficult to strike a balance between reassuring too much and giving some degree of praise. For example she has also begun to show a fear of cars, something i did not want her to do because my other dog still has a fear of cars (and anything that moves - she is a border collie). So today i was trying to praise her for ignoring the cars, but she wouldn't ignore them because she was scared - so how do i reassure her? Its difficult.
As for the puppy party, i must admit it was absolute chaos, with some very confident puppies. One of the terriers actually went for a border collie because he was so excited and it took an agonising couple of minutes to get the terrier to let go of the (screaming) collie. (Its not really surprising she was scared when you consider that!) The terrier was asked to leave and as it turns out the vet later phoned my trainer and asked her to try and help him. My trainer was shocked to hear that the puppies were just left to play off lead. In the classes that i go to, they are occaisionally allowed off lead but the vast majority is controlled on lead interaction, which she seems slightly happier with.

It's very difficult striking the right balance, and getting the timing right! I've been told that it often helps if you can find a bench or similar near-ish a road and just sit there (with a book or something) with your dog. Just completely ignore your dog (this is where the book is useful, you can raise it to block any eye contact) until she has started to accept the cars going by. It can take quite a long time (again a good reason for taking the book!), but the theory is that, if she can see that you are completely unbothered by the traffic, she will eventually start to take her cue from you. When she looks at you, praise her. As soon as she looks back at the cars, get back to your book.
:)

Thanks Jeangenie, you seem to have lots of good advice, thank you for all your help! :-) (I think i shall wait for a dry and sunny day though, today was a bit too nasty!)