Hi all, has anyone got any good exercises which will give a dog confidence in it's self.

Warm regards Susan

anything that the dog enjoys,scenting /finding exercises are good,you can do it inside or outside ,on or off the lead.

Hi Susan,

I agree with Michelled - work mainly on things he enjoys :)  Are there any obvious areas where he is lacking confidence - such as specific situations, noises, people, traffic etc or is it just his general demeanour?

Regards Teri

 

Agility!

Yes it is her general demeanour but worse when walking outside if  someone approachs she backs off behind me and then comes next to me once they've passed.

Warm regards Susan

Susan does he panic when big trucks or buses pass by , then start to drag? My max does and its irritation

i dont clicker train,but if i had a nervous unconfident dog i would,as it encourages the dog to think & work things out.
you could also try some TT touchs to build up the relationship between you

tellington touches,its a kind of massage,very relaxing for the dog & easy for you!!!!
you can do it any where too,infront of the TV or when you are out,just sit & do abit if shes abit stressy.
im sure there is a web site, & theres a book & video

Hi Susan,

Have you tried taking her somewhere regularly (as in every other day at least but preferably every day) that she can see lots of people but not have to interact with them or have them directly approaching her?  Try places like outside a shopping centre, in a park near a playground, sitting on a bench in a pedestrian precinct, walking round a car boot sale, garden centres, a village on market day, in a pub or beer garden.  Busy places but not bustling if you know what I mean ;)

Also while I'm sure you're remembering not to reward or condone her lack of confidence by fussing her when she's nervy or unsure, you also have to be vigilant and remember to praise her every time she doesn't show an adverse reaction.  It's easy (been there & done that myself ;) ) to look for the problem so intently that we fail to notice a nano-second of the desired behaviour but it's important that we do praise for that tiny moment of correct response.

The more often she can get used to people being around who pose no threat to her, indeed show little or no interest in her, the more quickly she will start to relax about them.  The more often you habitually do the same thing and she has no negative experiences, the more quickly she will come round.  HTH, regards Teri :)

Thanks Teri for the advice, i have socialied her as a pup, but she's still unconfident, although i do try to ignore her when she hides, but now you've mentioned it i do forget to praise the good behaviour.  I will do as you've advised and sit and watch the world go by in not to busy places.  Thanks Teri.

She's okay when buses and cars or trucks go past it's just people she worries about.

Hi Michelled whats TT touches, i'm probably being slow here.

Warm regards Susan

You can also do things like play games with her like the tug of war games, but let her win more often.  That should also increase her confidence (according to a puppy book I'm reading at the moment). 

Yeah tug of war is awsome. If she hasn't gotten most of her adult teeth in then watch out , my Bella has very crippled bottom set of teeth from playing tug of war when she was a puppy!

Thanks guys she's getting there slowly but surely, i was suprised yesterday when we took her the shops she wagged her tail the whole way around but i think thats got something to do with my parnter she seems to bounce of his enthusiam, i'm to serious.

Warm regards Susan

My Lab was also very timid and submissive with people and other dogs.  Agility was suggested to us and seems to have worked wonders.  She loved agility. 

I also discovered my actions governed how she reacted when meeting strange people.  She'd run up to strangers, not too close though, and bark at them, less so with women than men.  Then she'd duck behind  me and hide.  But I noticed she did not do this with people I knew and so began to greet everyone I met, stranger or not, with a cheerful hello and that stopped the barking. 

My suggestion would be flyball!!! Agility is also a great activity to build confidence.  But for me Flyball is the key.  LOL
Sheena