Gaining Her Trust

I am trying to train Camber to be more trusting of me. She is very timid around males. I want her to be able to hop up on the couch while I am sitting there. She’ll do if my girlfriend is on the couch, but not me.

I tried coaxing her with a Greenie which is her favorite. I’d let her see and smell it, put on the sofa, the next cushion down and command her to hop up on the sofa. If I was sitting somewhere else, she’d jump right up there. Now, she circles around nervous, not sure what to do and just lays down on the other side of the room with her mouth watering.

When I give her treats, if it’s not right into her mouth, she’ll get freaked and just walk away. This has made training so difficult as even giving her treats is not sure-fire. She’ll walk away from any treat. She won’t even go on her hind legs to grab it.

What should I do?

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Permalink Reply by GoGoRainbow on November 19, 2009 at 11:59pm

you might know her history, BUT I don't, so my guess is she lived in a house where she could totally get away with being on the couch with the woman and when she was alone but the man would very much discipline her whenever he was home for getting on the furniture (inconsistent parenting ;))

No advice though beyond what everyone else has given.

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Permalink Reply by mosesbotbol on November 20, 2009 at 6:46am

Well her history is that she was in a small cage for 4 years and never really got out of it except for going to bathroom. She was abused by the owner's son and she took her back but was an animal hoarder and could't spend any time with her. We got her at 4 years age and she did not know her name or could walk on a leash.

She gets nervous eating. If I walk by her bowl, she'll usually stop eating. Her meals take 25 seconds to complete!

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Permalink Reply by mosesbotbol on November 20, 2009 at 6:43am

She hardly ever barks. Everyone says she is the most quiet & chill dog they have met. I can bring her to anyone's house as she has never had an accident anywhere and just sits in the corner looking cute.

The only times she barks is when I take her out in the morning and she wants to come inside for her breakfast. If I startle her, she scurry away, but that is it. Never any signs of agression. She is not fond of petting on top of her; just her belly area. She'll do that nervous lick if you pet her by anyone. None of that stops me from picking her up everyday.

Our Vet says Camber is the most feminine dog she has ever seen. Everything is so lady like with Camber. The way she sits and her face, along with the "stuburn" attitude that some female dogs have in spades...

She likes to sit next to me in the car.

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Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on November 20, 2009 at 9:49am

I started a discussion last night on a natural(?) product called Composure...I plan on calling the vet tech I like on Mon. to get more info but from our vet clinic news letter this might be something you would want to check into.It helps alleviate stress related behaviors such as nervousness and hyperactivity without affecting energy levels or personality...I will try to see if I can put the info on my discussion. I am thinking of using it for my "barker".