13 Week Old Hesitant Pup

    • Bronze

    13 Week Old Hesitant Pup

    We adopted a pup from a shelter this weekend. She is 13 weeks old. Her mom was a plott hound/lab mix and the dad is unknown. She was brought into a kill shelter down south with her mom and all 6 of her litter mates around 5 weeeks of age. I know nothing about their history before that. They were in the kill shelter and schedule to be pu down last week. They were rescued by a shelter in NJ that same day. They arrived in NJ at 12 weeks of age. At that point the litter was split in half with 3 going to one foster home and 3 more going to another. She was in the foster home for a week then we adopted her. She was a little hesitant when the foster mom brought her over but out pug helped her come out. By the end of that day she was having fun with us. Now 3 days later she is really out of her shell and doing great. She is definitely not socialized well at all though. She plays with my 7 year old daughter very well, is a little be hesitant of my 2 year old son but she is now starting to lay with him and hang out with him. We've been positively reinforcing that all the time and she is used to him now. But when other people come over, it starts all over again with them. She will stay in the other room and only check them out. She doesn't hide but is hesitant. I know its because she isn't socialized. We've been giving them treats to offer to her and sometimes she takes them and sometimes she doesn't. If some friends stay all day the dog gets used to them and is ok. If its only for a half hour the dog stays out of the room.

    Here is what I am wondering. I've read articles that speak of doom if a puppy is not well socialized by the time they are this age and I've read articles that say if we just continue to socialize her and work on it will be ok. I'm assuming I may get the same mix of responses by posting this, but wanted to see what people had to say about it.

    Thanks for any input!

    • Gold Top Dog

    I think they have a "fear period" around this age, so I would keep up with socialization but not push too hard.  It sounds like you are doing a good job, not pushing it and giving her treats and positive reinforcement.

    • Gold Top Dog

    Agreed.  One thing I can suggest, is to have the company sit on the floor but not look at her.  Just completely ignore her.  When and if she comes forward for the treat, they should also ignore her, but YOU should praise her and let it go at that.  Let her go at her own pace and she should start warming up to strangers.

    • Bronze

    Thanks for the support! She does seem like a sweet pup and every day she has come out more and more. Hopefully if we just keep it up and don't push her she will do fine.

     That's a good suggestion about having them ignore her completely and have me provide the praising. I will try that. They have been sitting on the floor but they have also been actively addressing her.

    • Gold Top Dog

     With pups that start late, you can still get a good result if you began at 12 weeks and continue.  Glenda's suggestions are great, and I would add that she should go to class NOW at a positive training facility that has an off leash play period at the start of class.  The repetitive nature of class helps some pups come out of their shells because they learn that they aren't hurt when they go there.  It's not unusual to have some puppies hide under the chairs the first few weeks, but by week 6 they are out with all the other puppies.  Just make sure your instructor is aware that the pup is shy before you get there, so some accomodation can be made for steering her clear of any possible bullies.

    • Bronze

    Actually I think I am going to talk to some trainers and see if there is someone we like that can help guide us through this as I don't want to do something to make it worse. I had her out tonight to take her for a walk got 2 houses down the street - like 300 feet and a dog started to bark somewhere and she lost it. Tail way between her legs, up to her belly and just bolting in the opposite direction choking herself she was running so fast trying to get home. People have suggested I give her lots of treats and things when she is out and in a new experience. But I am concerned its getting to a point the treats are rewarding her for acting scared. Plus when she gets like the way she did tonight just overly stressed and scared, not even liver can entice her. She is like a different dog now in the house and acts totally like a regular puppy but once you walk out the front door with her she gets so shy again.

    • Gold Top Dog

    One of the worst mistakes we make as owners is to "baby" our pups when they encounter a frightening situation.  If we validate their fear by making a big deal over it, that fear is going to increase.  If we are simply matter of fact about it, not unkind, but not crazy "oh poor baby" type thing, they accept fearful things are part of life and not so scary.

    it is always a good idea to work with a trainer though.