Posted by I
on September 5, 2009, 7:33 pm, in reply to "How can I help my nervous dog around other dogs?"
Hi Phoebe,
Firstly, well done you for rescuing your girl, and recognising her potential. We don't know what has happened to her before, and she's only been with you for 6 weeks, so the first thing I would do is re-read your post and see how you are beating yourself up! How can she have confidence in you if you feel like this? It is very early days. Take it more slowly. Does she enjoy the classes, or is she frightened of the other dogs? If so, stop participating, take the pressure off, and go along just to watch from a safe place where she won't feel cornered. If she enjoys participating, praise her for all the positives, and ignore all negative behaviour.
Actually, the fact that she 'broke off' when you resorted to shouting is an indication that she respects you - dogs don't usually even hear when they've lunged at another- ok, it would be better not to shout, but she responded -LOTS of praise for that - GOOD dog!!
Tell us more - she sounds lovely, and there is no way you are 'letting her down'.
Imogen
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