Exposure

After a while Kai became comfortable with my husband and I. She was fine as long as she was with us, in our apartment. This was great in the sense that she no longer feared us, but that wasn't enough. She needed to be comfortable in other places, and with other people. 

To this day I still try to take her to new places, and have her meet new people as often as I can. To help your dog become more confident around people, one good trick is to always keep a few treats with you, and whenever someone is willing, ask them to give a treat to your dog. This will help them associate people with something good. The more people you can get to do this, the better. Also have your dog sit whenever someone is going to give them a treat, to help reinforce those good manners.

Taking them to new places is also a good idea, it gets them used to different sounds, smells and objects. The more they are exposed to, the less likely they are to be frightened by something new. One place that I like to take Kai is Home Depot. Not only do they allow dogs inside, but most of the workers there carry treats to give their four legged shoppers. There are also a lot of noises, people and moving objects (such as shopping carts and fork lifts). The first time I took Kai there was about four months ago, and she was so scared of the shopping carts that every time one went by she would try to run away. So I got a shopping cart, and had her walk around with me while I pushed it. I praised her when she walked, and kept calling her and giving her treats. She got less and less afraid the more we walked around the store. Now I can take her there and simply tie her to the handle of my cart, and go about my shopping while she walks right next to it.

          Simply walking your dog at the park, or down town is great exposure. Going on hikes or day trips to the river, and beach are also fun ways to get your dog used to different environments.