It's All Good

          Getting a dog that is scared of everything to become confident and secure takes a lot of time, patience, and repetition. When they are introduced to something new, it's your job to make them realize it is not a bad thing. You have to make sure that every new  experience they have is a good one. 

          Associating something that she already liked with something new is how I got Kai to enjoy new things, and even things that she previously disliked. When I needed to brush her she would always try to run away or turn around, making my job very difficult. I started softly petting her and telling her "good girl", when she was calmed down I also started brushing her. She definitely wasn't thrilled about this, but she let me continue. I did this every time I brushed her until she wasn't anxious about it anymore. (I may have also added a few treats to this routine, treats never hurt!) I did the same thing with her when giving her a bath, she absolutely despised baths and would jump out every chance she got! Usually my husband would have to hold her while I washed her, and it was just a huge hassle. The past few months though, she has been a whole lot better about bath time. She doesn't enjoy it, but she sits there and lets me get her all nice and clean without putting up a fight.

          Dogs love food. Everyone knows this, if your dog has an opportunity to eat, it will not be passed up! So why not use this to your advantage? Every time you do something new with your dog, toss him a treat. If your dog is afraid of something, you should be able to change that thing into something they think is good.

          To Kai just about everything was new and scary. She was unsocialized, untrained and insecure. Just getting her collar and leash on was a huge deal. So I made everything a good thing. She let me put her leash on: "Good girl!" *treat*. She walked down the stairs (which she was extremely afraid of): "Good girl!" *treat*. She simply came up to me: "Good girl!" *treat*. I made a big deal of everything, because I had to, and it worked.

          Never force your dog into doing something they are afraid of. Doing that may be a whole lot quicker, but you're going to have to force them every single time, and they wont make it easy. Use what you know your dog does like, whether it be treats, a toy, or just being pet. These things are the key to a happy and cooperative dog. Just be patient, take your time and make it into a good thing. :)