shy dog

Question
I adopted a 1 1/2 year old newfie that is extremely shy and frightened. this is her 3rd home and i am not sure of her past. we have had her about 1 week has come along way.
I wasn't able to get her out of my garage she is afraid of people and cars.At first I was not able to get her to go out of my neighborhood now I am able to cross the street into the shopping center but if she sees people she goes crazy like she saw a ghost. I am just taking baby steps with her. She is very hyper and jumps like a kangaroo when she sees me. I have wondered if she had been abused or very neglected. I want her to have a normal life. Most of all I don't want her to become a fear biter. OH and I am unable to get her to go into her crate which I really want to stay when I am not home so she doesn't chew anything. Any tips that you would have would be greatly appreciated.


Answer
Hi Lisa

well done for trying to give this poor dog a chance.

The best thing you can do is to take it very slowly, as you have been doing.  It will take her a long time to accept that she is in a permanent home now - she will be very insecure and anxious as she has been passed around so much.  There is likely to be a reason why she has been rehomed so often - don't expect her to be easy.

Take everything at her pace, don't do anything new with her until she can cope with what she knows.  It will take about 6 months for her to really settle in and feel safe in your home so take it easy until then.  Stick to a routine so she has some predictability in her life and don't introduce her to new things too often.  There is no rush to expose her to stuff and doing it too soon will make her more likely to behave aggressively.  She trusts you to keep her safe so make sure you observe how she is feeling all the time and slow down if she is not coping.

The same applies with the crate - unless you really need it, I would try to do without it.  You will not get her in quickly anyway as you must gradually get her used to it - you may as well spend that time getting her used to being left so she doesn't feel the need to chew instead.  She will only chew if she is not ready to be left alone.  Leave her with plenty of stuff she can chew safely.

Good luck

Lucy