Question
Sasha
I recently adopted a 5 month old akita shepherd mix. She is doing great when it comes to house training. She walks nicely on a leash and is quickly learning the basic commands except for one. She won't come when called unless I kneel down. Another thing I noticed about her is when I take her out to places where there are a lot of people she walks slower, looks around more and often looks to me as if to say "Is it safe?" She isn't aggressive at all. If I sit beside her when people she doesn't know pet her she'll slightly wag her tail and look to me for reassurance that she's ok. She is a typical puppy at home. Very friendly with everyone I live with. I just wish she wasn't so shy in public and she wouldn't cower when we stand over her. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
AnswerYour puppy appears to be a sweet tempered, reserved dog. The Akita is not overly friendly toward strangers, nor is the GSD. From the picture, Sasha appears to me to be a Lab mix, but if you know for certain that her mix is GSD and Akita, you can attribute her stand offishness (hesitancy toward strangers) as breed specific and normal. Continue socializing her, being sure not to reward her hesitancy or fear but her acceptance of, and interaction with, dog-friendly people. Take care not to expose her to situations where there are very large crowds, especially boisterous situations, as this could set back her developing acceptance of strangers. Her "shyness" in public is the result of her lack of socialization, which you are now in the process of correcting; however, certain aspects of this behavior might be her basic temperament. This is not to say that a "shy", or even an outright fearful, dog at this age can't be socialized and learn to love and accept people. They can! So keep on working with her in this regard through the next year, at least. Reward (verbal or treats), consistent calm reassurance and continuous exposure will no doubt help her to become a marvelous companion.
Regarding your recall, standing up in front of a dog is a dominant posture. There is absolutely no reason you need to do that if it is interfering with her recall. I teach people to play "round robin recall" with family members, wherein the dog is called (and do not use the word "come" as most dogs have acquired learned resistance or refusal) by one family member after another as they squat (or sit) in a large circle (in a fenced in area.) When the dog gets to each person, the dog receives a treat and large praise as the next person begins to call the dog, and so on. Playing this game is fun for everyone (dogs should HAVE FUN learning) and encourages a very strong recall response in the dog. ALWAYS make the recall fun. I can get dogs that are total strangers to me to come to me by squatting and opening my arms. The recall (unless you are going into serious obedience work, which you are not) is a life saving exercise intended to remove the dog from harm or from behavior that may harm (such as running after objects, going too far from owner off lead, etc.) One obtains a 100% successful recall by doing what makes the dog the most cooperative.
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