Ask the Dog Trainer - Scaredy Cat French Bulldog
gollygear June 2nd, 2008
(This question was posted in the comments section. Please - in the future, make sure to email us with your questions. Do not post them in comments, or we might not notice them, which means you won’t get an answer)
I have just recently gotten a 5 month old french bull dog, his name is Chase. He is very scared of people and he will not go outside. He was not abused so we can not understand his behavior. I love him very much but, do not know what to do with him. He will bark at night when everyone is in bed but, other than that he stays underneath our bed.
What can we do to fix this?
Hope writes -
Since we’ll never know the cause of Chase’s timidity, we can only deal with the situation as presented.
Chase must learn to cope with the stresses of everyday life. Therefore - you mustn’t alter your normal life to accommodate his shyness. Don’t be an enabler.
Set up training situations. Arrange for someone to come over at a specific time. Have Chase ready, with his collar and leash already on. Chase needs to learn that the leash is a safety line straight to you. Have the person come in and have a short conversation. At this point, your guest should ignore Chase. If Chase hides behind your legs - move aside. He’s allowed to be in front of you, between your feet, but not allowed to hide.
Ask any guests to ignore him - not make cooing baby sounds and lean over him. Small dogs can find humans very intimidating - especially when they lean over. When he’s making progress and can cope with attention from other people, make sure they pet Chase beneath his chin, not on the top of his head which can be another threatening move. If he sits calmly, have the other person give him treats and tell him he’s a good boy - calmly. Break off any training session as soon as you see Chase’s stress level increase.
Treat his successes with praise - calmly. Don’t make a fuss. You have to help Chase learn that there’s nothing to be frightened of, nothing to get excited about, nothing to worry about. Your most important job in this process, which may be a long one, is to make sure that Chase is safe. Any progress you make could be undone if Chase is exposed to harm - even if the event is accidental. If you tell Chase that “it’s okay - say hello!” it better be okay. Should something happen that frightens him, be calm, assure him everything’s okay, and go back to whatever you were doing.
Ignore the behaviors you don’t want, calmly praise the ones you want to encourage. Be matter-of-fact in your training. The process may be a long one, and Chase may never be the life of the party, but with time and patience he’ll come out of the bedroom.
-Hope
