Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
My 6.5 month old German Shepherd is scared of cartoons and other dogs. If someone comes into our house she will bark, but if that guy is clothed she will be run and bark from far:-( What can I do? I want to train her to attack and bite.
By Raz from Netherland
Why on earth do you want to train her to attack? That asking for trouble.
Marg.
It's called a "watch dog" for protection.
I adopted a Pom mix dog from a former co-worker about 7 months ago. My former co-worker doesn't run me as the abusive type, she speaks very gently and has a new born baby in her home, but I can't speak for everyone around her. 
I adopted Olive to be my 2 year old Pom-Chi's companion since my husband and I weren't home for 5 hours a day. Daisy, my 2 year old dog, right off the bat loved Olive, but Olive from the moment she was put into my arms seemed a bit off. She's extremely timid and hard to potty train. She is very loving and all that, but if you raise your voice by laughing she pees on herself and hides. I need help since I am so in love with her I can't let her go because of this. I want to help her in any way I can. Please help!
This dog is extremely anxious. She has been mistreated. I doubt your soft-spoken maternal coworker is the culprit. Perhaps it was the baby daddy. Or perhaps your coworker rescued the dog from someone else.
It doesn't really matter who it was. I just recommended to someone else that when you're dealing with a timid rescue that clicker training is a valuable tool, and I think you would benefit from it as well. Clicker training is a positive, rewards-only training that relies on a conditioned response. Dogs actually like it. Here is one of the most popular clicker training courses: www.clickertraining.com/
If this looks good to you, get some training stuff and get started.
I have a 6 month old Jack Russell who I bought from Gumtree 4 weeks ago. He is very nervous and growls at people when they come into my house. He is eventually coming around to me and my husband, but not my daughters and son. When they try to stroke him he wees a large amount and cowers on the floor or if we are sittting down he will jump onto our knee and not move.
I don't know if he has been abused or if he is just a nervous dog. Is there anywhere I can take him to get him some help or a link on the internet I could look at. Thank you.A good start immediately would be a medical and behavioral evaluation by your vet for any medical problems. Then, some formal dog training classes will help in helping your dog's behavior and interactions with you and others.
I have 4 month old Rottweiler. A few days back he was under attack by a dog. After that he never comes in front of any dog, he hides behind me and starts running.
If a dog is far away then he stands confidentially, but when the dog comes near, even a 2 month puppy, he starts shaking. What should I do?It's going to take practice, patience and positive reinforcement.
Go out with a pocket full of treats. Have the puppy on a short leash, not a flexi leash. Make sure the leash is only long enough to reach the puppy if he is right next to you.
You'll need a friend's help with this. Someone who has a very well behaved dog. When you walk the puppy, stand up straight, shoulders back. Be calm. Your dog will know the difference.
Your friend is walking her dog toward your direction. Walk straight by without acknowledging the other dog. If your puppy freaks out and gets tangled up, stop and go back a ways, then start over. Don't talk to your puppy or pet him and don't pull on the leash. You should be holding it loosely looped around your hand. It's your puppy doing this, not you.
When your dog completes a pass, wait until he stops shaking (this is important!) and then reward him. He needs to be calm when you reward him. If he isn't calm, resist the urge to give him a treat.
The trick here is patience. If you find yourself gripping the leash tightly or pulling the dog, stop for a bit and decompress. You're getting impatient. This might take a while.
I have a 2 year old English Mastiff that out of nowhere has developed a fear of floors. How can I get him past this fear?
By Ann S from Langhorne, PA
Do his nails need trimming? If they are long they make a tap-tap-tap noise as they walk across the floor and I've seen that frightened several dogs.
I have a 6 month old female hound mix puppy. She is becoming more afraid of everything. She acts like she needs constant attention and wants to sit up under someone constantly all day. She can't stand to be at least 3 feet away from someone. It seems like its getting worst.
By Jennifer M.
Please take your puppy to a vet for help. If you do not know what is making the puppy so wary, you may not be able to help and the problem will just become worse. The vet is trained in assessing possible behavior, medical, etc., problems with animals and can help you help your puppy.
Most of the time my dog's a great dog. He's awesome with people, other animals, kids, and almost everything. The only problem is he's afraid when things go over his head. He will run and slink down. I don't really have anyone to help me, so what can I do to help him overcome this fear?
By Brian
You can have sessions with a squeaky toy or something else he likes. Move the toy all around, and sometimes over his head.
My 3 year old Malamute is scared of men and cars, men are the worst. She can't pass men on the street. I think the previous owner was a bad person and she got badly beaten. She is so lovely and my family loves her to bits. She finally got a good home, but it's difficult to watch when she is so scared.
By peter
I don't have an answer for you, except that my Shih Tzu is the same way with men. She was 10 weeks old when I got her and she loves my grown son and is warming up to my son-in-law but does not like any other men.
I have this dog and have had her for years. She's very very skittish of everything. I'm going out of my mind with her. We moved to a new apartment in February (it's July) and she's great in the apartment, but once she goes outside she's terrified of any kind of noise. At the dog park she's more confident and she only goes there once or twice a week. She goes outside here at least 3 times a day if not more.
We just bought her a self feeding water bowl and she's terrified of it when it bubbles so she won't even go near it. We put down a regular water bowl and now she's scared of it too thinking it will bubble. I'm at a loss with her.
By Crystal from Tallahassee, FL
