I Need A Little Help Here..

[Bethany Wacker]

Ok..first time puppy owner. Really not sure what to do. Lilly is a Norwegian Elkhound puppy that is nine weeks old. She seems pretty timid, but I did just get her, so I think that's normal? She loves being outside which is great! But sometimes when I go to pick her up (inside or outside) she tries to run the other way. Loud noises still scare her. I'm not saying that any of this is different than any other puppy, but i'm at a loss of how to help her overcome her timidness. Help me?

 

[Ina]

Welcome Bethany,

what a gorgeous looking pup you got there!

Your puppy is getting to know her new family and home. You have to be patient with the little baby. Best way to get trust is to have some food or toy ready when you call her. Using a high-pitched voice also helps.
Your puppy doesn't speak english so you might want to try and speak "dog" when she is scared. Some of dogs calming signals that you can use when she gets spooked by a loud noise is to lick your lips, yawn and slow lazy blinks will tell her that you think this noise is alright.

I'm not an expert and I am sure lot's of others will chip in with some good advice.

 

[abby_someone]

My puppy who is also 9 weeks old was pretty timid as well, only not as much. Ina has some great suggestions, so I will only add one thing. With Kato, he was really intimidated when I leaned over him to pet him. He would run away as well. So, I used his favorite treats, I moved very slowly, and I didn't push him. Your little gal is just a baby, with more socialization, she will become much more confident. (Also, try starting on their level, down on the floor/ground by squatting and have a treat ready). Maybe we look scary to a puppy when we lean over them?

EDIT: I forgot to welcome you to the DTA!!! There is a LOT of information here on this site and even more really helpful people.

 

[sara]

Another great way to win a shy dogs trust is handfeeding all or part of her meals. Also, Kikopup has a great video on shy dogs.

I ADORE Elkhounds! They're adorable!

 

[Bethany Wacker]

Thank you! I never thought about how scary we must look when we lean over them. I will use the squatting trick next time. I'm sure she'll get better as the days go by. She doesn't seem as scared this morning, in fact she follows me when I leave the room. She is such a doll =]

 

[Saffy]

hehe saffy is six and she still hates loud noises! but there are many ways to calm dogs and i think ina is right talking in "dog launguage"