Helping an Anxious Dog Get Over His Fear of Strangers

For this Omaha dog training session we work with a very anxious Shih Tzu mix named Wally who has become fearful of people after having a bad experience at a dog boarding facility.

I used some Dog Psychology and many dog behavior tips to help, but Wally would start screaming when I moved. I tried to wait him out, but after a few minutes of sitting here, I wanted to use movement and distractions of a walk to help him stop reacting so fearfully.

But it wasn’t until I was back in the house, stepping on the leash to prevent him from moving away before he finally relaxed. I didnt want to use the leash as it is technically a tiny bit of force, but I had to help this little guy understand being near someone can be ok. I refrained from petting, looking at or talking to him. All I wanted him o do was relax while near me. The instant the leash went slack, I took my foot off and after that, we were besties.

There are many ways to help a fearful dog. I handed the guardians my camera so I could spend some time discussing tips to help fearful dogs stop being scared.

In addition to the fearful dog tips I shared in the above free dog training video, teaching Wally new tricks and commands can really help. If the guardians can take turns teaching him new tricks each week or so, he can help this dog develop confidence and self esteem, something he badly needs.

Id also like his guardians to call our booking coordinator in a week to arrange for the dog to drop in one one of our puppy classes. Being in a room full of puppies is a nice distraction and can help Wally practice not being fearful when strange people are around.

To help the guardians remember all the tips we covered in this in home Omaha dog training session, we filmed a roadmap to success video that you can check out below.