George the not so brave!

George is now staying with us the old English sheep dog is a great dog if a little bit quiet and a little shy. George is nervous and anxious and so I'm trying different things to try to bring him out of his shell. When a dog is anxious like this is important to give them lots of confidence and to perhaps slacken some of your rules in order to allow them to feel comfortable to be themselves.




George was walking behind me on the first day which I find very disconcerting as it indicates a dog that lacks confidence. I prefer a dog to be happy and confident and running forward to smell all the exciting scents that should captivate a dogs attention! I like to walk in Sutton Park when I have a dog like this because it allows the dog to experience a variety of smells and encourages the dog side of them to come out. They also meet lots of other dogs and as long as each encounter is managed and goes well, this too gives confidence to the dog!

I don't speak to the dog unless it is for a specific reason! Calling them to you, playing with them or encouraging them is fine, but too many people talk continually to their dogs and this tends to switch them off and makes them less likely to respond to an urgent command! Talk less and then speak to your dog and you will see that you can get their attention a lot quicker!

It is also important to be a leader to the dog to take away their feelings of having to protect you and help you. It is important that you are in charge and that they feel confident that you can deal with any situation.

George is settling nicely but will be a work in progress for his owners for sometime due to his nervy nature!

Cheers Steve