April 21, 2011
I used to rub my pup's nose in her mistake on the floor. I have stopped doing this, but she is still scared of me. What can I do?
Full Question:
Hello! I am hoping you can help me with our Puppy? I have purchased the books, and taps and read all the articles you on your site.We have had our pup for 8 weeks now and things are going well. The biting is calming down unless she gets in a hyper mood. Which is usually when we get home and let her out of the crate.
The house training is also going well? Except that after a few accidents, I did what your site recommended. We stopped putting her nose in her mistake, and I would grab her by the scuff of her neck and shake her? She is now a little scared of me. Good example being, when I approach her crate from coming home, she will pee in the crate and then out of the crate on the floor while I am putting on her leash. I take her out, and she still does her duty. Now, when I talk in a high pitch voice to her and constantly say, ?Good Girl? while I approach the crate, etc? The tendency is she will not pee most of the time.
She still wags her tail and approaches me when she wants and if I say, Do you want a treat? I am her best friend again for about 5 minutes. Immediately after she eats her treat, she is hesitant to approach, so I ignore her until she freely will come to me.
Is there any advice you can add to build our relationship back up again? My fear is that she will never listen to me or come to me when I call her in the back yard, etc? She never used to leave my site until the few grabs of the neck and shakes. Now, she will at times pee uncontrollably when I approach the crate, etc? Another good example would be the other night: My wife and children went upstairs to get ready for bed, I was with the pup in the family room? She would not approach me whatsoever. I went into the kitchen where she came half way and sat under the kitchen chair. As I walked back to the family room and sat back down, she did approach me ? I said nothing. But when I got up, and called her? She walked away, she peed a little and I approached her with no scolding but a high pitch tone. She peed a little more, and then stopped. I cleaned up the mess which is no big deal because it is on wood floors ? She then took to me and wanted to be me?
One last note: At times when I do let her out the crate to go out, I?ll approach the crate, say good girl repeatedly, open the crate and walk away so she follows me. When she takes to me which is seconds, I'll pick her up and put the leash on and take her out? This seems to eliminate the peeing activity.. But she will pee at the other times mentioned.
What else can I do ? how long before she will stop this peeing?
Thanks
-George
![Cindy](https://leerburg.com/Photos/articles/authors/cindyrhodes.jpg)
![Cindy](https://leerburg.com/Photos/articles/authors/cindyrhodes.jpg)
It takes a long long long time to gain the trust of a puppy you screwed up so bad (by rubbing its nose in the shit and piss). All you can do is continue to be a treat machine.
Now you need to work at rebuilding her trust.
Follow what I told you in the puppy video. Everything needs to be positive. No pup should every get a correction except for not coming when called an even then the handler should never put the dog in a position where he should have to correct for this. Have the dog wear a 20 foot cotton line outside.
USE FOOD with this dog to gain her trust. Give her all the love you can – that’s all you can do.
Now you need to work at rebuilding her trust.
Follow what I told you in the puppy video. Everything needs to be positive. No pup should every get a correction except for not coming when called an even then the handler should never put the dog in a position where he should have to correct for this. Have the dog wear a 20 foot cotton line outside.
USE FOOD with this dog to gain her trust. Give her all the love you can – that’s all you can do.
100% (1 out of 1)
respondents found this answer helpful
![](https://leerburg.com/Photos/index-imgs/ask-cindy-question-marks.png)
![Expert Dog Trainer Cindy Rhodes](https://leerburg.com/Photos/index-imgs/ask-cindy-portrait.png)
Can't find what you're looking for?