Hi all - New to the board. We brought a pup home last week and as expected she was very scared the first two days. No problems putting her in the expen or crate - she wanted to be there. Now she is more comfortable around us but I can't tether her to leash b/c there is is no way she will walk around with me. She tends to hang back or just sit there. A week in and she's still a little more skiddish than I'd like. She's also has a low food drive, raw meat being the best treat to work with. Right now I took her for a walk down our long drive to the edge of our property and the road. I wanted to see how she did. When a loud truck drove by she got really scared and wanted to rush back home (legs trembling). I comforted her and we walked on leash calmly (at my urging), stopping along the way for petting. This dog was purchased for our new homestead with the idea of it being an all purpose dog helper in guarding/herding small livestock. I'm really worried if she's right. The other important criteria was that she be good with a 2.5 and 6 yr old. That she is - very sweet no worries that she would harm them.

Advice/ideas? I keep contemplating returning her for another pup.

Welcome! What breed is she? Why did you pick the particular pup that you did? What type of environment was she in before you got her?

Keep in mind that she could be going through a fear period right now and that could explain some of her behavior. And it could be compounded by everything new. She probably needs to adjust a bit more. I think it's a bit easier for 8-10 week old pup to adjust than it is for a slightly older one.

Fwiw, being afraid of a noisy truck at this point isn't something that would worry me too much.

 Quote: Janiz Arrigo

Hi all - New to the board. We brought a pup home last week and
as expected she was very scared the first two days.
No problems putting her in the expen or crate - she wanted to be there. Now she is more comfortable around us but
I can't tether her to leash b/c there is is no way she will walk around with me.
She tends to hang back or just sit there.
A week in and she's still a little more skiddish than I'd like.
She's also has a low food drive, raw meat being the best treat to work with. Right now I took her for a walk down our long drive to the edge of our property and the road. I wanted to see how she did.
When a loud truck drove by she got really scared and wanted to rush back home (legs trembling).
I comforted her and we walked on leash calmly (at my urging), stopping along the way for petting. This dog was purchased for our new homestead with the idea of it being an all purpose dog helper in guarding/herding small livestock.
I'm really worried if she's right.
The other important criteria was that she be good with a 2.5 and 6 yr old. That she is - very sweet no worries that she would harm them.

Advice/ideas?
I keep contemplating returning her for another pup.

Folks with more expertise will post, but meanwhile, I'll put in my 2 cents worth here:
I would return this puppy, because it seems to me that she has Inborn Bad Nerves and will always tend to be Scared & Skittish around new or unusual things & circumstances

Thanks - it's an eng. shepherd dog. She was with her several of her litter mates in an outdoor pen at day and inside at night. With many other adult dogs owned by the breeder. I relied on the breeder to help guide me as I'm new to this. While in the pen with her litter mates she was the loudest and more frequent barker. I noticed around the kids she was very excited but immediately rolled over and exposed her underside. I question whether she was submissive but breeder reassured me NO. Otherwise she ran around us and the grounds like a normal pup. We're also having problems with her feeding her - rejecting the food that even the breeder used. The only food she will take no problem is raw (which I wasn't ready for the commitment). So on top of the fear I have the worry that she'll drop weight too quickly. I can already tell the harness is a little bigger.

I should mention that she and one other were the smaller ones in the litter (just discovered that yesterday).

Did the breeder have several pups left from the litter?

That would bother me quite a bit. Pups at that age need socialization and people time, not just littermate interaction. I'm guessing part of the issues are coming from the fact that everything is so different.
You also aren't able to properly evaluate a pup solely in the presence of it's littermates.

I wouldn't get another pup from the same breeder. I would evaluate your priorities. If this pup is great with your kids and that is a top priority then I'd likely keep her. And get another dog when you move to the farm if she isn't up for that.

If you opt for another pup I would look for a 8-10 w/o from a different breeder.

If the parents had solid temperaments and she's in a puppy fear period (good possibility but not certain of course) she may straighten out in a week or two. But she may not.

 Quote: Janiz Arrigo

Thanks - it's an eng. shepherd dog. She was with her several of her litter mates in an outdoor pen at day and inside at night. With many other adult dogs owned by the breeder. I relied on the breeder to help guide me as I'm new to this.
While in the pen with her litter mates she was the loudest and more frequent barker.
I noticed around the kids she was very excited but immediately rolled over and exposed her underside. I question whether she was submissive but breeder reassured me NO.
Otherwise she ran around us and the grounds like a normal pup.
We're also having problems with her feeding her - rejecting the food that even the breeder used. The only food she will take no problem is raw (which I wasn't ready for the commitment). So on top of the fear I have the worry that she'll drop weight too quickly. I can already tell the harness is a little bigger.

Defensive/Reactive barking out of fear, IMHO -- That breeder sounds much more like a "GREEDER" just trying to unload any pup on some unsuspecting Newbie She also seems to be a Poor-Keeper losing weight from High Anxiety causing loss of appetite ... Will they even take back this dog & refund your money at all ???

I would return the pup & look to another breeder for a new pup...just like both stated above. I know this is not what you want to hear...but it is the best advice you are going to hear.

I've been down this road with a pup & it is better you cut your losses before You put a lot of wasted time & energy into a lost cause. I normal well tempered pup would be able to adjust very quickly to a new environment....it would not be behaving like this puppy.



If you don't have the experience to evaluate a pup..take someone with you that can when you go to look at a new pup.

I would add that unless we actually see the pup and what is going on what we write is just speculation and possibility.

Some herding breeds are super picky with food. I wouldn't read anxiety into it right off the bat (without seeing the pup of course). What have you tried feeding?

I would make sure that the pup has been wormed because tummy trouble can exasperate food issues.

Hello Janiz

I am absolutely no expert, and can only tell what mine were like as pups; the Pointers were both a bit slow on the confidence out in the world for the first time, the traffic spooked them and the black and white hated the lead for a while, despite using it for a few minutes at a time in the house and garden, he was also the last to leave the mother, and the one pup the breeder kept, so I think he missed them for a few days, the orange and white, his litter cousin, came to us at 6 months, and she couldn't have cared less about leaving.

The mastiffs were litter siblings, but while the girl came home at 10 weeks, and was a cocky little bugger from the start, I took her brother at 8 months, and he took longer to settle, again, separation issues.

I suppose what I am wondering, is maybe she is just taking a bit longer to re-adjust as she is a wee bit older at 14 weeks.

Again, I am not as wise or experienced as most of the people on the board, and I know you will get lots of help.

I hope all turns out okay for you and your pup, best wishes