My 8 month old minpin has a couple related behaviors I would like some advice on.

Generally she is shy of people - wants to sniff but is very hesitant to approach them, backs away if they come near her. No growling or aggression. I don't mind this too much, I've been mostly getting people to just ignore her till she feels more secure on her own.
On the other hand, if she decides to like someone she goes nuts for them - jumping, climbing tail and body wagging and frantic face licking. Annoying. I've tried holding her back on leash till she calms and then letting her approach, but then she gets worked up again.
There does not seem to be any rhyme or reason as to who she likes or who she is afraid of.
I'm talking here about people I would like her to have an acquaintance with - visiting family members and close friends who want to pet her and with whom I would like her to be comfortable and calm around.

So how should I handle this? Should I keep doing the ignoring approach for the shy situations? Should I keep pulling her back in the overly friendly times whenever she gets to be too much?

Is their some positive reinforcement technique I could apply?
Thanks for any insights.

Cheers,
C.

Are you certain that it's shyness?

 Quote:

Generally she is shy of people - wants to sniff but is very hesitant to approach them, backs away if they come near her. No growling or aggression.

My dog does this, but he's not shy at all, he just doesn't like to be petted. He's curious and doesn't mind being around people at all, he just doesn't want to be touched. It's just who he is and I respect it, and I wouldn't force him to submit to it.

There are exceptions to this. There are people that he has developed relationships with that he doesn't mind having a pet like my parents and my sister, but it's a pretty short list.

Do people usually reach out to pet her when they approach?

I would handle to over-exuberance by doing what you are already doing, just giving her a lot more time to settle, or putting her in a crate until she is calm and then trying again.

"On the other hand, if she decides to like someone she goes nuts for them - jumping, climbing tail and body wagging and frantic face licking. Annoying. I've tried holding her back on leash till she calms and then letting her approach, but then she gets worked up again."


Isn't 8 months old enough to teach not-jumping (alternative behaviors to earn petting when she wants it)?

Kristel said this about the backing away, and I sure do agree: "My dog does this, but he's not shy at all, he just doesn't like to be petted. He's curious and doesn't mind being around people at all, he just doesn't want to be touched. It's just who he is and I respect it, and I wouldn't force him to submit to it."

 Quote: Connie Sutherland

Isn't 8 months old enough to teach not-jumping (alternative behaviors to earn petting when she wants it)?

Lol, yeah I guess so! I've never had a little dog that this over-friendliness was an issue, and indeed with this one, it hasn't been up till now.

So my stepson and GF came over last night and we tried holding her back on leash till she was calm on a sit command - then as I let her off command to approach them she got frantic - did this over about 7 times and gave up - they sat on the floor with her and let her be crazy for a few minutes and then just started saying no to the face licking. The evening ended up with her behaving in a fun satisfactory way for everyone.

I think I just need more patience . . . and you kind folks to point out the obvious to me once in a while

I am socializing my 4 month GSD.
I have a simple question
,I take the dog to places where there are people as we live in a fairly isolated spot.He is very friendly and wants to approach everyone which is just not possible,desirable or something I want,I am of course working on engagement etc but the question is.
...do I let him happily sit there surveying the scene for as long as he likes.and then re engage or do I keep him moving so to speak.
He likes to sit to weigh up all new situations, presumably he wants to work somethings out for himself

I would teach him to ignore.

You can look up previous posts on desensitzation.

There is nothing wrong with him taking in the sights and sounds. I would not, however, allow him to engage with everyone who passes by. I really like doing marker training in these situations so he learns to block out the outside sounds/people.

Do fun stuff, like weave through your legs, spins etc... and keep him engaged as well as possible. If he becomes distracted you can start backing up until your movement re-engages him.

And most importantly, HAVE FUN!

Thanks for reply.small world,had a friend from Whitehorse
I am not letting him engage with any one, probably have the dog warden on my back followed by a lawyer.
,my question is whether I should allow him the time to gawk or keep him engaged.I have read most of the previous posts on this subject but just can not see an opinion on this aspect.

I will do both, but everything is on my terms and controlled. So we will walk downtown, even that young, I expected my pup not to pull. If she tried to go out in front, I would stop, back up a few steps while calling her in, lure her back into her position beside me, (mark, reward) then continue (you have to practice that part BEFORE you take them to a higher distraction area).

Then I would work her a little, let her sniff and gawk, call her back, work a little more, release her, let her sniff and gawk. If she released herself, I would get her re-engaged, work for a few minutes then release her. What I mean by release is let her sniff, gawk, explore but she has to stay with me and on leash.

What she knows now at 12 months, is stay engaged until I am released.