Puppy Problems?
I'm having problems with my puppy well 7 months old Shih Tzu. She's extremely nervous of other people and I think she suffers with deprecation anxiety. She recently got spayed and she'd scream each time a vet walked passed her cage and she even peed on the vet with fear! She's not aggressive but she'll just freeze each time she sees a stranger and maybe let out a few growls. I know this is my fault because I couldn't afford her injections/vaccinations at the time and she missed the socialisation period. What can I do? Don't be rude as I've owned up and said it's my fault. Other than this she's the best little dog I've every had and extremely loyal!
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Answers & Comments
It is never too late to socialize a dog, especially if they are only 7 months old.
It sounds like she is fearful and unsure of herself. The growl acts as a warning to others that she is not comfortable and they need to back off - you should monitor the growls to determine her emotions. A deep low growl indicates that she is confident to fight them if necessary while a higher pitched growl would indicate that she isn't too confident about fighting and just wants them to leave.
It is now your time to make a real effort to socialize her before it really becomes too late. Sometimes it helps to bring her to dog parks or on play dates so that she learns how to socialize with the other dogs and not to assume everything is a threat. You should also work on correcting her growling when it occurs to give her the message that it isn't okay to growl just because of a stranger.
so start introducing her to strangers now- start by taking her somewhere people pass - a store front would do and just letting her watch, then gradually getting people to pet her or better yet feed her a treat (that you bring)
Then start training her now or seek professional help for yourself on how to train properly.