My puppy is scared of me

Norman Napoleon
Norman napoleon Icon representing the flag French
Report

Hi everyone,

My partner and I are the proud new owners of a beautiful female Rhodesian Ridgeback. I’m posting here because I’d really appreciate some advice on how I can personally win her over and what I can do to get her to trust me.

Basically, since we brought her home, we’ve been doing everything possible to make her feel settled, happy, and safe. She is a particularly wary dog who is quite suspicious of strangers and doesn't give her trust easily.

The reason I’m looking for advice is that she has bonded quite well with my partner, but she remains very wary of me—it’s clear she’s actually frightened of me. For instance, she refuses to go out for a walk if it's just with me; she keeps her tail tucked between her legs, trembles, and won't budge. At home, even when I'm ignoring her, she’ll do a wide circle to stay behind me when I walk past, which really shows her lack of trust.

I realise she’s only been with us for a very short time (one week) and that every dog takes a different amount of time to get used to a new person, but I’d love to know what I can do right now (or what I should avoid doing) so she can start to trust me and stop being afraid.

Could it be that she wasn’t properly socialised with men? Or maybe I’m doing something wrong? Either way, I really want to be able to share lovely moments with her without all the stress and fear, so she can have the best life possible.

Thank you in advance for your help.

PS: Just to clarify, she was 4 months old when we got her.

Translated from French
icon info

The forum content is sometimes translated from another language, and posts may concern countries with different animal laws. Do your research before making any decisions.

Since the forum is translated by AI, the translations may contain errors.

Write your message and upload a photo if you want to! Please remain courteous in your exchanges.

Your post will be visible to all members of the international Wamiz forum.

35 answers
Sort by:
  • Show previous comments
    • ?
    Anonymous user Icon representing the flag French
    Report
    Was it through a breeder? Or from a kennel? You don’t seem to know much, but... was she a gift or did you buy her? Was it love at first sight? A bit of a spur-of-the-moment decision? Had you reserved her beforehand? Puppies usually head to their new homes a bit younger, so why was she four months old? (Was there a particular issue?) It might help to understand her behaviour... You say she’s scared of strangers – both men and women, I assume? Be careful not to loom or lean over her. Try to keep a bit of distance and stand at an angle rather than facing her head-on; you can crouch down when you want to interact with her and use a toy if that helps. You could go for a walk with your friend and the dog and make the most of some wide-open spaces to bond through play. Does she see other dogs when you’re out and about? There’s probably a lot of socialisation work to be done. Have you thought about getting help from a dog behaviourist?
    Translated from French
    Norman Napoleon
    Norman napoleon Icon representing the flag French
    Report
    Hello! Despite her being so young, she might have had some bad experiences with men—not necessarily abuse, but maybe a trodden-on paw, an accidental kick, or even just being shouted at. Or it could simply be that she hasn't really spent any time around men. Just like you would with a kitten, you could try sitting on the floor near her and coaxing her with a treat or a toy, while making an effort to speak in a higher pitch than your normal voice. Being the one who puts her food down can also help you win her over 😊 My husband is 6'3", but our puppy's breeder was barely 5'7"... for the first few days, Sisko was a bit wary of this big giant too 😆 That’s what I’m doing, I always try to talk to her in a high-pitched voice. I’ll give the feeding a go. From what I’ve seen, that’s definitely what’s happened; I don’t think she’s been around men at all, and I’m quite a big guy myself, so I reckon that plays a part lol. Thanks for your reply.
    Translated from French
    Norman Napoleon
    Norman napoleon Icon representing the flag French
    Report

    Hi Napoléon, where did you get her from? Do you know anything about her background?

    We got her from a breeder in Belgium and I don't know much about her history, but from what I've seen, she's almost certainly had little to no contact with people.

    Translated from French
    ?
    Anonymous user Icon representing the flag French
    Report

    Hi Napoléon,

    Where did you get her from? Do you know her background?

    Translated from French
    D
    Del2244 Icon representing the flag French
    Report

    Hi there,

    Despite her young age, she might have had some bad experiences with men—not necessarily abuse, but perhaps a trodden-on paw, an accidental kick, or even just being shouted at. Or it could simply be that she hasn't really been around men much.

    Just as you would with a kitten, you could try sitting on the floor near her and coaxing her over with a treat or a toy, making an effort to speak in a higher-pitched voice than your usual tone.

    Being the one who feeds her can also help win her over 😊

    My husband is 6ft 3in, and our puppy's breeder was barely 5ft 7in... for the first few days, Sisko was a bit wary of this great big thing too! 😆

    Translated from French

  • 35 comments out of 35

    • Do you have a question? An experience to share? Create a post on our forum!
    These topics could be of interest to you!
    Find out more