# Skittish 5 month old puppy, help needed



## Lia.Doak (Jan 20, 2012)

I got my Chihuahua/Pug mix puppy about a month ago and she is perfect in almost every way except that she is skittish/scared of everything and everyone except my boyfriend and I. 
Also, she's potty trained when we're home but we can't leave her out because she uses the bathroom in the house. I know she's still a puppy and that accidents are expected but I want to be able to leave her out when we're not home and for her not to be scared of everything.

Any advice?


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## Amaryllis (Dec 28, 2011)

Well, at 5 months you can't leave her out by herself and not expect a mess. It's that simple. She's not old enough to hold it for long, or even to recognize the feeling of needing to go. For her it's "gotta go- oh, look, i'm going." It takes time. Lots of dogs aren't entirely reliable until a year or more.

As for skittish/scared, what, exactly, do you mean by that? Please give an exact description of behaviors. There are a lot of dog behaviors that could fall under that description and I don't know what you mean.


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## Lia.Doak (Jan 20, 2012)

She doesn't leave my bedroom except to go potty outside, she's terrified of men except my boyfriend. She cowers, hides and shakes any time anyone is around. When outside or with just my boyfriend and I, however, she is playful, she loves toys, she barks at people walking by but then hides behind me until they pass and then sniffs behind them, and she won't use the bathroom if there is a man around.


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## hanksimon (Mar 18, 2009)

It's Dallas.... move towards Ft. Worth and things will be perfect 

Continue to work on the house training more, and she'll get it. As Amaryllis said, it can take a year before some dogs are reliable.

Also, the scared behavior is related to socialization and to normal development. At about 5 mos, dogs go through a fear cycle, when they're cautious about people and other animals. Slowly introduce her to calm friendly people and calm friendly dogs of all sizes and breeds. Have the friendly people toss her a treat and you give a treat when she sees a friendly dog... and in about 2 mos, she should start to come out of her shell.

The normal recommendation is to socialize with friendly people from 6 weeks to 12 weeks, and with friendly dogs from the time that vaccinations are complete (around 4 mos). You can still socialize and it'll take 3 - 6 mos to expose her to enough situations to build her confidence... but it is worth the time and effort...


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## k-9 (Mar 10, 2010)

Lia.Doak said:


> I got my Chihuahua/Pug mix puppy about a month ago and she is perfect in almost every way except that she is skittish/scared of everything and everyone except my boyfriend and I.
> Also, she's potty trained when we're home but we can't leave her out because she uses the bathroom in the house. I know she's still a puppy and that accidents are expected but I want to be able to leave her out when we're not home and for her not to be scared of everything.
> 
> Any advice?


1) Socialise socialise socialise. 
2) She's a pup, she cant hold it for hours at a time. Generally speaking 5-6 hours would be the MAX. Come home during lunch let her out. 
3) Try kennel training.


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## Toabster (Nov 16, 2010)

hanksimon said:


> At about 5 mos, dogs go through a fear cycle, when they're cautious about people and other animals.


This has been our experience exactly.


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