I am getting ready to show my gorgeous bitch. Lately she has been a little wary of people - she backs off then just waits and looks until she decides that she'd like to be patted. She's not afraid - just a little shy. I'm worried that her first show in a few months might not go well. She likes other dogs and lives with 2 cats and other labradors. There's always a few people around our house so I didnt' think that I'd have to really socialize her. I've never see this before. We're starting handling classes tonight. Any suggestions or previous experiences would be appreciated.

Get her out as much as possible. Treat her with whatever she likes best when others touch her. Have the others in your handling class go over her while you treat. We deal with this with new 4-H dogs all the time. She'll get over it if you follow the above. DON'T have the others treat her or she'll be looking to the judge for a treat!

The wider the range of people - tall men, people of different skin colors, old ladies with hats, etc.- you have go over her or just pet her while you give a high reward treat, the better. Pet stores, TSC stores, etc. are also great places to bring pups into and find people who will gladly pet her.

All the Best, it is fixable!

You need to take her EVERYWHERE with you if possible. See different places, different people. Also it helps if you take a confident dog as well and she sees the confident dog getting the attention (ignore the shy girl when she's acting shy, don't coddle or baby-talk to her as that just reinforces her acting shy). I've found that very quickly they decide the only way to the get attention and cookies you are handing out to the confident dog is to act confident themselves.

Don't assume just by staying home with people coming by that she's getting enough socialization - she needs to see lots of new things.

I can't add anything, you summed it up so well except *when* she is at home, have people, dogs and children into the home also. Most of the time, get her out of there. Let her get used to everything and everyone in every place possible that's safe of course. Outside, away from the home and on occasion after she gets used to being away from home then lots of visitors on her turf too. She'll get it, follow Breeder's advice. It's more than you could get from a few training sessions.

Breeder & BRDR II.

I had a puppy with the same issues and she was very shy at her first show. I took her to PetSmart during a busy time and approached as many customers as possible, explaining that I was working with my puppy to overcome her shyness. I asked people to pet her and talk to her and to give her a cookie if she wagged her tail. Everyone was happy to help. She improved slightly the first day. After a week of trips to the store, she was eager to meet and greet new people. The best part is that she was a happy, happy girl at the shows.

Thank you all so much for your helpful suggestions. I intent to follow through and take her everywhere.

I suggest that you don't force her to greet people, but let HER go up to them on her terms. Also, make sure that kids know how to greet before they go shoving their hands in her face and squealing.

I know she is a lab, and that makes all the difference temperament-wise, but I have met several people who apparently OVER socialized their pups when they were little (which I would never have thought could be possible). The result being that the pups are now aggressive or nervous towards people. Just something to bear in mind.....

I know she is a lab, and that makes all the difference temperament-wise, but I have met several people who apparently OVER socialized their pups when they were little (which I would never have thought could be possible). The result being that the pups are now aggressive or nervous towards people. Just something to bear in mind....."

This is complete misinformation. I can't even believe that someone would think that socializing caused a dog to be nervous and/or aggressive. Bullsh*$.

When a dog is aggressive in any way (out of fear or dominance) it's simply the way they are made. Socialization can help these dogs immensely but sometimes despite doing everything right you don't end up with a dog with the best temperament. At that point managing a dog is in order since it won't change.

I found it hard to believe at first too. It comes from a dog trainer on the west coast who apparently has met hundreds of dogs who have been over-socialized and now have problems. I think what happens is that some puppies are shy, but the owners push them into greeting every dog they meet and pup has no escape because he is on the leash - nowhere to run. Pup gets bigger and makes his dissatisfaction known! There are some trainers who say that taking puppy to an area with other dogs and people is great, but that it's really not necessary to "pass the puppy around" or force him to greet all and sundry.

Just saying!