Has anyone had a handshy dog?

Has anyone had a dog who avoided contact? What did you do? And how long did it take?
Suggestions welcome!
Raz doesn`t flinch or cower - he just doesn`t want to be touched. He will sit in the same room but beetle off if you put your hand out. He`ll stretch his nose to investigate offered treats but rarely takes them. I don`t want to use his dinners as part of the process as he`s just started eating in front of people.

When I first rescued Jackjack, he wouldn't be touched. It took months for him to get over it...

He was very food and ball oriented though so training was not too bad. But so scared, like Raz he wouldn't eat or play in front of you.

I would sit on the floor in the same room as him and have very tasty high value treats. For a couple of weeks I would spend a couple of hours every day sat on the floor with him reading aloud to get him used to my voice, but never touching or even looking at him with treats laid out near me and on my legs. When he took a treat I said and did nothing.

Once his confidence had built to a point where he would take a treat as soon as it was placed on my leg. I began to offer a treat in my hand passively laid on the floor and said 'good boy' when he took it. Again, for at least a week I would do nothing else until I had his confidence that nothing bad would happen to him.

Gradually I started to hold the treat, so he had to linger at my hand to eat it. Both hands in my lap. As he ate the treat, I moved the hand up to touch him on his chest. Never over his head or on his back...


All the time I made a point of giving my other dog cuddles in front of him, so he could see she trusted me and played ball with her. He was so desperate to play along he would come out of hiding..

But it was a slow and painful process. He was so scared. But we got there.. a year or two down the line and he was my little cuddle puppy. He would still skitter and run if you raised your hand too fast and would scream and panic if you held him tightly for a vet exam, or to clip his claws. The scars were always there... But he did love a tummy rub and a cuddle eventually. ... Only a select few trustworthy people his whole life though and only ever people he approached, never anyone who approached him.

My advise.. Go slow. Let him approach you and the first time he lets you place your hand on him, don't rub or tickle and don't move your hand, just let your hand passively rest on him and let him move from under it.

keizer my rescue mastiff was very worried, I wouldnt say hand shy to the face, he was shy all over, it did take time, all in all about three months untill he could cope with normal fast movements and all over body contact,

I had a massive bonus with keizer though he was a greedy sod, so I won him round that way, he also enjoyed gental massage, but only on the front end to begin with as someone had smashed his hip with an iron bar, so he was very worried about the back end,

I guess its finding something that raz loves, then slowly slowly working it from there,

its finding the thing he loves most that may take a wee bit of time,

from what I have read in your posts though hes coming on just dandy

Do you think if over a day or two you made no attempt to touch him he may come to you?
do you feel comfortable enough to sit on the floor and watch tv with him, see if he creeps a bit closer?

My Late rescue Sam-me was very hand shy this is the reason I learnt T Touch techniques & they worked a treat. Lots of cat rescues use T Touch with feral/very shy cats as well as Dog/horse etc rescues

Many thanks for replies. It is good to know that they eventually come round.
He is coming on a treat - he just trotted up and down the stairs for the first time. (oh heck I sound like a fond mother saying her toddler said his first word )

Hi Claire you have had some excellent advice from other members.

It is very early days yet and I have found that getting a small breakthrough can take many days.
I have used the same method as Magpie, sitting on the floor making myself visible and accessible with high value treats like chicken pieces at my side but no word or eye contact so I presented no threat.

Gradually as the dog gaines confidence and approaches I give a word of praise. As trust is built and the dog will take a treat I still don't attempt to touch it yet. After I reached a stage where the dog was comfortable with taking a treat I would offer my hand to be sniffed then progress to stroking just the chest very gently with one bent finger (never the head or neck, these are very vulnerable spots for a dog) then to stroking the chest with my hand all the time speaking in a soft cheerful voice.

Winning a dogs confidence can be a long and slow process but each small step forward seems like a huge reward .

Tilly aggressive and wouldn't be touched ...

http://www.dogsey.com/showthread.php...11#post1582411

Don't push the issue, let him come in his own time. We still can't touch Pippins rear end but he will come for a fuss. It took a year beore we could touch him.

I think stressing the dog out by treating and trying to get closer doesn't help.

The clicker might and should but I am not sure.

rune----forgot----no eye contact unless he is comfy with it.

time and patience, Neam hid under the dining room table for the first 3 months of being with us, and even now a year later, she comes for a fuss, but you can see her realising what she's doing and then she scuttels off again

If you want to use a clicker(or clicker based training, you need a soft I click clicker or a retractable ball point pen. Some clickers are quite loud, but the I click is a quiet one