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first walk and we spent most of it 100 feet away from the house in a ditch. I sat with him and let him take it all in. He did not want to move so I did not pressure him. Cars scared him, people scared, dogs scared him, noises scared him, he was plain terrified.

We sat in that ditch for well over an hour before he finally got up the courage to beeline for the house. Next day I took him out again and we went and sat in the same ditch but further down the road. Progress.

The following day we where able to walk down the road more and I praised, treated and encouraged him. When he got scared and stopped I ignored him and ceased the treats or talking. We went back to the house.

Things only continued to get better with fewer and fewer stops. He was not yet ready to approach these thing he was fearful of, but soon enough learned they where leaving him alone and he was alright with that.

Everyday I continued to make more progress with Shadow but none of it happened over night. It took over a month to walk a few blocks. It took month and months before he decided to approach new people. It takes time and work and you only progress as fast as your dog wants to progress. It is now a year later and you would not know that terrified dog is now the confident dog who sits beside me and makes appearances in class rooms to teach kids about proper care and handling of animals.

We still come across the odd object that scares Shadow, but now it only take a matter of minutes for him to investigate compared to days.

Most timid dogs are never given the chance to overcome their fears. Unfortunately many owners accommodate their dogs fears when they should be continuously exposing them to new situations, people, and environments to help them conquer those fears.

Learn more about this author, Alicia Kryklywyj.
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