Hey Julie,

I bought a beautiful weimaraner about 6 mths old. He won’t let anyone touch him almost as though he has been beaten. What can I do to let him know that he can trust me?

Bill from S. Carolina

 

 

Hello Bill,

 

Wow, this sounds sad.  I wonder what kind of history this dog has had.  It can be hard emotionally to work with dogs like this but there are things that can be done to greatly improve it and I’ve seen amazing results.  Start a positive based obedience program with him right away using really tasty food rewards.  This type of program can be incredible for dogs like this. Over time your dog will learn to trust you and feel more confident in himself when he performs a task and gets rewarded.  I have a great program online that teaches you how to do it and I am available to talk you through it by email when you join: http://www.webdogtrainer.com/join.php

 

Also, if you haven’t already done so make sure your dog has been checked by the Veterinarian to rule out any physical causes-additionally ask to have the thyroid checked as well because any problem with that can cause extra anxiety. 

 

Additionally, never use corrective, punishment techniques on dogs that are apprehensive or you will make things worse.

 

Let me know how it goes and best of luck to you.

 

Julie