Nervous Malinois pup - settling in nerves or a deeper problem? - Page 2

It usually takes a dog about a month to adjust to a new home fully.  Until then, try to keep things as stable and routine as possible... this will allow him to get more comfortable.  After this time, you can explore how bad his nerve issue is by gradually pushing the envelope and putting him in slightly uncomfortable situations.  If his reaction is always growling, lunging, barking, etc. then get professional help... someone experienced with the breed and whose solution isn't just to jump to "PTS."  He may never be a great PR (public relations) dog, and if you are fine with that, and with keeping his life pretty routine (including daily exercise!), then all may turn out okay.  IF you aren't going to be happy with a dog you have to manage and that may get nervous, best to return him to who you got him from.  Good luck!

Hi, I'm new to this site, but I think I could give you a few hints... I purchased a Belgian Malinois pup that had the same problems. Valkyrie was WAAAAAY shy and nervous, and would growl or pace and hide ALL the time. She started just staying in her crate and refused to come out, which was ridiculous and not healthy. The first thing I did to start breaking that cycle was to exercise her (she was a year old, and so we'd go for short jogs almost every day). By forcing her to start moving with me while on the leash it took her mind off whatever "scary" thing was going on. I didn't talk to her or reward or even acknowledge her scared behavior-- Mals are extremely smart, and she craves attention, and so by teaching her that scared behavior wouldn't get my attention, she started to switch tactics and try other, more positive behaviors which I did reward. Something I've noticed about her is that she is very sensitive to her environment, and so if she takes on too much at once, she goes into overload aka exhibits scared behavior. By making her move, she couldn't remain scared, because she had to focus on her feet and the path ahead, and soon she was able to observe her environment without fear as we moved. Once worn down and tired, I could reintroduce her to objects or spaces and she was much more open to it because she was calm, plus the bond we were forming from the exercise made her trust me and trust my lead... We took it slow, and I was careful to make sure that when we started out that I would only engage a few senses at once, like her nose to a new smell or her ears to a new noise, i.e. I wouldn't introduce her to a vacuum cleaner's noise in a strange environment because that was too much at once. By breaking it down into manageable chunks, we made it through the first few weeks, and I continued to build on that until I could give her more at once without her spooking.

Once we got more comfortable with all that, I started doing what Cesar suggests and "use a pack". She was terrified of strange people, particularly men, so I took her to the dog park on a regular basis. At first she wanted to just run away from everyone, but the great thing about a dog park is that is what she's supposed to do (run around!), and soon other dogs were running with her and engaging her in dog park activities like smelling, jumping, etc... She couldn't stay scared and play with them at the same time, and so the nerves wore down as she became tired and she started participating in all the doggie fun. Over time, I got her to interact with other dog owners at the park, and they all were very helpful and patient. I would give everyone from little kids to old men her ball to throw, and her fear of people has been replaced by a love for them. She'll now wander up to almost anyone and give them her ball and invite them to play.

Another great tool I've used is my parents' house, where I take her and leave her on purpose for a few hours so that she learns to interact without relying on me and my presence for confidence. They've been great and very patient in helping! I also use pet stores, like Petco, which has been fabulous because everyone wants to say hi and pet her and give her treats. They were understanding as well and helped me to break her of the silly, scared habits.

We're still a work in progress. I'm constantly challenging her with new environments like other people's homes, other packs, new parks, etc... We've made the non-routine a routine, which helps. A few more tips for Mals-- you should try a vibration correction collar. It's been invaluable to me when training, because it breaks through her high-drive focus on her surroundings, i.e. when she starts to hone in on a cat I vibrate her collar so that she remembers to listen to me first and not her instincts. I also got a small-pronged collar so that I could give her gentle corrections while on leash that actually get her attention. We've taken a few obedience classes, and I took away her crate for awhile so that she couldn't hide in it, forcing her to participate in her surroundings. I also purchased a wireless fence because its pointless to attempt to kennel her (they are escape artists to the MAX, and I found that the kennel drove her to such high anxiety that she would beat on it until her nose and paws started bleeding :( ... the wireless fence killed that because there's no longer a physical barrier to fight, and now she goes outside willingly and happily). We've been together for almost a year now and Valkyrie has grown into a strong, healthy dog (her decrease in nerves led to a healthy gain in weight!). She loves everyone and has even gone dove hunting with us. Where before she couldn't even stand the sound of a a loud hand clap, she now responds with excitement to the sound of a shotgun and will "go find the birdie!". It's been a lot of work, but since your dog is so young, I'm betting you can get to the same place. Again, the main key has been consistency and exercise. I've had to make sure to keep her mind, muscles, teeth, and nose engaged to get good results-- games like "find it" and daily jogging have given her jobs to do that take the edge off her endless energy. Don't give in to cute little behaviors and reward them-- Mals are wicked smart and may try to manipulate you (lol, mine will arch her neck to try to get her bark collar on loosely, then as soon as I let her out she will rub on the side of the house to move the prongs so that it won't work!). She's a little too smart for her own good sometimes, but I wouldn't trade her for any other dog. She's become a fabulous companion and a favorite member of our family. Best of luck! I hope this helped :)  

Excellent post Kneville;  good advice for training any dog.  Thx  Nan