tail between legs

hi all, my 5 month old pup's tail is always between her legs, i know it is a nervous or confidence thing, but is there any other way to help this.

Hi &

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It sounds as though she's a very anxious dog. It could be linked to the reason she isn't putting on any fat - her nervousness is burning it all off.

I think firstly, you need to not sympathise with her at all, as this will reinforce in her mind that there is something to be anxious about! Then you need to socialise her - people, dogs, situations. As much as possible.

Start small & build up. So, start by introducing her individually to people/dogs/situations in a controlled way, where the other people involved know what you're trying to do. Let her take her time & investigate things at her own pace - don't encourage her or fuss her, just leave her to work out that there's no harm. Make sure that everybody concerned is calm & confident; no sudden moves or flapping arms etc.

Indoors, try to keep all talking (especially to her) to a quiet, even tone.

What do you feed her, and when?

i feed her autarky 3 times a day.

Caryll wrote:It sounds as though she's a very anxious dog. It could be linked to the reason she isn't putting on any fat - her nervousness is burning it all off.

I think firstly, you need to not sympathise with her at all, as this will reinforce in her mind that there is something to be anxious about! Then you need to socialise her - people, dogs, situations. As much as possible.

Start small & build up. So, start by introducing her individually to people/dogs/situations in a controlled way, where the other people involved know what you're trying to do. Let her take her time & investigate things at her own pace - don't encourage her or fuss her, just leave her to work out that there's no harm. Make sure that everybody concerned is calm & confident; no sudden moves or flapping arms etc.

Indoors, try to keep all talking (especially to her) to a quiet, even tone.

What do you feed her, and when?

Ecellent advise. I would also say not to force her because it could make things worse. LEt her go at her own pace and be patient.

garyftb wrote:i feed her autarky 3 times a day.

Autarky is a good food, but it's intended for working dogs - it can give high energy levels! If you're happy with that, then it's quite a good food to use. However, high energy levels that can't be burnt off for whatever reason can lead to high stress levels!

Possibly changing to another good quality food might help?

i was thinking of changing to burns.

If you do change, do it gradually over about a week or so - that'll avoid upset tums!