We have a 14 month old black lab mix. Sometimes she is happy to sit with us and let us pet her and other times when we reach out to pet her she shies away. We’ve never hit her or hurt her. We’ve had to try and hold her still for nail clipping or checking for a cut on her foot… and she hates that. But we just want to pet and love her and she hides… especially at night. Any suggestions??
You should earn your dog’s trust. Dogs who exhibit fear toward people must have suffered abuse or something very scary must have happened to them. Most of us who have lived with shy dogs never know the exact root cause. Fortunately, you don’t have to know why a dog is afraid to help him or her overcome those fears.