If a puppy is not socialized properly and exposed to new sights and sounds, chances are it will grow up to be a frightened dog. Owning a frightened dog is not fun; you and your dog are probably equally upset about its fears and its reactions to those fears. Though it is time consuming, it is possible to rehabilitate a scared dog and teach it how to cope with and overcome its fears.
Instructions
Identify your dog's triggers, or situations that cause fearful behavior such barking, growling, biting, drooling, cowering and fleeing. Common fears include children, men, strangers, bicycles, skateboards and car rides. Once you understand what your dog is afraid of, you can begin training your dog to overcome its fears.
Identify your dog's threshold, or the point at which your dog can no longer deal with its trigger before reacting with fearful behavior. This will be important when desensitizing your dog to its triggers, as you don't want to overwhelm the dog to the point where it mentally shuts down or resorts to biting.
Provide your dog with a safe place free of triggers for when it feels overwhelmed, such as its crate or its dog bed in a favorite room. If your dog encounters its triggers outside of your home, keep your dog on a leash during training sessions and allow it to move a comfortable distance away from the trigger if it feels overwhelmed.
Create a comfortable environment for your dog and ensure that your dog has access to a safe place before beginning a training session. If training sessions are to be held outside due to your dog's fear of bikes or car rides, begin in your yard or as close to your home as possible.
Introduce a trigger to your dog in the comfortable environment.
For example, if your dog is afraid of a specific type of person, invite over someone who fits the description. Instruct the person to sit on the couch or the floor, as it's less threatening than standing, and allow your dog to approach him or her.
Make the experience positive.
Continuing the example above, have the person encourage the dog to approach him or her and offer your dog its favorite treat, even if your dog only takes the treat and retreats to its safe place. It is still progress, and over time your dog will associate the positive experience with the trigger, and will become less fearful.
Calm your dog throughout the session when it reacts with fearful behavior by petting your dog or talking to it in a soft voice. Allow your dog to go to its safe place if it reaches its threshold.
Keep training sessions short (10 to 15 minutes) and always end on a positive note. Reinforce good behavior outside of training sessions as well when your dog comes into contact with triggers.