Signs of a Timid Dog

A timid dog, like a timid person, is often shy and hesitant. Dogs become timid for a variety of reasons, but timid dogs were often neglected as puppies. Isolation also harms a dog by preventing it from developing confidence, resulting in timid behavior. A dog that is raised by a timid person may itself become timid. A timid dog may also be genetically predisposed to timidity or have been abused.

  1. Body Language

    • A timid dog expresses fearfulness through body language. A person can tell that a dog is timid by the way it responds to a new experience, such as a new person or animal. A timid dog may cower or hide, tuck its tail or lay its ears flat. It also might run to a corner or roll onto its side and place its tail beneath its stomach.

    Good Watchdog

    • A timid dog may be a very good watchdog. Its natural fearfulness makes a timid dog wary of strange noises, people and animals. It may be quick to bark at stimuli it does not recognize. However, it runs rather than attacks, a desirable trait for people who do not want their dog to attack strangers.

    Urination

    • A timid dog may signal submission to its owner by urinating. Sometimes this even occurs indoors when the owner returns home and greets the dog. This problem occurs often and may frustrate owners, who should address the issue by building the dog's self-confidence. Owners who harshly discipline their dogs for this behavior will find it worsens.

    Submissive Towards Other Dogs

    • Timid dogs often submit to other dogs. They may signal the dominance of the other dog by rolling on the grass and licking the other dog's face. They may initially defend a bone against a dominant dog, but when the bone is gone, the timid dog will often signal its submission as an apology for retaining the bone and to allay any hard feelings.