Rehabilitating Fearful Dogs: Jean Luc's Story

When the vet referred a fearful Chihuahua puppy called Jean Luc to me, it turned out to be more complicated than I expected. This little puppy had been brought over from France to be a show dog but was so frightened of people that he hid even from family members.

My mission was to help him to firstly become more confident in the home, and then teach him to overcome his anxieties in order to be brave enough to stand up in the show ring to be judged, and to run around on a loose lead.

Fortunately the owner was very understanding about his limitations but wanted to do her best for him, so the whole family got involved in Jean Luc’s education and rehabilitation. With patience and finding as many different rewards as possible for him, we gradually changed Jean Luc’s fearful barking and growling to calmly going to his bed if he became anxious. And we taught him to trot up and stand and pose for the judge nicely.

Because judges have to examine a dog’s teeth, we taught Jean Luc to hold up his head and open his mouth so the judge could see the teeth without having to touch him, so he was able to be brave enough to do this.

Jean Luc leaning to show stand

The whole family celebrated after his first prize in the show-ring and I was happy knowing that he was now able to cope better with life and feel more confident in himself.