Start Training your Dog
Fearful dogs need good confident leaders who will instill this confidence in them. The trick for achieving this is consistency at all times. The more rules and schedules you have for him the better it is for the dog. The worse thing you can do to a fearful dog is to spoil him; this will only make matters worse since it does not help him become confident. Provide all of your dogs needs by always feeding him, walking him, and giving him exercise at scheduled and specific times. It is important that he knows and learns that the rules are not to be broken. You set the rules, for example, if you want your dog to sit while you are getting him his food, he must follow through with this and you must train him to do so. In the end whatever the house rules are, just remember that they are fundamental since this shows the dog that you are there to take care of him and he will obey when he knows and feels reassured about this factor. You will be able to relax with the rules later on but not until you see that your dog is fully confident. The more rules you have and the stricter you are, the more you will be helping your dog to trust that you are there to take care of him.
