Dog'ged Juniors

I just got 3 sled dogs this november. I love em all. But the nuetered male is SUPER shy. So shy he has just finally started to approach me for food - as long as I don't make eye contact or turn my body towards him. I have been giving him his space, let him watch me interact w/ the other dogs. If he moves towards me I back off, a reward for being "bold". If I move to him, he usually just lays down submissively.  He is pure sleddog in harness but . . . . I want to help him get out of his shell. Any advice???

You're on the right track. Keep trying to encourage him to take food from you, making interacting with you a positive experience. As long as you stay calm and non-scary around him he should come to trust you. With some of them it can take a long time though,and any scare can set them back a lot. Good luck!

^ looks like spam to me. There are several members on here that cannot possibly be real people. I was surprised to 140 members, well duh! they are all fakes.

Anyways, Harlem (the shy dog) is doing well. I brought him in the house the other day and he actually roamed around a quite bit - cautiously of course. The last time I had him in he just hid under the table and didn't budge. 

But now he has taken to not eating all his food and w/ the temps so low he really needs to eat. Any tips on that??? He never was a chow hound like the others but he ate - now he has really slowed. I am considering bringing him in while it's cold - below 0 that is.

Hmm. Do you put water in their food? If you don't already (I know a lot of sled dog people do), maybe try that. Also check his teeth and gums to see if he has a sore or something. I'm glad he's doing better!

Yeah, every now and then a spammer somehow gets on... since this one only posted that one day I haven't bugged Sarah about it.

Lots of good advice here!

I would like to add to shy the part.

What i have done with shy dogs in the past is I have taken my favorite book out into the kennel, set up and chair and sat down where the dog could reach me and read away. That way the dog can approach me on their own time and confidence. When they approach me I gently and slowly try to pet them. If they move away, I take back my hand. I mainly just sit there though. I will talk to the dog a lot (usually I end up reading them my book. lol) so it can get used to my voice. I also bring some treats with me and toss them to the dog or offer them in my hand. That way they associate good things with my presence. 

As for feeding....what breed is the dog? Is it a Siberian? Sibes naturally don't eat very much and they are known for skipping meals here and there. As long as he isn't dropping weight then I wouldn't worry about it.

Also some dogs are self regulating. They will only eat what they need. 

Any updates?? How are things going?

He is still shy - but improving a little bit. He likes to go on walks, he's usually pretty happy and up beat during that. I hope to get time to work w/ him this summer when school is out.

As for his eating, yes I decided to not worry about it. He isn't dropping weight. He chooses when to eat and if I get nervous I can give him raw bone or meat scraps and he won't refuse those!  Just the chow he gets choosey about. *shrugs* But thanx for the tips everyone! The reading in the kennel is a good idea. Just chilling w/ the team.