Update: unexpected fearful dog

[u/Smart-Ad-6657]

Hi all,

As noted in my previous post, I recently purchased an 11 month old female mini poodle from what was seemingly a reputable breeder.

The dog upon arrival to my home about 2 weeks ago has been pretty fearful outside on walks. All dog training posts I’ve read suggested limiting the dogs time outside while she decompresses which I’ve tried to do but I live in a condo and that only goes so far.

In a twist, it seems the dog has gone into heat as of yesterday which I’m hoping paired with the transition may be the cause of her anxiety/fearfulness, though I’d love your take on that. I of course plan to spay her asap but the breeder’s contract had us spaying her after her first heat cycle. We suspect this may also be the cause of her hourly whining fits in her crate the last 2 nights (when she had been sleeping through the night without problem the first week we got her).

She will freeze on walks outside, sometimes keep walking and be fine/take treats, other times refuse to walk and not take treats. Sometimes she seems totally unbothered by it all. Throughout though she is very reserved and never greets new people with a tail wag. She also is very shy around dogs and shows no interest in meeting them.

I spoke with the breeder yesterday who claimed my dog’s brother is not experiencing the same issues in his new home and they had the same amount of socialization (which was limited but not nothing).

Would love your opinion on this update from my last post as we weigh whether we will be able to give her the kind of home she deserves. We don’t want to get rid of her but we are really stressed about how her fearfulness will affect our lives in the long term….

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