The dog became fearful. What to do if your dog is afraid of everything

What to do if the dog is afraid of people? Is it worth considering such behavior as a deviation, especially given the modern, not always humanistic moods of society? Is it worth helping a pet overcome this fear? There is no single answer to these questions, and in fact, each owner makes his own decision. However, man and dog have come a long way together in development. From the point of view of dog psychology and cynology in general, dogs and people should not be afraid of each other.

Did you know that cynophobia, that is, the fear of dogs, is considered a mental disorder? Considering the opposite situation, we can draw a similar conclusion - if a dog is afraid of a person, it means that the animal has a too receptive, weak or traumatized psyche. The phobia may "stretch" from puppyhood or have specific causes. The tactics of war say: “Know the enemy by sight”, and with fear, the more you know about the causes of the disease that has developed, the more likely it is to overcome it. To begin with, fears are divided into:

Having a reason- Fear can be the cause negative emotions, pain or dangerous situation experienced by the quadruped. Most often, the reaction of the animal is based on direct consequences. life experience. For example, dogs are afraid of some people if they have been in captivity or quarantined, bullying or rough treatment. All bipeds that have a similar height, silhouette or smell will remind the ward of the experience and frighten him.

idiopathic- fears, the cause of which cannot be identified. For example, a dog is afraid of crying babies or very young children. Another example - a puppy is brought up in a family with childhood, but suddenly and for no reason begins to be afraid of one of the family members.

Read also: The dog is afraid of the owner: the causes of the phobia and ways to overcome it

Naturally, if you know the root cause of the phobia, it will be much easier to wean the dog from being afraid of people. You need to work in one direction and help the dog overcome his insecurities. Any fear of quadrupeds is based on distrust or insecurity in own forces. For example, a skirmish with a relative, which ended in bites, can give rise to fear of the whole living world due to the realization of one's own weakness. You need to learn one thing - if a dog is afraid, it definitely does not trust and considers a person as a threat to its life or health.

Mistakes of owners that exacerbate the dog's fear of people and methods of correction

Let's say a dog is afraid of strangers, you still don't know the reasons, but in fact the phobia has already manifested itself. How do you react to the behavior of your ward?

Most likely like this:

1. With a passive reaction- the ward runs away from the person who frightened him, you try to call the dog, but as a rule, to no avail. After, you catch up with the pet and scold him for disobedience. The second outcome, you feel sorry for and reassure the ward. Does it look like you? If yes, congratulations, you are exactly 50% the cause of the developed phobia.

How to: allow the dog to move to a safe distance in its understanding. If the dog is clearly running away, we do not use the “Come to me” command (or other commands), we call out by name or any other phrases, for example, “Stop” or “Come here”. Only when the ward has stopped, we begin to move with a calm step in his direction. Stop at arm's length, make sure that the pet is not afraid of you, go around him from behind and stand above him, slightly squeezing the sternum with your knees, fasten the leash. Stroke the dog's neck, but do not lisp. Then command "Next" and distract the pet with a few simple commands. Your behavior should be as calm as possible, but friendly, you should not show fear or concern.

Important! With a passive reaction, most often, the reason lies in uncertainty. Your task is to show the pet that you are always there and are not afraid of a frightening subject. Over time, the dog will begin to copy your behavior and even if frightened, will step aside, but not run away.

2.When an aggressive reaction- you shout at the pet, trying to stop the barking, run after him, trying to grab the collar, scold him for misbehavior. The four-legged perceives your inappropriate behavior as a fright, which provokes a more aggressive reaction. Does it look like your case? Your behavior reinforces the dog's confidence that people should only be dealt with by force.

Mickey is a dog that hides under the bed whenever someone enters the house. Chala barks and spins under the feet of the owners if a child approaches. When a man approaches Josie, she involuntarily urinates.
What do all these dogs have in common? Dogs are afraid of certain people: strangers, children, or men.
Pay attention to whether your dog tries to find a secluded place and hide if people come into the house. This may mean that the animal feels uncomfortable.
Dogs that are afraid of people are usually described as shy, cowardly, nervous, or cautious. Shy or cowardly behavior easy to recognize: dogs run, hide, or tremble when they see a stranger approaching them.
But fear can manifest itself in a wide variety of behavioral patterns. In response to fear, reactions may appear that foreign trainers call the four F: stupor (freeze), fight (fight), flight (flight) and fool around (fool around). Jumping, seeking attention, urinating, panting, drooling, excessive shedding, and lack of eye-to-eye contact can also indicate uncertainty or fear. Growling, barking, and other aggressive behaviors can also be based on fear.
Cowardly animals are found among dogs of any size, weight class and breeds. Why are dogs afraid?
It is a popular belief that dogs that are afraid of people have suffered from mistreatment or experienced something terrible in their time. Sometimes this is true, but the bigger impact tends to be genetic predisposition and lack of communication (socialization) in puppyhood.
Owners of shy dogs can rarely name exact reason. Fortunately, it is not necessary to know the reasons to help an animal overcome its fears.
Terrible people are everywhere.
The first step in helping your dog overcome shyness is to exact definition Who exactly is she afraid of? Sometimes it seems that a dog that is shy or scared is afraid of everything around. But, having thought carefully and determining exactly who she was afraid of and under what circumstances, you can get very useful information. This will help you in making a list of those people that the dog is afraid of. For each shy animal, such a list will be unique.
One dog I know has such a list of all strangers outside the house. For another dog, these are children under the age of five. The more you understand what scares your pet, the better.
Once you've figured out who or what is scary, you can start taking steps to smooth out your reactions to the scary things and make them more calm. Situation management will be yours best friend on the early stages working with shy dogs.
How situation management works.
Roughly speaking, situation management involves moving away from the problem or what causes the problem (in this case - scary people), surrounded by a dog. Control alone will not solve the fear issue, but it can prevent the dog from reacting such as cowering, urinating, barking, or growling until the animal feels more comfortable around the feared.
Managing the situation can reduce stress levels for the pet and its owner, as well as create an environment conducive to training and behavior modification. In some cases, management plays leading role in the matter of safety (note that if a dog has bitten someone, even in a fit of fear, it is necessary to consult with a dog handler or other certified animal behavior specialist).
<Каждое животное предполагает отличную от других стратегию управления, в зависимости от того, что вызывает страх. К примеру, если вы владелец щенка, которая боится незнакомых людей, вам может показаться полезной следующая стратегия:
+ Avoid crowds where your dog is completely surrounded by strangers.
+ Use a leash, cage, or children's fence to keep your dog from interacting with strangers in your home.
Think also about how to protect the dog from sudden encroachments:
- If a stranger comes up to you and asks you to pet your dog, answer: No, I'm sorry, but this makes my dog uncomfortable
- Stand between the man and the dog.
- Create distance by crossing the road or heading the other way.
Once you've mastered the situation and your dog's stress levels are down, get ready to train, work on desensitization, and master the method of contradiction.
Workouts for confidence.
Simple workouts are fun and also help make your pet more confident. Teaching your dog simple commands like sit, lay down, place will lay a good foundation and teach your dog to always look at you when he's in doubt. In addition, serious training such as rallying, musical freestyle or agility can significantly boost a dog's self-confidence.
And, while all training will help with fearful dogs, these three exercises will prove to be the most effective in increasing the animal's self-confidence:
+ Ask for courtesy. Calmly and gently have your dog sit or lie down before you pet him, feed him, play with him, open the door for him, and so on. This builds a mechanism that alleviates stress in dogs and also teaches the dog to expect instructions and rewards from you.
+ Remember the reward. Reward any good behavior in public. For example, if you go out and your dog sits down in the presence of strangers, mark the behavior with a gesture or a word (like "yes!") and give your pet a reward. If your pet is polite to a friendly child, mark the behavior (with a gesture or word) and reward the dog. Reward your dog for behavior, even if you didn't ask him to do it! With the help of a reward during the right actions, the dog remembers the behavior and tries to copy it in the future, reducing his stress level.
+ Practice standard behavior. Standard behavior (this is the manner in which the animal does not know what else to do) can be a good help for a nervous dog. An excellent example of such a standard for dogs is the command: On me!, which means: Look at me, in my eyes (you can learn about learning this trick from the Click-yum book). This helps your shy pet get his bearings, as well as distract him from people who scare him.
+ Additionally, you can use the presence of "scary" people for commands and practice behavior. When the dog has already learned to make eye contact on the “at me” command, start practicing it around strangers or other people who scare the pet. During work, stand at a safe distance from the dog enough so that he does not worry about the close presence of other people (see the section on reducing susceptibility below).

Every time a scary person appears on the horizon, say the command and reward the dog for doing it right. When the animal sees the intimidating person and acts as you ask it, immediately reward the dog with 10 tidbits and shower him with praise.
Switching emotions
And while appropriate behavior training works for confidence and teaches a dog how to behave appropriately around people who might frighten it, desensitization and the contradiction method can be key tools to help a dog overcome fear.
If you've ever dealt with fears, let's say a fear of heights or a fear of spiders, you know that using logic isn't always enough to get rid of that fear. You can't just say, Hmm, it's stupid to be afraid of spiders, so I won't be afraid of them anymore. Moreover, any mention of the terrible makes the palms sweat, and the heart beats faster. When a dog is frightened, it experiences something similar both emotionally and physically.
Desensitization and the contradiction method always work well in helping the dog work through the emotional and physical sensations that result from fear of humans.
- Desensitization involves facing things that cause fear (such as strangers), at an acceptable level (at such a distance that the dog notices them, but does not lose heart).
- The method of contradiction is to present a pleasant stimulus (for example, a piece of meat) in the presence of a frightening thing (stranger). The goal of this method is to change the emotional and physiological response to a stranger from fear to pleasure and relaxation.
Getting Started
Here is a desensitization and contradiction tactic for a dog that is afraid of strangers:
- Determine what scares your dog. The more precise, the better!
- Choose something special to fix things. This is the time when you should use the most amazing thing your pet can imagine! For many dogs, the best option is meat: boiled chicken breasts, tripe, or cheese. For some dogs, there is an alternative in the form of a particularly valuable item or game (I know a dog who quickly got rid of his fear of children when the neighborhood kids started playing ball with him). Make sure the dog is motivated if you use food as a reward, the dog must be hungry!
- Determine the acceptable level for the dog. See how close the alien is, how many people are nearby and what they are doing. For example, a dog is not particularly nervous in the presence of one or two people at a distance of 10 meters.
- Ask someone to play along and come within 10 meters. Every time a person shows up and your pet notices them, start rewarding your dog with tidbits. Give a new bite as soon as the dog swallows the previous one.
- When the person moves to a safe distance, stop feeding the pet.
- Repeat the exercise until the dog is anxiously waiting and looking at you in anticipation of encouragement every time a stranger appears in the line of sight.
- When your dog gets used to the stranger, ask the person to come a little closer, for example, a meter.
- Repeat the procedure (several visits over several days), each time asking the stranger to come as close as is comfortable for the dog. Not particularly shy animals need only a few visits so that a stranger can safely walk near the animal, and the dog is happy to see him. Animals with more intense fears will need to be trained with different people over the course of months.
- Be patient! An effective desensitization and contradiction method is like watching paint dry (unless you're a trainer and genuinely enjoy this kind of thing). Remember that you need to work at an acceptable level. The process is slow and laborious, but the game is worth the candle.
Opportunities
In an ideal world, the contradiction method is used in conjunction with desensitization (i.e., the dog is brought into contact with people who are intimidating at an acceptable level, when the animal is relaxed and comfortable). However, in the real world, while you are working with fears, it is impossible to force your pet to ignore people who scare him. This is fine. Practice the contradiction method (feeding treats) every time you see an intimidating person at a distance that makes the dog anxious. Pay attention to the fact that you first need to try to switch the dog's attention to yourself.
In fact, owners of very shy dogs can incorporate this kind of feeding into their daily routine. Feed your pet whenever you walk and see a stranger. If a stranger comes into the house, feed the dog in his presence. If the dog feels comfortable, you can even ask a stranger to treat your pet with treats.
If you ask other people to feed your dog, take care of their safety by giving the appropriate instructions:
+ Ask the helper to wait until the dog approaches; You don't have to get close to the dog.
+ Try to arrange so that the helper stands or sits to the side of the dog. Ask him not to lean towards the animal or make eye contact with it.
+ The helper should hold the treat in an open palm and wait for the dog to come and take the food from the hand. If the dog is too frightened to approach, the helper should gently lower the treats to the ground.
Attention! A fearful dog may temporarily overcome his fear in the presence of a very tidbit, but then bite the intimidating person when the bait is gone. Do not ask strangers and helpers to feed treats until you are sure that the sensitivity is sufficiently reduced. The animal should no longer be afraid of approaching strangers or startled by the appearance of strangers.
+ Praise your pet when he or she shows confidence and has a peaceful time with other people.
Your dog sets the pace
One of the most important things about your shy dog is respect for his fears when you let your pet set the pace at which he gets used to new or intimidating people. Prevent his mistakes in behavior by properly managing the situation. Teach your dog basic habits so he knows what to do in new situations. Be generous with large portions of joy in the presence of intimidating people so that the pet can overcome his fears.
I have seen shy, but not very fearful, dogs become more confident in a couple of short weeks. But I have also seen dogs that take up to two years to feel comfortable. No matter how long it takes, the time and investment will be worth it for you and especially your pet! Helping to gain confidence and overcome fears is not only one of the greatest gifts for your pet, but also a very rewarding activity!

And there are people who are afraid of their shadow, to say nothing of dogs, and there are such people among them. Why are they so fearful? There may be many reasons. One of them is a genetic predisposition. If you came to the breeder to take a puppy and you see that his mother is timid, she hid, and the puppy that you liked does not go to your hands, choose another dog. And even at all, take a puppy from another litter. Unfortunately, if such a fear exists at 2-4 months. it will remain in the future.

There are other cases when you are 2 months old. you take a completely cheerful puppy, and a month later you take him out into the street and find that he is afraid of passers-by, passing cyclists and cars. Here you are already to blame, because Puppies need to be socialized by 3 months of age. take it outside and show everything. His nervous system at this age will be easier to adapt, especially in the city.

It happens that the fearfulness of a pet is associated with stress, for example, a large stray dog rushed at him on the street and scared him a lot. Fear needs to be treated. The owner must be calm. You can’t immediately grab the pet in your arms and calm it down violently, it will become even more demonstratively afraid. Learn a few basic commands with your pet, for example, “Come!” or "Sit!" If you need to quickly switch attention from objects that cause fear to something else, you command and ensure that the dog obeys.

Cowardly dogs have such that fear can cause aggression. For example, a child once dragged your pet by the tail and now he is terribly afraid of small children. You lead him on a leash, and a baby and a puppy or an adult male or female rush past with a squeal, defending themselves, grabbing the child by the leg. The mother is in shock, screaming at you, and you don’t know what to do, because the worst thing is the bite has already happened.

To avoid such dramatic situations, you need to start socialization before 3 months. and not to take into the house even the best cowardly puppy. It is difficult to live with him in society, because everywhere you need to be among people, for example, go to the market, take a walk in a park that is busy on Sunday, visit a veterinarian, etc.

What to do if the problem is not solved?

Even though you have a coward, try not to compare your pet with more prosperous ones. Treat him kindly, lovingly. Let him feel that he is still your favorite.

Socialize him gradually. Walk in the park, where occasionally people pass by, owners with pets. Teach him fun games: bring a stick, a rubber ball, a ring and other items. Let him feel bold and dexterous.

There are very purposeful owners who hire an instructor and work with the dog on their own, learning commands. If time passes, and he is still a coward, nothing can be done, such a character. You are his only friend, so play together so that he lives next to you as a happy dog. You don't need to constantly train him. It won't help.

Try to avoid irritants that cause stress in your pet in everyday life. For example, he is afraid of the noise of a working vacuum cleaner, when you do the cleaning, close it in the back room. Not all dogs are so shy that it cannot be corrected by training with a dog handler, self-training and gradual socialization. Yes, sometimes it takes a year or more, but there are positive results.

You are a person and it is in your power to be happy in a life together with a pet, forgiving him shortcomings.

A dog is always a responsibility.

Conceived, the owners and rest where you can take your pet with you. For example, at the camp site of their city in a forest plantation by the lake, and some go out for the weekend as a savage to fish, sunbathe on the beach. Don't forget a big umbrella. It will create a shadow for the pet and save him from heat stroke.

We socialize a pet that is afraid of people

How to deal with a fearful dog:

Remember that during fear you can’t intensely pity your pet, as well as scold. He becomes disoriented and next time will continue to be afraid, in the hope that he will be pitied.
You are a strong master-leader and keep calm. Pretend that you are not afraid of anything, let the dog take an example from you.
Socialize your dog gradually. First, meet new people.

New acquaintances can come to visit you at home or invite old friends for walks. At the same time, do not focus on your pet. Let him not start to coward defiantly and think that this is how it should be, since guests are in the house or an old acquaintance is with you for a walk.

When the dog gets used to some person, you can ask him to talk affectionately with him, and then bring your hand to the muzzle (hold your palm up), let him sniff and carefully try to stroke. Gradually begin to communicate with other people, then walk with a dog on a leash in the company of her old friends. If you adopted a dog from a shelter, which is noble, and he is very shy, then even a year may not be enough for him to get used to and begin to trust people.

A good way to socialize when you take a puppy to a house where there is an older dog. On the street, stroke you, and then a friend of the older dog. The younger will observe that he likes it and sooner or later he will allow himself to be stroked. The main thing is that the dog should be among people every day. Isolation will lead to even greater fear of the person.

Every day 2-4 times and even more, take your pet for walks among people. Start walking in sparsely populated areas and gradually move to busier ones. As a result of your long psychological work on behavior correction, you will soon be able to walk with him even through the market, examining and choosing a product.

When the pet gets used to the city or the village, take him even to exhibitions, even if only as a guest. There he will see many relatives.

Dogs have a different reaction, some will hide from fear, while others will attack unfamiliar passers-by. Then wear a muzzle for a walk and teach commands that will stop the unwanted actions of the pet. Go to classes with a cynologist.

Teaching your dog the “give” command
How to choose and train a dog to protect a private property
Teaching a dog to stand
The dog is your sports partner
Weaning a dog to bark at home
We teach the dog the command "Fu!"

From this article you will learn:

Why does a dog bite?
Should I pet a wagging dog?
Dog psychology. How to suppress the psyche of a dog?
Postures of submission. "Thugs" in the four-legged world.

Attacked by a dog living in our yard
She responded to the nickname Lucy kids ...

from a popular song

It is widely believed that the dog is our four-legged friend, but sometimes this friend turns out to be the most sworn enemy. In this chapter, we will cover all fears associated with a dog attack, all the truth and False associated with canine self-defense, with vulnerabilities, with forbidden, non-forbidden tricks, physical impact and psychological suppression of a four-legged monster, as well as a handful of these monsters.

A few words about what a dog is not a wolf - it will not run into the forest. A dog is more dangerous than a wolf. A dog, unlike a wolf, has no fear of a person, it is not afraid of fire, often it is not afraid of loud claps. Feral dogs huddled in packs pose a real danger to humans.

This means that dogs huddled in packs pose a mortal danger to humans, feral dogs ... and not only for children and drunks, the disabled and pensioners. A dog may well attack a living person.

Imagine a clear sunny day... You are walking in the forest park, at this time a dog approaches you, wagging its tail, or you approach a dog, which starts wagging its tail when you appear. What will you think? Nice dog, needs to be petted. You raise your hand in order to stroke the animal's fur, and at this moment it growls and clings to your hand. Shock. Panic. For what? Why?

Now I translate your actions from the point of view of canine psychology. Tail in a dog- mood indicator, respectively, the higher the tail, the more dispersed the dog is. I draw your attention to the fact that not in a more iridescent, friendly, but in a more overclocked state. Those. a dog that is doing poorly, lowers its tail, or that is sad, sad, bored. A dog that is excited lifts its tail.

You saw the dog, the dog saw you. You are invading her territory, her personal space. The dog raises its tail, it is getting ready. At this moment, the two-legged raises his hand, "doesn't want to hit otherwise"- the dog thinks, and solely for the purpose of self-defense: after all, he invaded his personal space, he will hit you, after all, he grabs your hand. Here is a story about a dog this is how it often happens. So, this is a word about what is not necessary, if you see that the dog is wagging its tail, climb to kiss and hug it, you do not need to try to pet it. There is a science of canine psychology, the so-called ethology, ethology like section zoopsychology.

So there is ethology, she is zoopsychology and her dog section, i.e. section on the psychology of dogs in different situations. So this is the one ethology in addition to the personal space of a dog, and a person, because, like a dog, we have four limbs and one head, it also highlights the so-called postures of submission. Postures of submission- these are the poses that the losing dog takes and the winning dog does not touch it. These are the poses on the back, with legs tucked in, with an open neck, with a stomach, lower abdomen. The same poses are recommended for a person to take at the time of a dog attack on him, i.e. lie on your back, spread your legs.

In fact, this pose of a woman is called "rape me". Lie on your back, spread your legs, arms, throw your throat up, and offer the dog to bite off what he likes the most.

Second option(this, apparently, is for homophiles): lie on your stomach, tuck your hands under you, i.e. You cannot resist: you are completely defenseless.

These poses can work with a dog with a healthy mind. With a dog with an unhealthy psyche, in fact, they are encountered as often as people with mental disabilities. These poses may not work in a pack of hungry dogs who see you not as a rival, but as food, i.e. food. it is quite possible that you will just be eaten.

A good posture of submissiveness, which ... or rather a good posture, not submissive, but just a posture that I like - when passing by the dog, demonstrate to him with an open palm, lower your arms down, spread them down and open your palms so that the dog sees that you have nothing in your hands looking into her eyes. it soothing moment, the dog sees that you do not have weapons, sticks, you are safe. As a rule, the dog does not touch.

second moment, the practical one that really works is the psychological suppression of a predator or a group of predators. Everything is exactly the same as with two-legged: look into the eyes, preferably two in one, animal grin and powerful cry. The scream should be with an outburst, with amplification towards the end, animal in nature, powerful, loud. By the way, at the moment of a powerful, loud cry, the animal grin manifests itself. The attacking dog falls into a stupor because the biped has shown uncharacteristic behavior for it, showing its teeth, which it never did, and began to growl like a wild, crazy animal.

If we compare the average weight of a person (75 kg.) And the average weight of a dog (35 kg.), Then the difference is two times, i.e. it is tantamount to the fact that a bear would try to attack you. Scary? This is where the dog gets scared.. She gets frightened and runs away, a technique that has been tried and tested many times and is successful. An important condition: You must scream loudly, sharply and like an animal. Anything from: "A-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah!". The cry must be worked out.

To be continued…

In the next issue you will learn:

Combat stance. How to stand up so that the dog does not bite off the most valuable thing?
What is a sausage for a dog, may be the most valuable for you.
Step into the "mouth of the dragon" or how to avoid injury when bitten?
How to break the neck of a fighting dog?
The terrible truth about self-defense from a dog.
What are the methods for dogs?

Often, owners are faced with the problem of cowardly dogs. Sometimes this problem is successfully solved by competent adaptation to stimuli, by working on behavior on your own or with an experienced instructor. But there are situations when fearfulness is not just a behavioral problem or the result of improper upbringing. It happens that the dog's cowardly behavior is just a character trait that cannot be corrected or the consequences of a psychological trauma received in early childhood. How to raise such a dog, this article will tell.

Causes of cowardly dogs

Sometimes this character trait is associated with improper upbringing and training. Sometimes these are consequences of education through the use of potent negative reinforcement. If this is the reason, you can try to rehabilitate the dog with the help of competent training and patient education. Of course, this will take more than one week, month or year, but if you patiently go towards your goal, you can achieve a good result. It is better not to try to do the rehabilitation of the dog on your own, but immediately turn to an experienced cynologist. If this is not possible, a good option would be to read the literature of animal psychologists, in which such a topic is discussed.

But there are times when the cowardice of dogs cannot be corrected. This may be a trait of character or the result of improper rearing and upbringing at an early puppy age.

What to do if the problem is not solved?

The owner of a shy dog can sometimes be very difficult. It is not easy when a pet is afraid of cars, other dogs, people, bicycles, loud noises, etc. How to behave so as not to introduce yourself and the dog into a state of even greater despondency?

It must be remembered that a shy dog will never behave in the same way as those dogs that you can meet on your street, in the yard, in the usual walking place, etc. Therefore, you can not compare your dog and other pets. This can lead to very negative consequences. It is important for a dog to feel that it is still the best and most courageous for its owner!
Don't assume that your dog will enjoy socializing with other dogs and people if it's under a lot of stress! If it is noticeable that the pet is uncomfortable in the company of his fellows, learn to spend time together. Let it be walking along quiet streets, alleys, playing with a dog in fetching an object. Instead of worrying about the shy nature of the dog, make sure that he feels the joy and satisfaction of playing together with the owner.
Dressing is not an option. If many options have already been tried, trips to different instructors, self-training, but nothing has helped, then the problem is in the character of the dog and this is unlikely to be changed somehow. Of course, this does not mean that such a pet does not need training. Commands can make life and daily behavior of the dog much easier, but if the problem is deep in the dog's psyche, this method most likely will not have any effect.
You need to learn how to avoid irritants that create stress for your dog. The calmer the pet's life goes, the better it will be for him and his owner.
If the dog cannot completely ignore the stimulus and not be stressed when it appears, even with increased and thorough training, you just need to try to make the dog's stay with him a little less annoying and if it is not possible to completely eliminate the excitement, at least reduce its degree.

Before diagnosing your dog as shy, you need to make sure that the problem is not amenable to correction, and try to eradicate it with competent education and training. If the dog is naturally shy, the main thing to remember is that with a little effort, you can make life together with your pet more comfortable and happy!