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I got my main man Kahuna on Dec 3 at 10 weeks and he was very shy and insecure. I knew I could work with that, but I wanted to make sure I built up his confidence before I began disciplining him... The trick is when I initially picked him up I brought a toy that I had the breeder rub all over the mom and litter mates to help give him some anxiety relief and assist in his transition to our home 
Also, I didn't FORCE him into the kennel... You can create a complex if you do that and the kennel will be a big part of his life so I wanted to make sure he was introduced to it properly. I let him sniff it and stayed patient for him... He eventually went in and I rewarded him with a treat and placed his "family" smelling toy with him... I did NOT close the kennel gate until he was COMPLETELY relaxed. He really took to it! He was very upset when we initially left and cried a lot... The important thing is not to acknowledge, and he eventually picked up on the fact that I will not reward that behavior with affection... He then relaxed and slept the rest of the way home!!!! Then, of course, we got home and he had NO desire to leave his kennel and go into this strange place! I waited patiently for about 20 min outside but he had no intentions of leaving his "den" anytime soon ha. My solution was to take him inside in the kennel and leave the door off so it would be his idea to leave when he wanted... I had my hunny and mother in law practice "no touch, no talk, no eye contact" and eventually he did come out and by the end of the night was really coming out of his shell! He is just an absolute doll and just 1 week later shows no signs of the insecure dog he once was! I just love him to death and he's going to be the perfect dog!!!!! So, moral of the story: patience is the best tool when it comes to bonding with and training your puppy!!!!!
Also, I didn't FORCE him into the kennel... You can create a complex if you do that and the kennel will be a big part of his life so I wanted to make sure he was introduced to it properly. I let him sniff it and stayed patient for him... He eventually went in and I rewarded him with a treat and placed his "family" smelling toy with him... I did NOT close the kennel gate until he was COMPLETELY relaxed. He really took to it! He was very upset when we initially left and cried a lot... The important thing is not to acknowledge, and he eventually picked up on the fact that I will not reward that behavior with affection... He then relaxed and slept the rest of the way home!!!! Then, of course, we got home and he had NO desire to leave his kennel and go into this strange place! I waited patiently for about 20 min outside but he had no intentions of leaving his "den" anytime soon ha. My solution was to take him inside in the kennel and leave the door off so it would be his idea to leave when he wanted... I had my hunny and mother in law practice "no touch, no talk, no eye contact" and eventually he did come out and by the end of the night was really coming out of his shell! He is just an absolute doll and just 1 week later shows no signs of the insecure dog he once was! I just love him to death and he's going to be the perfect dog!!!!! So, moral of the story: patience is the best tool when it comes to bonding with and training your puppy!!!!!
