I don't know if this belongs in health but no where else seemed fitting, anyway.

Patsy has always been skittish, from the day we bought her she has been skittish. She has always been terrified of kids. Then she became terrified of nail clippings lol This is normal i know. But now she is terrified of cameras. I have always taken her picture, since she came home with us. With flash, without flash she never cared. Well recently she has deceided that she is terrified of the came no matter if the flash is on. Oh and she knows cameras too, I have about 5 different cameras I shoot with and everytime one is taken out she goes into hiding.

She has issues like being put on the spot, its strange. I raised all 3 dogs the same, maybe even more delicate with patsy because she is overly sensative. But I don't get it, I hardly use flash on my cameras, i hate flash. I dont see what the fear is coming from. or how to deal with it, she is just so sensative!! And her son Milo whom left the nest at 6 weeks old is the same exact way lol So this is like some personality trait she passed down to him in her genes or something lol I used to wonder about abuse before we got her at 3 months old but Nahhh I doubt it. Espcially since milo is the same exact way.

Anyone have a clue?? lol I wanna take pics of my dog again. Everytime the camera is taken out she runs for her dad and hides under his desk for 30 minutes.

Oh Jules! This a subject that is near and dear to my heart... and one I could talk forever on. The entire subject intrigues me!

Why are human beings so different from one another? Why are some people tall, some short; some brown-eyed, some blue-eyed? The fact that daughters and sons tend to look like mothers and fathers suggests that physical features are heritable, and therefore due in part to genes. But what about behavior? Why, in the very same family, are some children assertive, others shy? Why are some highly emotional, others more reserved and "Logical?" Are these traits inherited too?

Many canine personality traits are inherited... and "bad nerves" cannot be fixed. I have a miniature dachshund (Lil'Bit) who simply has bad nerves. If she gets out of her environment, she gets diarrhea and throws up. If there are visitors in our home, she won't settle down. If hubby goes on a trip... she won't settle down. I've trained this dog same as I've trained the others... I cannot train these personality attributes out of her. She hides when I bring out the ironing board or vacuum cleaner. Now mind you... many dogs have a FEW of these nerve issues... but she has ALL of them! Skittering away from a scary object or noise is not a training problem, it is a temperament problem. For example, you could teach a weak dog not to run away from a moving wheelchair. But suppose the wheel chair user dropped a book on the floor. You can be certain the dog would panic all over again. Training can, to an extent modify specific behaviors, but it cannot change the dog’s genetics. Weakness in temperament will always resurface under stress.

Too often, dogs are being used for breeding without being tested for anything, and in the US, breeding has become entirely subjective, as in “I know what I like, so I’ll breed it!” ("designer dogs"... I rest my case!)

Patsy cannot help her behavior... it is an inherited trait and I highly suspect if you look at her bloodline, you'll see it surface from time to time. It's best not to breed these dogs, and pass on these traits. Oftentimes, however, we don't know it until it's too late. It certainly doesn't mean you love her less... but it's not something we wish to pass on if we can help it.

This canine behavior class I'm taking... although I've only had one class... is SO interesting, and I'm excited about it!

This is a fascinating topic to me as well.  Mayfly is one of those pups that will startle at something but she does immediately regroup and investigate.  Also, even though I never planned to breed anyway, she probably would not be a good dog to breed because of her skittishness...even though everything else about her (health, family health, etc.) is good.

I guess one reason it fascinates me, too, is that as a horse person I've always noticed the differences is personalities of horses.  Some are born spooky...no abuse, no bad eyesight, no bad experience...just born spooky.  All you can do is take that into consideration when training and adapt accordingly.  Same with the very dominant or agressive ones.

And that is what some people (owners and trainers) fail to understand...not all horses  can be trained or handled the same.  I would guess dogs are the same.

I learn so much from all of you. Thanks for your comments. My girls are very skittish around men and kids. They are not comfortable with either of them. We keep them crated when my grandsons visit. And they are getting used to my family members little by little. They are very protective of my daughter and I.