Shyness

Dear Ms. LaPooch,

I have a hard time meeting new people at parties.  I tend to be very shy around people I don’t know.  Is there anything I can do about this?

-Shy Guy

Dear Shyster,

This is a tricky one.  Believe it or not, even my Diva-self is sometimes shy with others I don’t know.  You can learn more about the steps toward the achievement of Diva-dom in my forthcoming book (which you will want to recommend to all of your friends, whether or not they are shy). Overcoming shyness is a learning process, but it is something that takes more than one trip around the dog park.

Something I do to overcome this fear is to introduce myself to someone in the group or party who is obviously not shy.  Find an outgoing person, take a deep breath and tell yourself “I can do this.”  Put one paw in front of the other, introduce yourself and extend your hand, paw, or nose to them. 

After you’ve made the initial connection, the hardest part is over. Now you can ask some open-ended questions that light that fire of conversation.  Here are just a few of my favorites:  How do you know the host? What do you like to do for fun?  What are you favorite treats? I convey my points with a variety of sounds: growls, snorts, snorfles (A French bulldog specialty), and whines.

After these questions, you hopefully can let the conversation, or the sniffing take its natural course. 

One last woof of advice, pay attention to the clues people and dogs give to you about themselves.  If I see someone carrying a tennis ball around, I could frame some questions around tennis, but mostly I hope they put the ball down, so I can grab it while they are distracted.  I think you get the point.

The thing to remember is that most people, like dogs, are genuinely curious and want to know more about new people.  So, take courage and show others who you really are. Get out there and do it!

                                                          Love and Licks,