My Dragon Runs From Me

I have about a 4 month old dragon now and he/she always runs from me. Every now and then i can pick her/him up but if I don't hold tight he/she jumps out and runs. I haven't taken it out of the terrarium as i am concerned it will jump down and run. Any advice for calming my dragon down?

Is this just hyper energy or is he actually frightened by you? If it's hyper energy you may want to try using a safe room like a bathroom at first where you easily block off all cracks and places you don't want your beardie to get into and allow him some play time. Let him run around and explore to burn some energy off.

Have you tried offering food by hand? See if he/she lets you pet it's head while it's still? Start out a little slow and see how it does with that. At that age they will be skittish if you haven't been handling them a lot. Just keep trying to make friends before trying to pick it up.

Also the room advice is good as they can run when they want.

i think he is afraid more than hyper. If i bring my hand in he moves away. when i go to pick him up he runs. everynow and then i can get under him and pick him up before he gets started. he has eaten out of my hand a few times but still runs. i have never been able to rub him without him going away. how should i start this process?

Ok than I would do as spacial suggested and move very slow. It can be a drawn out process but will be well worth it in the end. Never come at him from above as his 3rd eye is a sensitive organ that may cause him to take you as a threat. Always come at him where he can see you and on his level.
Use feeding time as bonding time, allow him to see your hand placing his insects into his enclosure so that he can start to associate your hands with positive things like food. For about a week try just placing your hand into his enclosure for him to see without actually touching him. Leave it there for a few minutes. If he freaks out do not remove your hand until he relaxes so that you do no reinforce the behavior. Once he's comfortable with this than start petting him inside of his enclosure. Than eventually work your way up to picking him up in his enclosure. If he squirms do not sit him down until he's calm so that you do not reinforce the behavior. Once he's calm with this approach than you should start taking him out of the Viv only for a few minutes at first so that you do not overwhelm him and undue any progress. Eventually he will learn to trust you and not take you as a threat. It's a process but with time and lots of patience he will come around and you'll have a wonderful little companion. Just keep doing each step until he's completely content before jumping to the next step. Hang in there he will come around

You need to take your time and let it learn to trust you at it's own pace.

Toothless was somewhat like how your describe your little one for his first 6 - 7 months with us and so I kept the handling at a minimum , only really handling him when :
=== I was doing our handfeeding-bonding routine with his first live insect feed each day (I'd give him about 12 crickets , 2 -3 were given by hand by me and I'd talk to him and pet him while doing this
=== to take him out to go into a 30L holding tub / or be held and petted by my wife while I was removing any left over (rogue) cricket from his rearing tub in the am before his first meal
that was the limit (about 10 min per day).

He suddenly transformed at about 8 months old and become very affectionate and like an entirely different lizard who no longer tried to get away. Now he loves a nice snuggle, and being petted (under neck rubs are his thing) and he's become quite the affectionate boy.

When he moved away when I wanted pick him up I found it less stressful if I used a long stick which I'd slip gently under his chest and front legs and he'd instinctively hold on and I could then slowly lift and draw him closer to a place I could slide my hand under him and the over him and then I could lift him out and place him on my tummy / chest with his tail under my left wrist (a little bit of weight was enough to discourage him from dash off) and I'd cut my hand over him.

EVER chase a skittish scared lizard, this will only reinforce his fear of you.
NEVER grab a skittish lizard from above or behind - very much like a predator and will reinforce is fear of you.
Spend lots of time hanging out where it can see and hear you , and talk quietly and calmly to it often.

Good time to get a lizard out for a snuggle is when it's relaxed and tired (while it's basking) and close to bed time. They are more receptive then.

Choose a room to get him out for snuggles in where he can not run away and hide under/behind heavy stuff and never walk around with him on you, if he takes fright or spots something he want to go and see, he can leap off very suddenly and can really do himself serious harm if he lands on a hard surface from a height.