fear aggression? Long

[bickedwitch]

My 23mo. male Winston is usually very friendly and laid back. However, he is scared of men he doesn't know. Im not sure if its actually an aggressive behavior as he only barks and or growls but does not move forward in any way. If the person moves towards him he will run away. Once he sees someone quite a few times he doesn't bark or growl but is still not always friendly. I'm concerned where the behavior came from, and also the fact that it seems to get worse the older he gets. He was not like this until after I left him at the vet's to get fixed. I have tried everything I can think of to help him get over his fears. I make sure noone approaches him and that they sit down in a chair and ignore him until he is ready. This seems to help somewhat. I also tried to get people to give him treats and praise but he wants nothing to do with that. I'm lucky because I get to take him to work with me every day but if I can't get him over his fears, I'm afraid I will have to leave him home all day. (which is a 10hr day) Any advice would be greatly welcome.

Thanks Sami & Winston 23mo., docked and floppy

 

[elvis_baby]

Elvis unforutnatly suffers from the same problem, but unforutnatly he has got worse. He is now like it with women too!, i think I have made him worse by panicking if someone appraoches and he senses it which makes him more aggressive.

Unforutnatly I havent any advice but am interested to hear if someone else does!

 

[sgbtab]

one thing you could do is have the stranger ignore them. no eye contact no talking to sooth them. this way the dog will come over on there terms to smell them and see there is no threat.

 

[sanford7]

We have a heinz 57 that is like that.We live in the boonies and dont get lots of different company. In our home if she is familiar with the company there she is fine..often ignoring them.. However if she is unfamiliar with them she will bark, shy away, sniff and run, doesnt like quick movements from them. Out in public she is a more confident dog. So we try to get her out to the parks every couple of weeks just to introduce her to all kinds of noises, people and activities. She really enjoys it!! I would say keep introducing him to whatever you can.. it is slow but worth it!!

 

[ladyluck_t]

The first thing I would say is that most likely the behavior you are seeing is not related to his neuter. If you neutered at the usual time (~6mo's), what also occurs during that stage is the second fear imprint stage. Most likely, based on my interpretation of your post this is what you are seeing. My male seems to be a little "skittish" around new situations also and he is 9mo's old. Now, the good news is there are very simple solutions to this problem. But first off, let me say if you at any time feel uncomfortable about his behavior, you need to seek the advice of a qualified professional, www.apdt.com is a great place to start. Fear based behaviors can delevop into serious behavioral issues, and should always be treated with care and knowledge. The main thing with the second fear imprint stage is showing the dog confident leadership. At no other time in their lives do dogs need more confident leadership than during their second fear imprint stage and the teenage phase (which coincide Lucky us! ) Loving on the dog and soothing his fears is one of the worst things you can do. This fosters, or reinforces, the exhibited behavior which is something you do not want. First off, you need to be practicing the NILF method, this is the easiest, least confrontational way to assert yourself as a leader. The more you insist on the dog following that method (i.e. the better you are at implementing it) the more confident you will appear to the dog. Hence their behaviors will slowly change into what you consider acceptable. Below are a couple of booklets that I have read, both are very clear and have well defined steps to help you become a clear and confident leader. The first one is the best description of the NILF method that I have read to date. Everything is covered and explains why you need to do each action. The second one has a very clear cut way of solving fear based behaviors. The steps to acheiving a confident dog (and confident leadership) are covered very well.

Again, I want to reiterate that if you feel uncertain in any way, please take the time to contact a qualified professional in dog behavior. Most "issues" start out looking innocous or developmentally related. So it doesnt hurt to check with a professional, and as someone who sees the results of not asking for help (in rescue) trust me it is well worth the money in the long run.

HOW TO BE THE LEADER OF THE PACK
by Patricia McConnell
http://www.dogwise.com/ItemDetails.cfm?ID=DTB479
CAUTIOUS CANINE, 2ND EDITION
by Patricia McConnell
http://www.dogwise.com/itemdetails.cfm?ID=DTB586

 

[bickedwitch]

Thanks so much for the great advice! Winston was actually neutered at four months because the vet said he was so large for his age that it would be ok. The behavior started immediatly after that. The reason I was thinking it was related to the vet visit is because of his reaction afterwords. When I brought him home and he saw my dh he urinated and cowered away from him. Also, the one time we took him back to that vet a few months later, he growled at the vet, urinated on the floor and would not let the vet anywhere near him. He had gotten ear mites from a friend's puppy and had to be sedated to have his ears cleaned. (he would not let the vet touch him.) I have obviously switched vets and he is fine now with the new vet who is also male. Now I was just trying to figure out is if it was related to that incident, would I go about helping him in the same manner or would I need to try something different? The problem is, after the initial meeting, he seems to want the persons attentions quite badly but is too afraid to go up to them. He wiggles at them and whines a little but will not get close enough for any acutal attention. He will even box at them if they totally ignore him (which he does with anyone in our family) He is sometimes a great mistery to me....

Sami & Winston

 

[ladyluck_t]

Now I was just trying to figure out is if it was related to that incident, would I go about helping him in the same manner or would I need to try something different?

Yes, basically fear issues are dealt with in the same manner. Certainly by knowing what initiated the fear will help in setting up controlled situations to show him that he has nothing to fear. But personally, I feel that if a dog is not going to face that situation again, there is no need to desensitize him to such an event. So in this situation, my personal opinion, is to continue working with him around strangers and never go to that other vet again. The Cautious Canine book will help you set up a program to help him over his fears, it is a small book (~20pgs) so should be an easy read. And dogwise is quite quick on it's deliveries.

The problem is, after the initial meeting, he seems to want the persons attentions quite badly but is too afraid to go up to them. He wiggles at them and whines a little but will not get close enough for any acutal attention. He will even box at them if they totally ignore him (which he does with anyone in our family) He is sometimes a great mistery to me....

Sami & Winston

This is very common in dogs at this age, think back to what wolves at this age do. They are not quite old enough to go out hunting with the pack but are big enough to go exploring on their own. It is a natural safety mechinism built into all animals. Which is good, there is loads of information on how to help guide your dog through this stage so that at the end of the stage you have a well adjusted, confident dog. That should be your goal. And it all leads back to leadership. I would like to draw a quick corrollary here: I have a teenage human son He has done some pretty stupid things in the past couple of years, he is going through the fear stage too. We call it the akward teen phase, but it relates back to the 2nd fear stage in behaviors. I am certain that my son wouldnt do the crazy things he does if he didnt know in his heart that I was there to "catch" him when he falls. That is what good parenting is all about. We allow them to stretch their wings while providing the safety net that allows them to face down their fears. Take a look at a group of teens and their parents, watch the behaviors of the confident teens and how they relate to their parents and what the "scared teens" and see how their parents are. You should see a corollation between the types of leadership and confidence of the teen. Same thing goes for confidence in dogs. Go one day to the dog park, on a busy day (without your dog) and watch the interactions between people and dogs. See if you can spot some of the things that make good leaders and see if they have confident dogs. I think you would be amazed at what you see. I know I was. The other booklet I recommended will get you quite a ways down the road of leadership, it does work, I use it with all of my foster dogs, my own dogs, my skin-kid, my coworkers and just about anyone else I meet :D There are 5 basic traits of leaders of any group: 1. Calm, 2. Clear, 3. Concise, 4. Compassionate, and 5. Confident. And for us humans to accept someone as a leader they must possess a healthy dose of every trait, think about the leaders you respect and see if it is so in your mind.