Hello everyone, For the past 3-4 months Max has become very nervous of strangers, sometimes he wont walk past as he's staring at their every move which can be very frustrating especially when they're are kids who often get scared. Hes very friendly with people he knows but strangers scare him and if they go to touch him (which doesnt happen often now as I tell them not to) he panics and hides behind me or tries to run off. If they're willing to crouch down sideways and wait for him to ask to be stroked its great but this can be a very long process which not many strangers will do. Hes a big/tall labrador and off lead he's not fussed with people but on lead he's becoming a nightmare. I've tried the walking past nicely and rewarding with food which works sometimes and does make it easier when passing people on the pavement. I should also add that at home he barks at strangers but I make them aware to ignore him until he comes to them which takes 5 minutes then he's their best friend wanting to play with them. An old friend popped round the other day who hadnt seen Max since he was a tiny puppy, after 10 minutes Max was back to his usual boisterous self pestering my friend to play with him!!! On a plus side Maximus turned 1 on Wednesday!!! Looking back on this time I've had Max he has come a very long way but im slowly ticking off the list of training things I need to teach him.
Re: Help with 1 year old nervous dog It sounds to me like you are doing a good job of helping Max Dogs do go through what's known as a 'second fear period' sometime between 6 and 18 months when they kind of have to re-learn that things they consider new are ok. Basically imagine that he's a puppy again, encountering brand new things in the world. You are doing the right thing by getting people to allow Max to approach them (rather than them walking up to him). It's also helpful if people don't look (and definitely not stare!) at Bob till he's initiated a hello. Pats should happen on the chest, not head. And if you can enlist people (like visitors) to toss him treats that's great too. People shouldn't bend forward over him - crouching down or turning away slightly is best. Trying to relax yourself and be loose is helpful too - saying a casual hello to people as they approach can be reassuring also. Try to keep the lead loose. I'm sure you'll continue to see improvement over time with a slow and gentle approach.
Re: Help with 1 year old nervous dog I can second this - my dog still doesn't like strangers who stare at her or try to pat her head! Slowly, gently get her used to the idea that strangers aren't scary or dangerous... You will get there.
Re: Help with 1 year old nervous dog Elsie and Betty have always been similar I quite like they are not into being too friendly and have just trained walk on by without stopping, as I approach anyone who indicates they want to say hello I just they don't like that and tell the dogs to keep walking. No fear they will ever be stolen or go off with anyone they are far to suspicious of other people.
Re: Help with 1 year old nervous dog I have two dogs who were very reactive towards strangers but they didn't hide they barked. I used past tense because, amazingly,they have improved a lot. We still have blips especially if someone approaches us but compared to what they were like at the beginning of the year we've come a long way. If you look at BAT tips thread on the behaviour board you will see how bad they were. :-\ You might find www.careforreactivedogs.com useful and also www.woodysway.co.uk . On woody's way if you look at PAW rules it explains how you as a person should approach a strange dog. If you can get strangers to do this when they approach Max it should help a lot. The idea of Woody's way is to educate children on how to approach dogs and also signals a dog might give to say its not happy so leave alone.
Re: Help with 1 year old nervous dog Firstly I would just like to thank you all for your advice amd experiences. I dont want Max to be overly friendly as there is a lot of gun dog stealing going on in the UK, I just don't want him to be nervous/scared of strangers. We've been going for shorter more frequent on lead walks and im hoping that the more places he goes and more people he sees he'll not fear seeing them. I will definitely look at the Woodys way approach, too many kids come up to Max without asking first, he wouldn't hurt a fly but he is still mouthy which could frighten a child or adult. I recently got a new part time job as a dog walker and Max gains confidence when with a group of dogs especially the dogs I walk they are very people friendly. Thanks again everyone
Re: Help with 1 year old nervous dog I have absolutely no idea why I referred to your puppy as'Bob'. Sorry about that It's great that you're able to walk Max with a group of experienced, confident dogs. I'm sure that will help too
