Hello everyone! I have a 4 month old yellow labrador who is really sweet and adorable! He use to be so fun loving and always wanted to play until one day on a walk another dog got too close, really hurt him and now has completly knocked his confience! He is now really scared of everything from loud noises, strangers and especially other dogs when on walks! Recently the problem with loud noises and strangers has got better as I am rewarding him with tasty treats when he looks at me or doesn't bark or ignores other people but other dogs is a whole different boardgame When walking on the lead and we see another dog I try to distracted him with treats or turn away and walk the other way but when at the park and other dogs approach, he lays on the floor shaking and crying or jumps up at me crying. I try to ignore it and walk away encouraging with him treats and high pitched tone but he just lays there in a trance almost like he is in a zone and can't hear me! He is really really frightened and it upsets me to take him on walks because I feel like it is getting worse! Any advice please From A very sad puppy owner
Ah, poor boy - and poor you, I bet this is a really worry for you. I'd say you'd be best getting professional help with this - his reaction seems very extreme and in time this kind of fear is likely to turn into aggression towards other dogs to keep them away. I wouldn't take him to the dog park at all until you've managed to make him feel a bit better around other dogs. He needs to be in a place where he feels very safe, and introduced to other dogs very, very slowly, so he can cope without being so scared.
Yeah was worried that would be the case I have been looking around for professional help but don't really know how you can tell who is good and who is not. So you advise just inviting other dogs over or meeting with other dogs before taking him further Any suggestions on how to go about introducing the dogs? On lead? Off lead? I don't want to force him! Thank you!
Where do you live in the world? There may be someone on here who could recommend you a professional behaviourist. If you try to find one yourself, make sure you look for one who advocates positive reinforcement, force-free methods. If they use terms like "being the boss", "dominant", "alpha", run a mile. If you know people with gentle, friendly dogs, arrange to go somewhere where you can have your puppy on your lap while the other dog mooches around at a distance. Give your puppy lots of treats for staying relaxed. If he gets anxious, have the other dog move farther away. Always keep the dog at a distance your puppy is happy. When he seems completely relaxed at a certain distance, have the other dog move slightly closer. Again, judge your puppy, give him lots of treats and, if necessary, have the other dog back up again. Don't push it and keep sessions short. Better to have a couple of very short sessions in a day than one longer session. Your puppy may also feel better if he's free to move, so don't make him sit and try walking around if that helps him more than being sat with you. Most dogs are far better with introductions off lead, because leads can make them feel trapped and suppress their natural body language. Make sure that the dog never approaches him head-on, because that's quite an aggressive thing to do, so have the other dog always move towards him in an arc. Good luck - take it slowly, get a professional on board if you can and let us know how you get on.
Yep, I had that problem too. Obviously a professional observing your dog would be much better able to say....but I'd start by having your puppy off lead in a safe familiar place, your garden say, and introduce just one quiet, older dog - a dog that is going to be perfectly friendly but not all that interested in your puppy. Have the older dog at a bit of a distance, and just let your puppy approach if he wants.
You could also look around for a puppy training class. You want one where the dogs are kept on lead and focus on their owner and you'd need to explain your situation and perhaps watch a class without your dog first. One class I attend has transformed a dog-reactive Collie, over a period of 8 months. To start with he just sat at right-angles to the rest of the class, and at a distance, and watched. Now he can be off-lead working at heel with two other dogs working at the same time. So problems can be overcome. I hope you can find the best way forward for your pup.
