Hi everyone, I have a 5month old (just today!) lab puppy and he has always been wary of new people and seems to be more men than women. I work in a vets so since I got him at 12weeks of age he has been coming to work with me and he is great with everyone, a happy boy but sometimes if out on a walk etc if he sees someone across the road or in their driveway or if they want to come say hello he barks/growls, the hackle goes up and he will walk towards them sometimes wagging his tail but then backs off. He has never once snapped, showed his teeth or lifted his lip but I just don’t want it to progress as he gets older. It’s odd and we are stuck with what to do as sometimes he is absolutely fine, isn’t bothered or within about 30secs to a minute is everyone’s friend and relaxed. Since we got him we have always taken him out with us so he is exposed to a lot of things. He has no problems with anything else, like loud noises, traffic etc don’t bother him. Is this something he could outgrow or do we just need to manage it correctly. I worry as we take him more or less everywhere with us and want him to be happy and not mind people approaching and we live away from family so just concerned how he will react when they come to stay. Any experience or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you
Sometimes we go about "socialising" our puppies but actually end up sensitising them (that is, making them feel threatened or uncomfortable by the situation). If strangers come up, lean into his space and stroke his head, that can be a really unpleasant experience for a puppy. Just like ourselves, puppies and dogs should have their say over who touches them and how.
Hi. Have you tried ‘look at that’ or sometimes I use ‘who is it’. As soon as she looks at me I give her a high value treat. She now associates new people with getting a treat and it has helped her relax. She quite often looks at me then looks at someone or something, then looks back at me as if to say ‘I’ve seen them, now where’s my treat’. I quite often preempt how she might react and get her focus before she gets nervous or unsure of something.
Sometime at that 5-6months the pup go through a fear stage. I would still take him out and about but let him decide who he greets. I would talk to him a fun happy voice when someone approaches but let that person know the pup might not want to be petted. Let him decide if he wants to be petted. He will get over his fear in time.
