I have been taking my 17 week old puppy Bella to lots of different places so she can experience a wide variety of people. She usually reacts either by mild interest or wagging tail and pulling in their direction. Today though she reacted very differently to just one person. He was sitting on a park bench, and I don't think he even looked at her but she froze as we approached. I gave her plenty of lead and encouraged her forwards with a treat and after a second or two she trotted towards me past the bench and took it. I'm not sure what happened next exactly but he got up and took a step towards her and she responded by barking at him with hackles raised. I immediately apologised to him and she sat next to me. After a couple of seconds brief chat we continued our walk and she responded to everyone else in her usual way. I don't know what specifically about him she wasn't sure about. Could it just be that he was sitting and most people are walking or standing?
It could be. Or he could have smelled of something funny. Or it might not have been anything to do with him, but she stood on a sharp stone the second she saw him and associated him with the sensation. Or an environmental sound or smell... who knows? I wouldn't worry about it.
Thank you, you'd think the second time around it would be easier, but my older girl is completely different, loves every human and every animal. it is still a work in progress to prevent her going head over heels with the excitment of seeing another dog walking towards her!
I wouldn't worry either. Continue to socialise her with people sat down, stood still, walking, in groups etc.
Snowie as a puppy was the friendliest and most confident dog ever (still is as an adult - 5 years old). But on just two occasions he responded with hackles raised. And I decided to listen to his intuition and turned around and left the area immediately. The first was a security guard in the street who gave us a broad smile. It was a weird smile, seemed false to me, a little scary. Snowie did not like it. The second was on a mountain trail and a homeless man was walking on the path towards us, very determined, I'm guessing on crystal meth. Very unkempt, very smelly, rather scary. If Snowie was uncomfortable then I was trusting him and hotfooting it out of there. Otherwise, he's bombproof. Just those two times. And I'd listen to his intuition again if it happened a third time. He was a young dog then (I think 1 years old), not a small puppy. Perhaps with a small puppy one handles these things differently?
When they are young they do react occasionally like this little. I tend to just encourage and continue. If one of my older dogs reacts with suspicion I listen . Like MF I've had one or two strange incidents with people who are best avoided.
