Hi there! My guy is 14 months old and has “stranger danger”. We socialized him well at a puppy but he has always been insecure. If he is “confident” like in our home and someone comes over he barks for a minute then realizes they are nice and greets them. We usually have our guests offer him a treat. The main problem is when we take him on hikes he is off leash and people just walk up to him. He would never bite and he doesn’t bark at them he just gets really flinchy and doesn’t want them to pet him. Honestly he looks terrified around them. Any advice? It seems with him being over a year this isn’t just a”fearful” stage
My own boy Sam who is six years old, isn't fearful at all but he is very cautious , which I don't mind at all . I remember talking to a proper old gundog man about it and he said " well, how would you feel if a complete stranger came up and stroked your arm " Fair comment I thought ! I wouldn't worry too much about it , just keep him well socialised but honestly , I don't think it matters too much if our dogs don't enjoy being petted by other people , as long as there isn't any aggression , so just maybe accept that this is how he is ?
There is a second fear period, which coincides with his age, however I don't really have any practical experience with that. There are flashes you can put on him that say "I need space" or something to that effect, which might put you both at ease if he doesn't have people actively coming up to him. You could try giving him treats when you see people out and about, if you haven't already, so it helps him to associate strangers with yummy things happening his way, although as Kate has said, it may just be his character. I kind of wish my lab had a bit more reserve about him, he's the opposite and that comes with its own issues!
No, I wouldn’t worry either. I don’t want strangers to pet my dogs. What I do when friends come to my house is to get them to look into eyes, ears and teeth etc so they don’t worry about strangers (vets) inspecting them.
Please believe that any dog can bite. To paraphrase Jean Donaldson in 'The Culture Clash' "if your dog hasn't bitten anyone today be thankful that their buttons haven't been pushed in the right sequence". Some 'experts' talk of a second fear phase around the 6 - 14 months mark and can be seen with the dog being reluctant to approach someone or something new. I certainly don't let anyone walk up and stroke/pet my dog. Strangely enough when I'm out training with Akitas or American Bulldogs no-one approaches them to pet them - I wonder why?? Your boy is giving clear signals that he is unhappy with strangers approaching and touching him, which is absolutely fine but if left as it is, it could escalate to more than flinching away. Why should he be happy for someone to just come and touch him, and of course they normally go straight for the top of head. Probably the place that dogs hate most. It would be good to introduce some training to help his reactivity - strangers mean treats - and encourage people not to approach too close and let him decide if he wants contact.
I feel like you nailed what I mean right in the head! I had a German Shepherd before who was very friendly but no one ever asked to pet her. People just reach for my guy and I guess I need to just be ok with him loving all the people he gets to know in his “safe” places like our house and my work and letting people know he is shy outside.
Hi @4theloveoflabs This popped up on my FB feed yesterday and made me think of your post and your boy's reaction to strangers touching him. Thought it might help a little with spotting his body language and heading off problems https://www.upwardhound.com/blog/2017/2/24/listen-to-the-whisper
Lots of good advice in the above posts @4theloveoflabs. Such as maybe investing in a clip on sleeve that helps strangers understand that your boy needs a little space. I have a yellow one for my reactive boy Casper, and it really does work. This is the one we bought from ebay. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/My-Dog-Re...hash=item25da65b562:m:mJ3ZM_cE-vzNhld839RWLBg In the meantime, working on ways to help your dog feel more comfortable with strangers, a good technique we found was LAT, a counter-conditioning training process which has really helped. We also learnt to choose our battles, for a time we walked in really quiet areas, where we were able to quickly add distance from anything that may trouble Casper. We still do walk Casper in quiet areas because as a nervous dog these are walks he prefers and loves so excuse the pun when I say we take our cues from him! Whilst we have made enormous inroads with him, to some extent, this is the dog we accept we have right now. I have found in my personal experience, that there is a quite a spectrum of temperament in labradors, from hugely rambunctious (and we all know who they are!!! ) to relatively reserved, and even to the extremes of anxiety. I guess it doesn't help our cause when most of society associates labradors with cuddly, friendly dogs such as the Andrex puppy and the lab in Marley and Me. It is worth being aware of the ladder of aggression, yes we all saw that in puppy school! And yes all dogs can bite...( we all know that too...) I would take a slightly less melodramatic approach and more inclined to 1. Help other people understand your dog 2. Look at ways to help your dog feel more comfortable with strangers. 3. In light o your dog's age, look into training classes to help build confidence in working with other people, dogs and being in different environments. At 14 months old, testosterone levels plateauing maybe affecting his confidence levels.
Very sensible advice from Kate (Beanwood) here!!! My older dog does not like strangers staring into her eyes or patting her on the head (well, you wouldn't, would you???), and we taught her to come to us and walk close at heel whenever we passed strangers on a hike. She soon started to associate the sight of strangers coming along the path with a piece of cheese, and walking close to heel (or sometimes we would put her on the lead) meant that people could not so easily come up and try to touch her. Gradually over the years she has got much better as her self-confidence has increased, and at five years old I actually cannot remember the last time she reacted badly to a stranger. Your dog sounds similar in his level of anxiety regarding strangers. Good luck - I am sure that with patience and kindness you will get there with him.
