Dog Scared!!

[Dannye D. Davis]

I adopted a poodle from the humane shelter about 3 weeks ago. He seems to be adapting to me and his new home very well. However, when I have adult company, he acts scared, almost petrified, and hides until company is gone. If it's a child visiting, he will growl at them when they come near. However, he will allow them to pet him if I hold him. (Otherwise, he's in hiding). Will he outgrow this behavior or is there something I should do? He's between 1 and 2 years old.

[Beth J. Bates]

Hi Dannye -

It's pretty normal for a new rescue dog to be a little timid of his surroundings. I wouldn't force him to fraternize with your company if he is that scared. Once he gets a little more comfortable, he will probably start showing some interest - good or bad - in your guests. If he does show an interest, I would put him on a leash when company is around so you can control the situation - especially around children. When company visits, it should be a happy situation. When he is behaving, shower him with praise. If you have company that visits often, try this.

- Have the guest get down to his level.
- Give them a treat to give to your dog.
- When they give him the treat and he doesn't growl, praise him.
- Then ask them to back away.

Repeat this when they come to visit until he sees them as his best friend and not a threat. You can try this with children, depending on the age of the child. But, we don't want to put children in harm's way so be sure to assess whether its safe for the child.

I hope this helps!

[Mark German]

Sorry Beth
Giving treats to a dog is only rewarding his fear or aggression. Dogs do not know they are getting treated for NOT growling. This technique is focusing too much on the dog. That's the difference between whispering and training. The focus should be on the guest who came over to my house for a reason. It wasn't to "train" my dog. I would never let my guest get down to the dogs level. this is a fearful dog. I wouldn't know what the people were doing if someone was crawling toward me, especially in my fearful state of mind.
The owner needs to become the dog's Leader, Walk the dog (for the right reason and the correct way), set Rules in the house and feed the dog the best food possible.

I would love to share this with everyone. It's not hard, just different (tm)
Humans are so in to "training" that they forget about behavior and dog psychology. they are dogs you know. A CANINE. I have been practicing this for 16 years. It works on every dog!

[Mark German]

I have work with hundreds of fearful dogs. The last thing you want to do with a fearful dog is "reward" the behavior. You are only rewarding fear and teaching your dog that it is OK to be fearful. What happens to humans who are afraid of planes, elevators etc? What does the doctor do for that patient? We do not reward fear. The best thing to do is put a leash on the dog and ignore him while keeping him near what he is fearful of. Dog's must face their fear to get over their fear. Giving dogs treats for not doing something is wrong. You must correct the behavior....growling, barking, jumping, hiding etc. NOT reward it.
Dogs are not humans. If you pet a dog and say "it's OK honey", then you are telling your dog that it is OK to be fearful, aggressive, excited, etc. You should never get down to a dogs level especially if the dog has aggressive tendencies. It's a good way to get bitten. Leaders are always above the pack.
Read more about dog psychology and how to correct unwanted behaviors in my book, "There's Hope" The Four Essentials to a Stable Dog(c) www.AmericasDogWhispererInc.com or call me at 928-899-6515. I am here to help!

[Beth J. Bates]

Thanks for the feedback, Mark. For the record, all of the suggestions listed in my post were recommended by Victoria Stillwell on "It's Me of the Dog" in an episode that included a dog with similar fear aggression issues. I guess there are differing opinions on this.

[Mark German]

Beth
I do not watch Victoria. I saw one show where a yorkie was aggressive on the bed and her "fix" was to put the dog outside of the bedroom in a crate. The people were crying because they could not sleep with their dog. I teach the dog that the bed is not his and that he is not allowed to be aggressive toward anything. Avoidance does not teach the dog anything.
Putting a dog outside when guests come over does not teach the dog that he cannot jump, bark, run out the door, growl, bite etc. I TEACH THE DOG RULES, NOT TRICKS.
Please contact me Beth so I can send you a copy of my book so you will know what I do and how I teach dogs and humans. Please.

[Mark German]

Dannye
Sorry it has taken so long to view your post.
The worst thing you can do with a fearful dog is to ALLOW him/her to be scared and hide. By allowing the dog to this, you are not changing the dog or teaching him anything. he will become more fearful and protective around you out of fear. When guest come over, put a leash on the dog and keep him by you but IGNORE him. Do not tell him that "it is ok honey". This is just teaching him that it is ok to be fearful.
EXAMPLE: If you are afraid of elevators and you go to a doctor for help.....what is the doctor going to do? put you in the elevator, right? He is not trying to harm you, he is trying to help you. That is the difference between whispering and training. When you hold him for the children, he is in a fearful state of mind and everyone is "rewarding" petting him. Do not do it. this is how children get bitten. you need to provide just 4 things for your dog. Leadership, Walks, Rules, and Good Nutrition. The Four Essentials to a Stable Dog (c). Feel free to contact me so I can offer you some suggestions to keep this dog from becoming worse or perhaps biting a child. He will not outgrow this!!!
What state do you live in? I will be in Maryland, Rochester, and Kansas City June and July.

[Barbara]

Hi Dannye
I adopted a dog who spent her life (8.5 yrs) as a breeder dog in a puppy mill. Talk about scared!
I found a lot of help and support at the yahoogroup shy k9's
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/shy-k9s/

I find Beth's method works better for us than Marks'. You might want to do some study via the internet and form your own opinion.

Barbara

[Natalie Kramer]

Dannye, congratulations on your addition! I have a dog, who is aggressive towards children. I just keep him away from all children. Be very careful and never-ever leave your poodle unsupervised around children. You don't know your dog's past: he may have been tautned by kids, or even abused. My dog, Clooney, is the sweetest dog, but there is something about small children he is very bothered with. Please be understanding of your dog's fears and be patient with him. He was probably never socialized properly around children, and it is not his fault he has these fears. As he settles into his new life with you, he might become more relaxed, but I would urge you to always supervise him and be extremely cautious around children.