Why is my dog scared of men? How can I help him feel safe?

Poor pup! It sounds like your dog is a fearful girl in general - this can be due to genetics, lack of early socialization, negative early experiences in life, or some combination of all three. Many fearful dogs are afraid of loud noises, and are often more fearful of men because they are physically larger and have louder, deeper voices than women. Generally speaking, a treatment plan for this type of problem would involve managing your dog so that she isn't put in stressful or scary situations as much as possible, as well as working with her to help associate good things (like treats!) with men, noises, and other things that frighten her. Depending on how severe her anxiety is, medication may also be helpful. I would suggest making an appointment with a veterinary behaviorist who can evaluate her in person - he/she can put together a detailed plan to help you work on this problem, and can also prescribe anti-anxiety medication for her if needed. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in your area here: www.dacvb.org

First of all, well done on noticing this and realizing you need to take some action to avoid problems in the future. It's pretty common for dogs Conan's age to start showing signs of being fearful - when they are puppies they just deal with being nervous about some situations and as they get closer to adulthood they start to use aggression to ward off scary things. So Conan could definitely work up to biting someone if he continues to be fearful. The most helpful thing would be to start working with a good trainer and/or veterinary behaviorist. You want to use positive only techniques. If that's not possible, you can try to work on this on your own by asking random men to drop him treats and dropped treats whenever you walk past a male on the street.

Hi, if your dog hates men it may be a dominance issues. Buddy may feel like men are trying to be the leader of his pack and he wants to challenge them. Or he may just be afraid of them and showing fear. I would socialize him with many men by walking her on a leash and having the man calmly drop a treat in front of him. The more different men who do this, the better. Praise him when he is not barking. Then have them come closer and get down on his level and hand him a treat. Go slow with this and don't have them reach to pet his unless he approaches them. If you're walking Buddy and he starts to bark, get his attention back to you by carrying some treats with you. Stop and have him sit then reward him. Ask the man going by if he would toss a treat to him. Sometimes strangers or neighbors, friends and family are willing to help with this. Good luck, i hope this helps!

Trust can take a long time to build. Some dogs who may have had fearful experiences will remember these and it make take a while to over come. Men do tend to be more intimidating due to a larger stature and deeper voice . It's also important to not tower over Sandy. Squat down to get on her level. Try to find a toy she really likes and have play sessions with her. Also make sure you are the one who cares for her (feeding, walks, playing). In general, this will form a positive association and can help to bond her with you. Also, try not to force her into hanging out with you. Make sure to heavily reward any behavior that appears to be what you want (like approaching you on her own). Make sure to use a higher pitched voice for positive association until she is comfortable. Be patient and positive.

Hello! This can be corrected with time and patience! If Toby has mostly spent his life around women, then humans with deeper voices that often have covered faces (beards, hats)- like men, can be new and a little scary at first. Start by slowly introducing Toby to new people for short periods of time, so he doesn't get overwhelmed. Bring treats with you so that you can reward Toby whenever he is acting calm and friendly. If he gets overwhelmed, remove him from the situation so he can calm down without being punished. Over time, he will become more socialized and confident around new people. I hope this is helpful!

Poor Marley! This is a fairly common problem for many dogs - you're correct that the barking is generally caused by fear. Treatment for this issue normally involves teaching the dog to associate good things (like treats!) with seeing large dogs and men so that over time, she begins be happy about seeing them rather than getting scared and barking. To do this successfully, you need to start at a distance away from the dogs (or men) where she is comfortable and able to notice them without barking - for some dogs, this may mean that you need a lot of distance at first! As soon as she sees another dog or a man, praise her and reward with a treat. Once she understands the game, you can gradually move closer as long as she's doing well. This can be difficult to do on your own at first, so I would strongly recommend getting in touch with a good reward-based trainer who can help you in person - he/she can help to set up controlled training sessions with a helper dog or some strange men until you get the hang of things and are ready for "real life" situations. You can search for a qualified trainer in your area here: www.ccpdt.org

Poor Ziggy! I am sorry he has some mean dogs he must encounter on his walks (luckily they are contained). It does sound like he is scared. I would see if you have any friends/family with friendly dogs he could meet, or find out if local pet stores or vet offices have any puppy play-dates. Here in the US there are some pet stores and vet clinics that have certain days where you can bring your puppies to meet with and play with other dogs in a safe environment.