My dog is scared of one person. How do I stop his barking and shaking?

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.

Poor Conan! It could just have been that he wasn't expecting someone to be in the house and it startled him. Sometimes, dogs can also be fearful of people who may be "different" IE wearing hats, glasses, a different color shirt than normal, etc. Working on socialization can help with this. The next time Jon comes by, having Jon simply toss treats in Conan's direction, without interacting, can help the two of them get used to each other. If Conan approaches or permits attention, extra treas and praise can help teach him this is a good thing! This socialization technique can be used with anyone new in the house, or even out and about as well.

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!

I hate to hear you both went through this trauma and unfortunately there is not an easy answer or easy advise to give. Dogs can suffer from PTSD type problems like people and until he has multiple, positive encounters he will not be the same. The other issue as well is that he is a large dog who is barking/growling and strangers are not going to approach him. In Hades brain, he does to want people to approach, so he barks. Of course, people do not approach so in Hades brain, he wins. He is having positive re-enforcement so he keeps doing it. This is a complicated situation that is best dealt with by a professional trainer who understands how dog's brains work. Because there are some aggressive signs already being shown, you need to stop him at this behavior before it escalates. You do not want a dog bite situation. I hope this helps to lead you in the right direction.

Oh dear, poor Axel! Some dogs have innately anxious and nervous personalities, and German Shepherds (it appears that Axel has a fair amount of Shepherd in him from the pictures!) are known for anxiety issues. Continue gently trying to socialize Axel with new people and surroundings, and offer small treats and gentle encouragement as he is introduced to a new situation. Some dogs also benefit from thunder shirts ( http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=24037 ) for anxiety, as well as calming pheromone collars or diffusers ( http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=33000 ). If all else fails, consider consulting a veterinary behaviorist to discuss behavioral modifications to try at home, and possible anti-anxiety medication. I hope that all goes well!

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

Hello, sorry to hear about Oscar. There are some things you can try at home to manage his fears. Here are some basic definitions and tips to better orient you, however, successful management of his fears may require patience and time as counterconditioning to the stimulus can sometimes take a long time. Hope this helps and best of luck. DOES YOUR DOG HAVE FEARS? Fear in a dog may present in a variety of ways. Recognizing that your dog is indeed fearful is the first step. Some signs that a fearful dog may display include: tucking its tail between its legs, lowering its head, shaking or trembling, lip licking, rolling over to expose the belly, urinating, or becoming immobilized. A scared or frightened dog may also display aggression, including barking or growling, if it feels it cannot escape what is feared. Avoidance behaviors such as running away, hiding or backing up into a corner may also be seen. WHY IS MY DOG FEARFUL? Many dogs are fearful of specific stimuli or situations. These fears may stem from a lack of exposure to the stimulus, or may develop due to an adverse experience. Both can result in the dog having a fearful, emotional reaction when confronted with the stimulus. Often dogs respond fearfully to things in their environment that in nature would be potentially dangerous, such as loud noises or strangers. This behavior can be troubling for owners to watch. Often, owners become concerned that they have done something to make their dog fearful and their natural reaction is to try to comfort the dog which may amplify these behaviors. WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP YOUR DOG? 1. Identify specific triggers This is an important step in moving forward and helping your pet overcome their fear. Knowing what stimuli are a “triggers” is key in creating a treatment plan because it allows you to have more control over the behavior and avoid such stimuli when possible. 2. Avoid the stimulus Initially it is often best to avoid the things that will trigger a fearful reaction. This may provide an opportunity to work on your relationship with your pet and develop trust without distraction. 3. Define your relationship with your pet How do you and your family members react to the behavior? Often times the natural reaction to the fearful pet is to comfort them by petting or picking up small dogs. This response may enhance the dog’s reaction to the fearful stimulus because they perceive the comfort as positive reinforcement of their fearful behavior. Rather, a more appropriate reaction is to act as though nothing unusual is going on and try to redirect the dog’s attention to you through a “look” or “sit” command and then treating that behavior. Some dogs are so fearful they may not be food motivated. Perhaps there is something else that your dog considers a “treat”. You may use this in the place of food. In these cases it is essential that all family members are consistent and treat the dog in the same manor.