My dog is suddenly scared of men. How can I help his fearful behavior?

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.

Dogs can have certain people that they like or dislike right away just like humans. Things that can help if you have not already tried this, have your cousin feed Conan and give him treats. If Conan is trained to do tricks, have your cousin go through the training routine. Have your cousin walk Conan. Another thing that may help is to have Conan neutered. The results can be variable but pets who are neutered tend to be less reactive than pets who are not. This is highly variable however. Be patient and make every experience positive. Best of luck.

Poor Bongo! I bet the amount of people being around was overwhelming to him. Heck- it overwhelms me. If he has a good food drive, I would recommend using that to train him. It is best to use one person st a time. Make sure they have a yummy treat- something he only gets during training. Have the person walk by & gently toss the food to him & keep walking. No telling or staring at him. He will start to associate yummy treat with people. Have the person move closer if Bongo isn’t responding. The person holding Bongo’s leash needs to remain calm and praise positive behavior & ignore unwanted behavior. When he has that down- have him sit & allow the person to hand him the treat (make sure you trust that person). I would not place him in situations with large numbers of strangers for a while. I would also recommend a good basic obedience class-it will help him learn in a group setting. Thanks for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Good question, and I commend you for seeking the input from a behaviorist to help Barney! The main thing for you to do in the meantime is to protect him from those situations that are fearful to him. From the brief description, it sounds like you should avoid having him meet new people for now, especially men, which might mean not taking him out in as many different environments, and if new people come to the house he should be put somewhere quiet and comfortable where he can relax (probably in a familiar bedroom). The more he is in those situations that he perceives as fearful and allowed to go through his fear response, the more of a habit it becomes for him - and it will make it more challenging for you to correct the problem once the behaviorist is on board. I know it's frustrating because it sounds like you are dedicated to working on this with him - but I think it's worth protecting him in this way until you have input from the expert to help guide you. Hope this helps - good luck!

Fear of men could come from a previous bad experience or even just from their larger stature and deeper voice. Things you can do to make Zayd more accepting of men are have your male friends feed, take for walks, give treats or play with a favorite toy. The idea is that they are creating a positive experience. Zayd may never be comfortable with ALL men but he will be more accepting of the ones in his life. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

An Example of Desensitization and Counterconditioning: Dog Afraid of Men In a spacious, neutral environment, like a park or large fenced yard, start with a man at a distance from your leashed dog where she does not cower, growl, try to run away or otherwise appear fearful. Make sure you have a good amount of high value treats to work with, which may be hot dog pieces, cheese, etc. Small treats given fairly constantly with proper behavior are a great tool. Adjustments to distance from the stimulus should be gradual and paired with constant treating while the proper behavior (i.e. lack of fearful behavior as described above) is maintained. Your dog may reach a point where she feels threatened and may display signs of fear toward the man, possibly even aggression. If this occurs, expand the distance and repeat the process. This technique can be adjusted and applied to most situations that cause your dog to be fearful. Conclusion Keep in mind that this is a process and will take some time. Have reasonable expectations of your dog and what is acceptable behavior within your family unit. Each fear will likely have to be addressed separately and may never be abolished completely. And as with any training exercise, it should be fun and a great way for you and your dog to bond! Adding obedience training or agility classes may make the process smoother and ultimately more enjoyable for everyone involved.

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