April 28, 2011
My dog is extremely afraid of my dad. He will not sit in the same room as my father and he will pace around the house watching to see were he is. What should I do?
Full Question:
Hello,My 6 month old chihuahua has a very annoying habit and I am hoping you can help me teach him not to do. When I first got him at 12 weeks old, he was perfectly fine around everyone, but one day about a week later out of the blue he just started to get extremely afraid of my dad. He will not sit in the same room as my father and he will pace around the house watching to see were he is. If my father gets up and walks into another room, my dog will start to bark and run upstairs and hide in my room. He is so afraid that if I hold him and my father pets him, he will urinate on me! I have no clue what to do about this problem. It is not like he is afraid of men in general because I have a brother and we always have visitors and he never barks at them. Sometimes he is better than others and will come into the room with my father in it and other times he is just so scared that he runs to my room and stays in there barking. If you could help me try to diagnose this problem or figure out how to fix it I would be very appreciative.
Thank you,
Brianna
Cindy's Answer:
It sounds like your dog is insecure and feels nervous. His barking will dissipate if you give him more feelings of security and protection. He needs structure and to feel safe in your ability to be his leader. Many times people with small dogs don’t realize that it’s every bit as important to the emotional well being of a Chihuahua as it is to a German Shepherd. For starters, don’t let other people put him in the position that he feels cornered (like holding him and allowing people to pet him).
I’d get a size appropriate crate for this dog and I’d start with our Groundwork program. Pack Structure for the Family Pet is the video that picks up where the article leaves off.
Insecure or fearful dogs especially benefit from having rules in place that are consistent. The behaviors you see now (the barking and running away) will escalate as your dog matures and dogs like this many times become fear biters.
I’d also recommend you do some reading on the website about fearful dogs and pack structure
Here are some links to get you started
http://leerburg.com/qafear.htm
http://leerburg.com/packstructure.htm
I would direct you to the search function in the upper left corner of the website for any additional questions you may have. If you type in your key words it will guide you to articles, Q & A’s and posts on our forum.
I hope this helps.
Cindy
I’d get a size appropriate crate for this dog and I’d start with our Groundwork program. Pack Structure for the Family Pet is the video that picks up where the article leaves off.
Insecure or fearful dogs especially benefit from having rules in place that are consistent. The behaviors you see now (the barking and running away) will escalate as your dog matures and dogs like this many times become fear biters.
I’d also recommend you do some reading on the website about fearful dogs and pack structure
Here are some links to get you started
http://leerburg.com/qafear.htm
http://leerburg.com/packstructure.htm
I would direct you to the search function in the upper left corner of the website for any additional questions you may have. If you type in your key words it will guide you to articles, Q & A’s and posts on our forum.
I hope this helps.
Cindy
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