Hi all. I have a 3 year old GSD therapy-type dog that has (had?) goals of being a fire dept dog as well as his SAR work, well socialized, very confident, only things he's been startled by to date were first time around a fire truck's air brakes (that sounded like a snake) and jumping 6' down from an idling fire tanker seat. Other things, sirens, guys in fire suits and respirators, etc, he'll walk right up to and sniff. Always been a friendly little guy, which is what he needed to be around kids etc. A few weeks ago we were walking in the park, and some freak (drugged out I believe) just turned around and went nuts at him, screaming at Maxwell and looming over him. Maxwell hit the deck as I yelled at the guy and backed him off, prepared to pepper spray him if needed. Guy just snapped and went running off. Now, he's very shy about strangers, and I don't blame him. I have been taking him around to other firehouses and getting dog savvy people to squat quietly and offer him his favorite treat trying to rebuild his confidence. He made leaps and bounds back to 90%, but I'm stuck there. He no longer really has any desire to be petted or to approach people, and is very slow in building trust now, which is not a good thing for his job. How do I take a dog that has never really had a shyness or fear problem and get him over this?

I know that most people don't let their dogs get petted, but his job is similar to that of a therapy dog and he must be perfectly safe to be around and pet. He used to love it, and now he is just so hesitant I hate it. Any advice would be welcomed.

Thanks

Cate

This only happened a few weeks ago, so I wouldn't worry too much. Eventually, the memory of the bad event will fade.

You are on the right track with providing numerous positive experiences. Keep it up. It's kind of like that old rule of 'One aw***, outweighs a thousand attaboys'. You did well handling and disposing of the threat.

This is one of the reasons 'good nerves' are so very important in dogs no matter what their job description. A solid temperament and confidence help dogs take events like this in stride and enables them to recover quickly.

Thanks Charlie. Well, I made a lot of progress in the first couple of weeks, and seemed to be stalled now. I also notice that he has to be touching me now if strangers are around... just slight physical contact of his side against my leg. You think it will just take a few months then maybe? I can pretty much see him evaluating everyone now looking at them like he's wondering if they are going to suddenly lose their minds and stomp him to death? I just hate to think that I might do something to delay the healing or make it worse. Never in a million years did I anticipate a rabid off-lead HUMAN...*sigh* and this dog has such promise as a good fire dept ambassador (even if he doesn't have spots!)

Why not try turning some "strangers" into hot dog piece machines? This may build his confidence a bit and he'll be a bit more willing to go to them. If you want your dog to take treats from strangers that is. Maybe toys he likes?

While it may seem like a bad experience, I don't think it was all bad. Your dog learned a valuable lesson - not only did you protect him, but you sent the loser running. That means alot to your dog.

I know from an experience I had with my dog that involved
a bunch of aluminum frames falling down beside him. Hazards in the workplace, lol...but the way he carried on you'd think they were steel and fell on his head. His nerves aren't solid, so this worried me. He's fine now but it did take some time for him to figure out that nothing really happened and he only got a good scare. Now when screens fall over he doen't mind. Not that I think your dog will get used to drug-addled idiots, lol, but I do think he'll forget all about it eventually.

Yes, he definately sees me as his protector, but now sadly he thinks he needs one. I've been using his favorite treats and asking everyone he meets to give him some. He's extremely gentle in taking treats (not a grabber) so I'm not worried about that, and once he's around them for a minute he warms up (like they have passed the 30 second "turn psycho" test) and allows lots of scratching and petting, and even gives kisses to warm friendly (females mostly) people that kneel down and use very non-threatening posture. But even after two hours if one of the guys moved quickly Maxwell would startle and make sure that they were not ready to attack.

I'm taking him with me to the FD tonight because we are doing breathing apparatus drills (where nice guys turn into aliens that smell like smoke and back into nice guys again) to help him just kick back and chill and watch.

Thanks for all the advice everyone, I appreciate it and have hope that he can bounce back.

Cate