Hi everyone.
My male GSD is 8 months old. Up until about 2 months ago he was as outgoing and friendly as can be.
However, for about 2 months, he's been going through a stage where is is afraid of people.
He is well socialized, and taking him out in public is no problem, he is not afraid of his surroundings, but when people come to pet him he backs up, runs behind me, and he doesn't want to be petted. I can walk him around people no problem.
My trainer works for a dog daycare on the side, and I am starting to take him there, 2 days a week.
They do individual attention with each dog during the day, so he will get much interaction.
The first day he would barely come out of his run, but he did take treats from people. Tomorrow will be the 2nd day, and I am going to bring our other dog with him to see if that will make him more comfortable.
My other GSD didn't go through any fear stages, so this is new for me.
I would appreciate any advise on how to get him over this. He is older, already 56 lbs, and it's hard enough to get people to pet him. Him being afraid just makes people more cautious.
I don't want him to go up to just anyone, but he has to be able to function and be handled by other people.
When we're at home and people come over, he usually barks at first, then he walks around at a safe distance of about 4 feet, never approaching anyone. He will play fetch with other people, but he will stop and drop the ball 4 feet away.
Thanks in advance.

I would just advise people not to pet him. When approaching people I just tell my dog "lets go say hi". That way she knows we will be meeting up with people. I suppose you could give a name to approaching people. That way maybe it will put his mind at ease a bit when he knows what to expect. I wouldn't force the pets on him. At puppy class there was a "pass the puppy" exercise. (BTW, I know this is against Ed's better advice) It is basically passing the dog from person to person for pets, etc.....I read the articles on dog socialization after I went to class. Anyhow, my dog did not like it at all. I eventually ended up taking her lead and walking her around to say hi. Per the breed standard she is aloof with strangers. She will tolerate pets but don't think she really likes them unless it is someone she knows well. The other thing not to do is coddle your dog because when he is acting fearful that is just reinforcing the behavior. Might be a good idea to treat him for saying "hi" and not cowering behind you. Good luck. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Anna,
I wish I could go back in time with my 3 1/2 year old male Briard, but since I can't, I will share my opinions and what I have learned with you.

First: dog daycare forces dogs to interact with each other, when they may be 100% happier at home alone. IME, most people working at these dog daycare places are incapable of properly reading dogs, and most dogs are better off without this type of forced socialization.

If exercise is what you are after, take him on long walks several times a day and play fetch in fenced in areas. Be creative, but dog daycare for a dog like this is a bad idea.

Second: Why is it necessary for other people to pet your dog? Right now, he is well-mannered and staying several feet away from people. To me, this is very clear dog communication, and a liveable situation. If you try to convince him to accept the approaches and touches of strangers, you could very well end up with a dog who will project a stronger message and trust me, *that* message will keep people away from him. You will be much better off in the long run, if your dog can learn to trust that you won't inflict others on him unnecessarily. You don't want him taking this matter into his own hands...believe me.

The best way to get through a fear stage is to be a good leader, don't coddle, and don't force him to be social when he clearly doesn't want to be. This is my personal opinion, and might not be worth the pixel space it's written in, but I wish it had been told to me when MY dog was 8 months old.

T

I'd like to commend Tracy for an *excellent* post!

Thanks, Will.
Unfortunately, I had to live the learning curve that got me to where I am now. If I can save others from BS attempts to get their dogs to like every other person and dog on the planet, I will sing the message loud and clear! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
T

Hi Tracy,

I really appreciate your words, honestly, but I guess I feel a little bit like defending my actions here.

The "dog daycare" that I take him to is Not to interact with other dogs, just people. This is to get him used to being around other people and handled by others. He doesn't go out with any other dogs. This place is a training facility, and they do one on one handling with the dogs.

So far I have been lucky and have been able to board him at the breeder, but I may not be able to do that some day. This is solely for that practical purpose, to get him used to being around other people, for that one day that I will have to board him in a kennel. Should I not get him used to that? That to me sounds like a very dangerous situation.

Anyway... I don't classify myself as having great knowledge about dogs and their behavior, but I feel that I am doing the right thing here.

As far as the question in hand... I take him with me to as many places as I can, I am not coddling him when he acts scared, and I don't force him to go up to people. He usually approaches a person after he sees me interact with someone, but it's just the initial approach by someone he doesn't know.

Thanks,
Anna

 Quote:

The best way to get through a fear stage is to be a good leader, don't coddle, and don't force him to be social when he clearly doesn't want to be.

Very well said. Forcing your pup would be a huge mistake. But teaching him that sometimes that new person has a piece of roast beef just for him? So your pup WANTS to go up, take the treat, and then move on? Sounds like an option to me.

Your dog doesn't have to LOVE everyone and leap on them with joy. But I agree with your concern for him when he has to deal with other people. Whether at a vets, or a kennels, or a friends, or a relatives. I know I like to take my dogs with me everywhere and I would like them to be happy and confident when out and about with me. Having to muzzle my dog cause they are such a wreck at the vets? That'll calm them and make the visit better for everyone involved (NOT). Or have him kenneled and isolated because all the staff are afraid of him?

I have my dogs (3 of them, 2 GSD's) trained and socialized to a level that I have a list of friends and families who will take them for a few weeks if I have to leave town. They get to be in a real family, with their dogs and a part of their life. Training and socializing them to this level took work but was a choice I wanted for my dogs in my life. And it's worked out just fine.

Hey, we got to help with the LE, fire companies and families after 9/11 in NYC. And when I was feeling helpless and wanted to do something, it was nice that I could use my dogs to help with the healing. http://www.4gsd.net/therapydogs.html talks about it and I was even able to bring 2 of my dogs at the same time.

Hi all,
I can appreciate where you are coming from, but here is the thing: I didn't think we were talking about run-of-the-mill dog socialization here. The question was how to overcome a fear stage. IME, you don't overcome a fear stage, you manage through it.

There is a reason it is called a fear *period*. It is a temporary state thought to be caused by wildly fluctuating hormones during key maturation periods. If you manage through fear periods appropriately, the dog can generally come through them with no harm done.

If you try to over train, over socialize, and impose stress on them during this time, you can have bigger problems on your hands than you would have if you just waited it out.

Beginning this new regimin with your dog, at a time when he is clearly telling you he can't handle it, could very well do more harm than good. It's just advice from one who has "been there done that" and has had to live with the consequences. Certainly, no one has to take it. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

T

All right, you have had great advice here, but something has been bugging me about the post. As far as I have learned, the fear periods are between 8 to 10 weeks, then again between 4 to 6 months (and a rare one between 14 to 16 months of age). I may have learned wrong, but if not, I would question, what happened to your dog when he was 4 to 6 months of age with people? Anything traumatic?

If this fear did not develop during an actual fear period, then you would only have to do some de-sensitisation. I would definitely not force the issue. You know the distance he is comfortable at when people come to your home. Work with him at that distance from people -- going places where there are a lot of people like shopping mall parking lots, cafes etc. (preferably not during rush hour) Just make sure you never put your dog in the position of being closer to people than the distance he has told you he feels comfortable at. Then, after he is very comfortable at that distance, you slowly move closer and work him. etc. The usual desensitisation stuff.

If this is the result of something that happened while he was actually during a fear period, then you will probably have to find a way to live with it. During this time a pup/dog is susceptible to physical and pschchological trauma, the effect of which may be permanent and irreversible. You can get it to a point where it can be manageable, but further than that is usually not possible.

So, step one, figure out when and why this happened and work from there.

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