| Shy or Fearful of People? |  |
Dogs can develop shyness or a fear of people for many different reasons. The dog may not have had much contact with people during his socialisation period. Puppies who have not been introduced to many people when they are young, can become introvert and unsure of themselves around strangers.
The dog may have had a bad experience with people. I know of one dog whose first male owner burned him with cigarettes. Not surprisingly this dog had become very afraid of men. Children can often be the cause of dogs becoming hand shy, as some of them tend to pull at the dog's ears or tail. The dog will then try to avoid this by hiding when children come into the house.
If the dog has not been handled much by other people, other than the vet or dog groomer, he may then associate strangers with unpleasant experiences.
If you have a dog that is shy or fearful, there are ways of overcoming this, but it does take time and patience, as well as the help of a few friends. Take it in very easy stages to let the dog's confidence build up. For very fearful dogs, I would suggest using Dog Appeasing Pheromones (DAP) to help reduce anxiety levels. This should be plugged in at least 48hrs before starting the socialisation exercises.
The usual behaviour for this type of dog is to hide away somewhere like the back of a seat or sofa, whilst barking or even growling at the person entering the room. Some more timid dogs will just hide and not come out. Some are so fearful, they may even lose control of their bladder.
Here is some general advice for treatment. It is very important that you follow the instructions closely.
Stage 1
- Try to set up some visitors to come to your house. Make sure it is at a time when your dog is hungry. As you are going to use food to motivate him, this will not work if your dog has already just been fed. When they arrive, make sure you give your visitor some really tasty treats, such as hot dog sausage, cooked chicken, or little cubes of cheese for your dog. (It needs to be something very special that your dog really likes.)
- You must all completely ignore the dog. Do not look at him or talk to him at all. Get your visitors to sit down and relax on your sofa, still not looking or talking to the dog. Make a cup of tea or coffee and sit and chat for a few minutes. Make sure you sit on a different seat to the visitor. As you are drinking your coffee your visitor should very gently throw a few of the treats close to the dog.
- If the treats are tasty enough the dog should eventually be unable to resist coming out to eat them. During this time you should continue to completely ignore the dog. You will possibly find that the dog runs back to his hiding place as soon as he has finished the treats.
Stage 2
- Carry on chatting while the visitor continues to roll the treats towards the dog
- Each time try to bring the treats slightly closer so that the dog has to come towards the visitor to gain the treat.
- Take it very slowly, letting the dog take his own time to be brave enough to come towards the visitor.
- Still ignoring the dog all this time. Any looks or talking directly to the dog may just send him scurrying off again.
Stage 3
- Arrange to meet people in the street and get them to stop when you meet, and drop a food treat in front of the dog. Carry on chatting for a few minutes still occasionally dropping a treat.
- If you feel that your dog has made good progress and is showing a lot more confidence you could then ask people to start gently offering food treat from the flat of their hand. Keep the hand back about 2-3 feet way from the dog so that he has to sniff and come forward to get the food. Avoid any eye contact at this stage. Let the dog take his own time to take the treat, and when he does, gently praise him.
Stage 4
- Once your dog is looking less hesitant than before, the visitor can start to drop the treats near by, so that the dog has to come close to get them. If he does not, then just go back to the previous stage for now.
- At first your dog may not be too keen, but be patient he should eventually make progress. The aim of this exercise is to get the dog to associate strangers with positive experiences, in particular tasty treats.
- Repeat this exercise over the next few weeks with different people coming to your house. Once your dog is showing more confidence in the house you can then take this exercise outside.
The more rewarding meetings your dog has with people, the more likely he is to lose his fear.
During the initial stages of re-training you may find it useful to use Bach flower remedies Larch and Mimulus. These help to build confidence and restore courage in fearful dogs.
Scullcap and Valerian tablets can also be used to keep the dog calm, until he is more confident about meeting new people.
If you are still having difficulties, you may need expert help from a behaviourist, who can provide you with more detailed advice and guidance.
Please ring us if you have any questions, or see our website www.k9centre.co.uk
Carol Martin (AACC)
Edmiston House
Nethermill
DUMFRIES
DG1 3NG
Tel: 01387 860322
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