Hornblower/dog people - question about our new dog

[TXMomof4]

I need some help! We just got a boxer about a month ago. He is 1 1/2 and absolutely beautiful. He is super well behaved, house-trained, crate trained, sits, stays, gentle and wonderful with the kids, loves to play with the cat, other dogs - he is fabulous.

 

BUT

 

He is a big fat chicken! When anyone comes to the door he barks for a second then takes off running. Last week, my bil was here and he never warmed up to him. If bil walked in the room, the dog ran the other direction. THe violin teacher walked in last night and Oz wet the floor. Last week our house was being reroofed and he wouldn't go outside to potty at all. He spent all day in his crate because he wouldn't pee even when we took him for long walks. He just tried to get back home ASAP.

 

The family we got him from was a little rough, but he seemed very happy and is completely healthy. I'm not sure where this fear is from, but I hate it for him! Everyone thinks he's a wacky dog because he doesn't act like his sweet self at all when anyone but family is around.

 

What do I do to help him?

[Laura Corin]

I'm no expert, but it might be that your dog just needs more time. When we got Blondie (at age two) she was very fearful. It took her a full six months to come out of her shell.

 

Best wishes

 

Laura

[hornblower]

My female is fearful. She was a submissive urinator for the first few months we had her. She's also a bit fearful of other dogs & there she likes to bark & hackle to look tough. "hey! I'm so big & tough! I'm not scared!!!" whistling in the dark LOL

 

http://www.amazon.ca/Cautious-Canine-Conquer-Their-Fears/dp/1891767003/ref=pd_sim_b_3

 

The Cautious Canine - a small booklet but tons of great info inside

 

You can help your guy become more confident by

 

a) limiting exposure to fearful things

while

b) you pair fearful things with things he likes

 

& also teach the dog some tricks. The more tricks a dog knows, the more options for behaviour.

 

 

Remember classic conditioning - if you're fearful of snakes, I might ask you to look at a snake while eating a M&M (or whatever you really like).

If you're really fearful, it might be a picture of a snake, or maybe a cartoon of a snake & only for a second. Then two seconds. Then a more realistic photo. Then one in the room but really far away. Then closer etc etc.

 

 

 

 

Depending on how stressed he is, there are several things you can try for stranger anxiety

 

-go for a walk & have the guest take the lead & maybe play some onleash games with the dog; walking together is a powerful way to connect with a dog

 

-in the house leash him on a long line, tie the leash to your waist, & drop pieces of hot dog on the floor the entire time you have visitors. (I chop hot dogs into a 100 pieces : first into 4 lengthwise, then 25 crossways. Put on several thicknesses of paper towel & microwave for about 10 seconds to get the greasiness off.) At first it might need to be one piece of hot dog every few seconds but soon you should be able to space them out. Don't ask him to sit or anything else at first. This is classical conditioning - you're in the room with a stranger & hot dog is falling from the sky.

 

-later you can add things like sitting or downing, or looking at you etc.

 

-having the visitor offer treats only works if the dog is not so scared that they're running away. Be careful to never place a dog in a conflicted position where they really want something but are also really scared. You can end up with a bite.

 

Ask your visitors to ignore the dog pls & esp to not stare at his eyes. If the dog seems comfy after a while, the visitor can start dropping food on the floor but again, ignoring the dog for the most part. it's hard to be patient & not push the early steps but the more patient you are here, the faster he will progress.

 

 

 

he sounds lovely & just needs some confidence boosting & learning that visitors are wonderful!

 

 

There is another book called Scaredy Dog by Ali Brown & it tends to deal more with dogs who stand their ground and bark (called being 'reactive') rather than running away but the training advice in that book is also excellent if you decide you need more than The Cautious Canine.

 

Also, free registration on clicketertraining.com will give you access to lots of articles like:

 

Helping Shy Dogs Blossom Using Targeting

 

http://www.clickertraining.com/node/546

 

If you search for fearful or scared on that site, you'll see lots of articles & trainer blog entries about overcoming this