corgipower - What was their idea of "introducing" him -- were they having people get up close to pet him?
No, that would be waaay to much for the poor pup to handle.
The first 'step' goal was just entering the same room as him
lizzybeth727 - No, its a problem that I was attempting to work on when certain circumstances permitted me from doing any more. I had made some progress, however. I'm worried that he'll regress without more play
The only person they've talked to about this other than me is a petsmart trainer... joy
He was afraid of the clicker initially, so instead of working with that they were going to stick with verbal markers.
adojrts - Questions:
Was the pup a singleton (only pup in litter)?
yes
How old was the pup when taken from dam and littermates?
Stayed in same pen with mom until 10wks, then separated. Technically still in the same house now.
Despite living with dogs, he does not seem to have very many 'dog manners' with them. He bites at faces, and ignores warning growls and snarls. Dogs outside of the group of ones he knows he screams if they even look at him.
Very good advice - I was doing similar.
I was staying in his backyard (he's typically very confident and comfortable there) with Maddie and just letting a friend in. We'd go and sit on the ground of the deck and chat between us. Maddie would model approaching someone new (she usually sits for petting) and I would praise and treat quiet, curious, or calm behavior from him. Now he's fine with that friend every time she comes around, so I did the same with her sister. We would also meet them at new places. Then I met a co-worker in front of the house, on lead. I stood back by the house, and only moved when he was quiet and actually pulling toward her (I didn't want him to feel rushed or restricted by the leash). It took some time, but it worked. The next time he saw her he was fine, wiggling his butt and wanting to be petted.
I was working on doing the same with a 10 yr old girl (she was awesome following my directions
) and we didn't make much progress. She had to go home, and I never got chance to work with him again.