Dog is afraid of people

[angie8023]

Hey everyone. My 9 month old pup is acting a bit weird. He comes to my husband and I every time we call him. However, when he is around my parents he wont go near them, even if they have a treat. He only does it with certain people but I don't want him to be a skittish dog. Is there any way to fix this?

 

[bubbatd]

how old was he when you got him ?? Did his breeder socialize him with lots of visitors ?

 

[angie8023]

I adopted him from animal care services here in San Antonio. I've had him for one month. He seemed fine at first with my parents. He does play with my other dog Sancho all day. Do you think he isn't getting enough socialization with humans? I don't know what to do

 

[Dekka]

I would call a good trainer, one who is up on this kind of issue (so not a dominance based trainer) and go from there. You can socialize an older dog but it takes a lot more effort. And its not simply meeting people.

 

[corgipower]

Is this a new behavior? Some dogs hit a fear stage at about that age.

 

[angie8023]

It is new behavior. He was fine around everyone then started acting like this about a week ago. He is super sweet and not agressive just skittish. Maybe I do need a trainer.

 

[corgipower]

It is new behavior. He was fine around everyone then started acting like this about a week ago. He is super sweet and not agressive just skittish. Maybe I do need a trainer.

I would find a good trainer who uses positive reinforcement methods only. Since you haven't had him long, it's hard to know if it's a stage or if it just took a little while for him to show himself, or if he's still adjusting to things and it's a temporary setback.

 

[lizzybeth727]

I agree with Corgi, a lot of dogs take some time to show their "true" selves and that might be what you're finally seeing.

You could check with ACS to see if they have a training program there, some shelters do (though ACS most likely does not have the funding, that's one of the worst shelters in the country, kudos for pulling a dog out of there!). San Antonio Humane Society is also likely to offer training classes, you could check with them. Usually if you adopt a dog from a shelter/humane society, you will get big discounts on their training classes.

You can also check out Association of Pet Dog Trainers - Dog Training Resources for a trainer search.

 

[angie8023]

Thanks for the advice you guys. I usually adopt from humane society but this little guy looked so miserable I had to take him. I think I'm going to call some places on Monday. I hope this is just a phase.