# 13 month old afraid of strangers



## sfapsey (Jan 9, 2015)

Penny is 13 months old now and has been getting afraid of strangers the last month or so. In her obedience class today she would not let any of the other people in the class get close to her. She used to be very friendly but lately the scared behavior seems to be getting worse. Any advise out there. Other than that she has been doing well. She is intact and has not gone into heat yet. Still runs wild off leash twice a day. Her appetite is normal (eats anything that comes her way)


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## mswhipple (Mar 7, 2011)

Well, you have to wonder if someone has been mean to her or frightened her when not in your presence. If only they could talk... My only advice is that you should try not to make a big deal out of it and hope she forgets about whatever scared her. Just try to go on with life as usual.


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

Most of us have the happy go lucky pups that want to be everyone's friend. As these pups mature their personalities form. Some will still think everyone on this earth, was put here just to give them a belly rub. Some will need a few minutes to warm up to people, before they think its okay to pet them. Some will have a bigger problem with stranger, either from fear, aggression, or a combination of both. 
Try and find Penny's comfort zone, and work slowly from there.
Sometimes its just the bombardment of the people, dogs, and different surrounding.
It you break down the things into separate outings, so the dog can conquer each one separately. Its less of a sensory overload to them.


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## sfapsey (Jan 9, 2015)

A family member is with her all the time so I don't think it was a negative experience. She doesn't go to doggy day care or any other place without one of us.


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## gingerling (Jun 20, 2015)

Sfapsey said:


> A family member is with her all the time so I don't think it was a negative experience. She doesn't go to doggy day care or any other place without one of us.


I think you might have found the source of your problem.

In addition to what Tex said, as their personalities develop, they incorporate their life experiences into that evolution. So, if she's always with you or a family member all the time, her comfort zone would be more limited...to you and your family members. It makes sense that when she's around other, new people she might find that a bit anxiety inducing. 

The solution is to socialize her to the situations she's now experiencing as new and scary... take her into increasingly more populated areas with new people while offering lots of support and encouragement for her being calm and demonstrating mastery. Also, I don't think this is something she'll outgrow..they tend to grow into their responses...not the opposite...so if you want this to get better, you'll likely need to socialize her to those situations (and the people in them).


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

Keep in mind that every new person does NOT have to touch her. Let her become comfortable, and the one that makes contact with them.

My daughters dog Lucy is a people watcher, when it comes to new people. She likes to judge them from a distance first. After a few minutes she will come up to them for a good sniff or two. If they try and push her to quickly, she will retreat and go back to watching from a distance. If they pass the sniff test, and don't reach for her right away, she will keep coming back to them. Give her 30 minutes, and she will be in their lap acting like they are her new best friend.

June (my female) thinks every stranger was put on this earth for her entertainment. If they're not carefully, they will get a big kiss (lick) across the face. 

Cash (my male) likes everyone, until he doesn't. He is pretty picky on how someone new (anyone he doesn't respect) to him can, and can not touch him. He is happy for new people to give him a rub under the chin, or by the collar. The rest of him is off limits, and he will bow up quickly. He's not your normal vizsla and quite possibly has a hard wire issue. So don't even add him to the equation when thinking about your dog. I probably have 5X the amount work into him than the other two.

My whole point is work with the dog you have. Only after you put in the hard work will you know what they are capable of.
.


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## CrazyCash (Jul 12, 2012)

My Penny is afraid of men and her first reaction is to bark at them and run away. When she is around men I just tell them to ignore her, don't look at her, don't try to pet her, just act as though she's not there. Eventually she'll come around and approach them. If we are out on a walk and a man walks by us, I just keep her moving forward and don't give her time to react. I don't baby her when she's scared, I'll have her sit or put her on a down and just let her be near me. It's something that I don't think she'll ever fully get over but now I can manage it much better. Once she warms up she will crawl in a man's lap and be his buddy - it just takes some time. 

Since you are in an obedience class, you can ask other people to help you. Have some people hold a treat in their hand (make it a really good treat that she loves), have them ignore Penny and if she approaches them then they give her the treat, no talking, no petting, just give her the treat. She gets to approach people on her terms and sees that they aren't so scary.


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## sfapsey (Jan 9, 2015)

Thanks for the advice. It's not like she does not see other people. She normally goes to the local dog beach twice a week and runs around off leash with people all around. She generally backs away when people try to pet her. Some people she will go right up too but she generally keeps her distance. With other dogs she is just fine and is always looking for one to play with.

We will keep working with her and start taking her down town to walk around.


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## miru (Sep 9, 2014)

Hi,

Leo also got through a phase around 14-18 month when he became very protective of me and his home.this meant him barking at runners and other people approaching me and also barking at people passing next to our garden.
He seemed more reactive and scared but i think it was kind of a new 'awareness" and may be also a need to assert himself as a teenager.
Any way that is how we treated it,no big fuss ,just telling him stop,no,calling him and making him sit and giving him a treat when watching silently the other person.
He gets much better now at 19 months but he still barks when someone rings at the door and enters "his territory" only to calm down and go for a kiss after a while.

Hope you will be fine ,good luck
Miru


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## sfapsey (Jan 9, 2015)

Hi,

Well Penny passed her AKC Canine Good Citizen test. It was a bit iffy at fist as she was a bit fearfull of the tester but settled down and passed all the requirements. The instructor even said she did best on heal.

The group that ran the class also offered advanced classes where they they ran through dog show type routines. They are only $5/ session so I have been taking Penny to them even though I'm not interested in taking her to shows but thought she would benefit from the training. The classes are held when it's dark and she is still fearfull of the sounds. During the last class a car down the road back fired and really set her off. 

I don't know if I should keep taking her to the class or if I'm making her fear worse. Some of the instruction is pretty firm and loud and that seems to make her worse. I'll keep taking her if folks think it will help get her over her fear but don't want to contribute to it.

Any suggestions? Most of the dogs are collies and labs. She gets along fine with the other dogs.


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

Your going to have to decide that, because your the one that can see her reactions.
The car backfire can happen anywhere, so I would take that out of the equation.

If she seems apprehensive at times, but then goes back to a relaxed state. I would keep taking her.
If she is being overwhelmed, I would ask if its okay to work her at a distance from the loud instruction. The distance would be determined, by what it takes for her to be comfortable. You slowly move closer (sometimes its weeks, or months) as she becomes relaxed.


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## gingerling (Jun 20, 2015)

In fearful dogs, what you want to do is identify the fears and then very slowly acclimate her to them. You don't want to immerse her in an experience that is overwhelming. So, if she's clearly freaked out in class..if she cannot manage all the stimuli and attendant anxiety, you want to back off that. I'd also be concerned that your using the class for a purpose not intended....everyone is there for show handling, and you'd be there for "Fun" or to provide an experience to help her manage her anxiety. That's not a good fit..the others can interfere with what you're trying to accomplish, and you can interfere with them.

Since she gets anxious around other people, you might try walking down the street in town for a while and build the time up slowly, offer lots of reinforcement, and try to keep it up beat. When she masters that, you can add other experiences. 

This will take a while, have patience.


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## sfapsey (Jan 9, 2015)

Thanks. Its not like she is fearful all the time. I can take her down State St. in Santa Barbara with all the tourists walking around and she is ok as long as someone doesn't reach out to her and pet her. Even then sometimes she is ok, depends on the person. The class seems pretty open to me working with her during their exercises. I will try again Monday and see how she does. Maybe I will go early and get her familiar with the surroundings.


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## charliesfamily (Jan 26, 2016)

I have a similar issue with my 15mo old V. I like to take him to my kids' soccer games and everyone is instantly drawn to him and want to pet him. He's usually pretty good about it but last Fall he snapped at someone and has done it twice since then. I know that they can be a shy breed and I try to tell people that, when they approach him but kids, especially, just don't get it. And to add onto it, he even shies away from people he's met before. I'm almost afraid to take him to the soccer games anymore. Its a little embarrassing. And of course I don't want him to be overwhelmed, either. I can understand that his feeling of being overwhelmed and him backing away but what scares me is that he's now snapping at people. 

I suppose I could keep him with me, at a distance, instead on the sidelines with other parents... Does anyone have any suggestions?


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## gingerling (Jun 20, 2015)

Vizslas a "Shy breed"?! They're all attention mongers!

Different dogs display different levels of attention seeking (and acceptance), but in general, you should always take the lead from your V. So, if yours snaps that's a clear indication that he's in over his head and shouldn't be there just yet. Go back to walking down the street and having her meet and greet (and be greeted by) people with lots of support and encouragement.


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