# V scared of men and strangers



## MaggieD (Jan 28, 2011)

Hi all,
I have done a really good job socializing my v with other dogs but recently i have noticed his complete fear of men or strangers approaching him... Any ideas to help fix this? Thank you!


----------



## Bellababy (Mar 31, 2010)

Mine too, she barks like mad at them on walks sometimes too, and people must think she is vicious, but I know she is barking out of fear. She only started at about 18 months old, she is now 2 and half, I can't fathom it because she was so well socialised, from the first day we got her. Even if she is not scared, she has little interest in any strangers, say people who want to stroke her etc, its quite embarrassing because she snubs them and you can see her almost thinking "excuse me I don't know you". Bella only really likes her own inner circle, and is quite snooty with strangers until she really checks them out. I've never owned a dog like this before!


----------



## Mischa (Feb 17, 2010)

The only thing I wish I could change about my dog is her random moments of fear. If mine hears a dog bark in the distance, she gets very cautious. She'll move forward, but tail and ears down and she looks around for what is wrong. I ignore, then redirect her when I find something for her to jump. This usually gives her a boost and she's back to normal.

I don't get how this breed can be so boisterous/confident one moment, and go into a stupor of fear the next. 

You have to set your dog up to win. Perhaps ask a stranger if they have a moment to help your dog by giving him a treat. 
Ask male friends to come over. Give them bacon to put in their pockets, and ignore the dog! Hopefully the smell will interest him and he can learn that strange men sometimes give out free bacon.


----------



## pippa31 (Aug 2, 2011)

We went through a horrible stretch of this a couple of months ago. In fact, I had one of the men she barked at tell me that my 8 month old should be kept on a leash at all times (we were in a designated off-leash area, but she was barking like a mad woman). I obviously felt horrible :-[

Here is what worked for me: (I completely made this up after trying lots of things that my trainer and/or other people told me, so it could be a complete fluke that this worked!!!)

I walked in the most populated off-leash places I could find. I knew Pippa needed lots of opportunities to come across men/strangers on our walks. When a man approached (she was terrified of men, men with beards, men with sunglasses), I used the words "Up front" to clue her that someone was walking towards us. Then I gave her five treats. I kept repeating "Up front" in a happy voice while we walked past the person. If she did not stop barking, I clipped her leash and put her in a sit until the person walked by. If she stopped barking at all, then I would treat, treat, treat. I practiced this routine with her every day, for two times a day. And because our off-leash walks are usually 1-2 hours, you could say she got MASSIVE amounts of practice. But it has PAID OFF. Only barking on the RAREST occasion now on walks (she is 10 1/2 months now) and often I get compliments on how well she greets strangers 

Here's what I am learning after being a first-time Vizsla owner for a 10 month old puppy:
It's hard and mistakes will be made
Routine and consistency pay off
Routine and consistency come with practicing a specific skill every day
Read and listen to lots of advice from others
But...
You know your dog best
sometimes the best ideas come from an owner trying to figure their dog out
(Forgive the rumination...an unusual glass of wine after a long day at work has done me in, I think! : )


----------



## Lincolns Parents (Aug 6, 2011)

Ours has the same fear issues too...its sad! :-\


----------



## datacan (May 15, 2011)

MaggieD, first, I am no expert in anything Vizsla, my answers are from experiences and observations with other dogs.

My cousin had a dog who was stabbed by a burglar and developed a fear of unknown people. The dog was put on early retirement and lived out its life in or near the kennel. No one ever tried to rehabilitate it. But thinking back, I remember the dog would tuck its tail and cower away if anyone leaned over it. The trigger; leaning directly over the dog. Not what one would expect from a protection K9.

A dog behaviorist may be your best bet if the situation is really out of hand. 

But, to start, I would not let anyone lean over or reach out over the dog's head. Also, I would not walk directly at the strangers, at least at the beginning. If I see them I would go near and change directions not letting the dog focus at all on the stranger. Something like Caesar Millan is doing. Eventually, I would progress to passing by the stranger and not allowing the dog to focus except on me.


----------



## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

I never force one of my dogs to come face to face with something they fear.
Instead we work on something else at what they consider a safe distance. We keep moving closer as they become more comfortable. Its all on their time schedule. 

My dogs have had to get used to running with and around other dogs, bicyclers, joggers, horseback riders,cows and ATVs.


----------

